Ric-Rac lovliness (*warning - potential gushing overload in this post*)

I'm sure I've raved about the lovely Jodie of Vintage Ric-Rac before .... (yes, she's the one who created that dress from frillions of selvedge strips a few years ago, as well as many lovely patterns and softies you have likely seen around the place if you live in Australia).

The other day I was at my local fabric shop buying some more embroidery thread for some hand-sewn softies, when I saw a couple more of Jodie's beautiful new creations. If she weren't such a gorgeous, bubbly, sweet person, I might feel a whole lot of resentment towards her - way to go Jodes, creating such fabulously whimsical toys with delightful personalities in exquisite detail, while I try to get my creative mojo back by churning out simple (shall we say rough and rustic?) lumps of felted wool that may or may not vaguely resemble the creatures I want them to be .....

But how can you not love Jodie's creations, and wonder at her skill and patience when you know she also holds down a day-job and has a busy family and social life, so this is not her only 'thing' in life? And then, when you get to know her ... sheesh! She's a ray of sunshine!

Here are just a few pics from Jodie's blog and Flickr pool:

Finally, if you haven't yet seen her little photo-stories, pop on over to the blog and click on the story links under the blog header/banner ... they're sure to put a smile on your dial!

 

Hope I haven't embarrassed you Jodie, or made other readers cringe at my gushiness. Let's just blame the loved-up pregnancy hormones.

A little bit o' stitching ...

I really seemed to lose my creative mojo this year, starting a few sewing projects but finishing almost none. I have a huge basket of nearly-finished hand-stitched softies in my sewing room, all needing just a finishing touch - limbs, feathers, eyes, tails or feet to be attached, but for some reason I just haven't managed to complete them.

Recently I gave away the few softies that were complete, and I had a request to make a rabbit for a young lady who needs a special hug. It felt really good to get back into stitching mode, using deliciously soft wool felt made from re-purposed jumpers (sweaters) and taking care with every stitch. I like the contemplative nature of hand sewing and it was fun to once more make a gift from start to finish in one sitting ...

I also made another drop for the Toy Society, after an inexcusably long absence .... Although this doll was super-simple, I hope the finder enjoys playing with her (and the handbag I included, which was made by the lovely Amy)!

A camel is a horse designed by committee

I made another softie for a little girl who loves camels. He's made from high-quality fleece, and is quite large (at about 50cm tall). There's something about him that makes me think he has a cheeky, sweet character ...

Naked camel:



Camel dressed and ready to join the caravan:



I think I like camels too.

Flocking together

I found these birds, made by Abby Glassenberg, on Flickr tonight:

(this one's feathers are actually little hands...)






~ I think some are available at Abby's Etsy shop.

Tactile goodies

....just crying out to be touched.


1. Motley Mutton 2. leaf and twig start 3. Mummysam - little dollhouse 4. Dadaya - beret 10 5. Oscar 6. Love is Warm 7. Labradoodle ornament, 8. Untitled, 9. Mummysam - Apricot 10. Merfish 11. Melilab 12. The Quirky Corn Crib

(click to enlarge)

Midnight ponderings

My brain is going tickedy-tick tonight so I'm trying to distract myself in blogland at 1 o'clock in the morning.

OK - here's something sweet....

A couple of weeks ago I sent this bunny out into the world for the Toy Society:

She's made from very thick, soft felt (converted woollen jumpers/sweaters) and vintage tablecloth fabric.


This week I got an email from her new family, assuring me that she's very well loved and settled in at her new home. Her new little friend Charlie is an absolute cutie - check him out here.

It's fun imagining all my toys in their new homes! I've made several more variations of my rabbit and carrot set recently - will post pictures soon. G thinks I should start selling them (?!).

oh. it's nearly 1:30 now - better go to bed. Good night all (and happy inauguration day, America!).

In stitches

I've been working on a secret project for two special little boys this week - will post more later if it works out OK. Here are a couple of the toys that I've dropped recently in local parks for the Toy Society:




Gus likes giving away toys as well ...

Bad news for producers of handmade toys etc ...

My sister sent me some info about new US legislation that has the potential to eradicate the handmade toy industry from February 2009. There are several links to related articles below ... what do you think?

http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/

The United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from being imported into the US. So, they passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August, 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in toys, mandates third-party testing and certification for all toys and requires toy makers to permanently label each toy with a date and batch number.
All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational toy manufacturers to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each toy have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and update their molds to include batch labels.
For small American, Canadian, and European toymakers, however, the costs of mandatory testing will likely drive them out of business.

http://etsynews.com/824/etsy-addresses-new-cpsia-consumer-product-safety-imrovement-act-and-its-potentially-devastating-impact-on-sellers-of-handmade-for-kids/

http://www.globalmama.com/2008/12/12/consumer-product-safety-improvement-act-threat-to-handmade-childrens-items/

http://design-my-handbag.com/childrens-products-and-the-cpsia/

http://www.coolmompicks.com/savehandmade/
http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=CPSIA&btnG=Search+Blogs

Toy society

Yesterday I made two more toys for the Toy Society and hung them in local parks. I made 4 drops in Tasmania a couple of weeks ago, and one of the finders contacted the website. Yay! It's nice to think of children finding a new toy that they can take home.

Snail Race

Oh my! How sweet are these racing snails from Jodie at RicRac?

What a lovely, low-tech, tactile gift for little children! (now I just have to find some kidlets to make them for ....)

I also love these pictures by Alicia, which I found today. Be still, little beating heart, indeed!

Finishing school

I think I need to go to a finishing school ...
I'm usually very excited about new projects when I start them, but for some strange reason I often set them aside just before they're properly completed. I have many more unfinished projects lying around than finished ones - it's extremely frustrating, and I really should change my wicked ways.

Here are a few of my works in progress (I have oodles more stashed in various places around the house):




I made some luscious grey, red and blue felt by washing woollen jumpers in very hot water. It's oh-so-thick and soft!


My scotty-dog needs some ears. I cut his ears off the original fabric when I thought I was going to make a four-legged dog with an underbelly and a broad head, but I couldn't work out how to do it so he ended up being two-legged and earless :-/






.... It might be time to move away from the cutsie look now though. I like the beuys bunnies and fibonacci rabbits over at Das Kanninchen's Flickr set.

Glow

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous lately - cold sunny days with cloudless skies are perfect for strolling in the park or chatting with friends over hot coffee.

Windows need washing though!



We had a lovely gentle rain last night ... I planted broad beans and peas today and tidied the garden a little.



I've also done quite a lot of sewing, starting out with simple kids' toys to get my confidence up; I gave my first two bunnies to Zac and Max.




... also made some yummy raspberry-red arm-warmers today.