mollie makes

i've been super excited to share this news... i did a fun little project for the cover of the january issue of mollie makes and it just came out today! inside are all the directions you need to make two polar bear hot water bottle covers, and a sweet little write-up on my inspirations and work methods.

mollie makes is a uk-based publication, but if you're stateside you can pick up a copy at joann fabrics or most other sewing shops! it's a lovely way for oh, albatross to close out 2013... and a really great incentive to make 2014 even bigger and better! (seriously, i've had a wonderful year. i never knew "work" could feel so damned good.)

and on the home-front, tonight is our last night in our wee old house! tomorrow we load the uhaul with all our furniture and three dogs and we will begin the next chapter of our life in our light-filled dream home. yes, it's been a wonderful year.

xo. r

tools of the trade

one of the things that makes my work so particularly enjoyable is working with beautiful tools. i have developed a near obsession with tools that are simple, useful and beautiful. (sometimes they become beautiful simply because of they are useful.)

SCISSORS & HEMOSTATS

scissors and hemostats are in my hands often. and i have collected a wide assortment of these, each with a slightly different function. microtip scissors for precise cuts. tailor snips for clipping threads. blunt nosed hemostats for stuffing and tiny hemostats for pulling needles from tight spots.  (i am still on the lookout for an alligator nose hemostat, and i'm sure one will turn up at the perfect moment.)

BOXES & TRAYS

i often use shallow boxes and trays to keep tools organized and readily available. this particular wood box came out of a barn sale some 15 years ago at least. it has moved with me over and over and is just about the best sort of wood box one could hope to own.

PINCUSHIONS

my beloved box is currently filled with a collection of pretty pincushions from occupied japan. originally a cheap sort of trinket… they open up to reveal a little storage space and are lined in a shockingly bright pink. i adore them.

THIMBLES

naturally i lean towards the pretty brassy thimbles that originally came with the pincushions. i don't actually love using a thimble, but after a long sewing session it's nice to have some sort of fingertip left. i have some trouble with thimbles sliding off my fingers, but i have solved that with this ingenious solution. i am quite chuffed with myself for figuring this out, really.)

FABRIC & TRIM

of course, i can't pass up vintage fabrics, ribbons or trims. they are wonderful to work with… much better quality than what i see available in the craft stores. the only problem is that tiny nagging voice that tells me i may never find a particular lace or velvet ribbon ever again. it's a little heart break every time.

tell me what tools you can't live without. what your hands love to work with. (last night i had a desperate need for wool carders. might have to borrow my mom's… she has quite the tool stash of her own!)

xo. r

dear beasties

new in the shop! wee pink pig | poky pup | the dear ones

my fingertips are near worn through, but there's still lots to do! i'm doing my best to restock foxes and the dear ones before the holidays. i'm so grateful for the support of my customers and readers. i just can't thank you enough for letting me do what i love!

xo. r

bird brain

finally finished up this little heron - i think she's my favorite yet. sometimes i just plain dawdle over the birds, finishing them up a little at a time and then all at once, feverishly in the middle of the night. i'll be adding her to the shop shortly, where she can join her other bird friends. (i just had to gather them all for a rare group picture. obviously i have a complete disregard for scale.)

i shall leave you with the obvious… bird is the word!

xo. r

(psst... don't forget to stop by the small wonders sale with one kings lane! it starts tonight.)

peace and spirit

a fox at peace with the coming winter and three new house spirits… just added to the shop! (and oh, how i love that little fox in her layers of white.) also, a few dear ones will be making their way to the shop as well.

and, of course, it's time to start stocking up for the holiday. pretty little tinsel puffs and feather birds. i'll do a holiday post shortly. but as i do sort of cringe at the early holiday prep (for goodness sake, christmas bits and bobs have been showing up in the shops since well before halloween. and the halloween candy was available before school started up in the fall … where does it end?) i won't make too much of a shenanigan about it here.

xo. r

unplanned update

so there may have been a huge unplanned handmade shop update. i didn't see it coming but there i was with an armful of the dear ones and some foxes and a few birds and one lonesome giraffe, all clamoring to be put in the shop. seriously, it's a huge shop update. so maybe go have a meet & greet with the wee friendly beasties. they're all quite eager. 

(and on a side note… last week was grey and quiet and rainy and so was i. apparently i placated my moods with some out of control sewing. i remember taking a break to go buy thread and the boy needed some socks. the rest is sort of a haze and a vague memory of sore fingers.)

xo. r

we've got spirit, yes we do

new house spirits just added to the shop! this time in bright new colors. it's some of the most beautiful felt i've had the pleasure to work with from a favorite local shop, felt on the fly. there's nothing like a big colorful stack of gorgeous felt to make me feel like sewing up house spirits all day long.

xo. r

pigs and hogs

a quick glimpse from the work table.... catching up on custom orders and experimenting with new things. (pigs & hogs get along famously.)

but most days lately, i can't seem to get away from the computer and i wonder if i will ever get a full day of sewing in. (i can dream it all i want, but needles will permeate fingertips after awhile and that does tend to put a little rain on my sewing parade.) i've got two big projects to wrap up here on this big thinking machine, and then it's back to my beloved needle and thread.

nose to the grindstone my dears!

xo. r

the dear ones

the dear ones. now available in the shop. they are so much fun to make, and they feel just perfect in your hand. named after two very dear songs (hey jim james & my brightest diamond, i hope you're feeling it) and just in time for the holidays. now, off to make more because... yep, it's fun!

xo. r

sun bear

the sun bear wears tropical leaves to keep himself shaded and cool in his tropical climate. this is not strictly true for most sun bears, but it is most definitely true for this sun bear. he has politely agreed to keep his extraordinarily long honey-seeking tongue in his mouth. (also, not strictly true for most sun bears.)

i found myself a little obsessed with the idea of zuni fetishes. little spirit carriers full of power and protection. it's a rich idea, definitely worth more exploration. for now, the idea has rested in this little sun bear fetish. he's due in the shop soon!

xo. r

attack sheep

a long time ago when the world was fresh and green, i set off from my childhood home to begin a new life... living alone. at a time when most young folks sought late nights and endless parties, i was seeking a quiet space to myself. i confess, i have never really been able to shake that love of being alone. the silence of it, and the way things tend to grow in silence. 

not being quite self-sufficient, my dad often came to rescue with repairs, needed tools, a rather astonishing christmas present of nearly a dozen extension cords. (and while i accepted them with a sort of bemusement, over the years they have proven to be endlessly useful. he always knew.) one day he came armed not with tools, but with two stuffed sheep, one tucked under each arm. not little sheep. sheep the size of dogs. my confused look was met with a simple explanation. "they're attack sheep." apparently, he was not one to leave his youngest unguarded. 

and while the two attack sheep have not stayed with me over the years (seriously, they were big)... the idea has. so i will be offering small attack sheep to guard home, hearth and heart. and while they are scaled down in size from the original behemoths, i can assure you these funny little symbols of love & safety are made with full-scale protection powers.

xo. r

make

i don't often sit to sketch before i start working out a pattern. but sometimes, if there's a little being that i can't quite picture properly, i have to feel out his personality on paper first. often, it's laughable and scribbly and nothing like the finished bit. but this little puppy turned out just exactly like his sketch. makes me think i should do it more often.

it's been a whirlwind of making around here. projects to prepare for and custom orders to fill. but it's my favorite kind of work and i never tire of it. stitch, stitch, stitch.

the deer in her winter woolens and the fierce fox on the left are available in the shop. the tea fox has been spoken for and the wee frenchum bulldogs are for a custom order. (best part of a custom order? seeing pictures of other people's four-legged loves.)

the fabric and sewing supplies will be the last thing packed up around here, and most likely the first thing unpacked. i am afraid to admit this, but in volume and weight, it may rival my book collection. oh, for the love...

xo. r

hey hey giveaway!

hey hey, it's a pocket bear giveaway!

this poor little fellow (wilbur) needs a home. pretty sure you can read the longing right on his little bear face. so hop on over to my instagram, leave a comment and you'll be entered to win! (US only please. sorry long distance friends.)

i'll pick a winner at random this friday the 9th. (fingers crossed for all y'alls!)

xo. r & wilbur

dear ones

monday's gone all sideways on me again but i just managed to squeeze in this little peekie-loo. tomorrow will bring a menagerie of dear ones to the shop... sweet little animals that need good homes. (and there will be a few sweet little vintage bits tucked in between, too!)

xo. r

un. deux. trois.

un: just how is it the month of august already? time's gone all wibbly wobbly on me and i no longer remember what point of the year we're in or even what point of the week. i'm fairly good at mondays, but after that it's all a guessing game. i'd blame this on an unnatural immersion in solitary work, but the truth is, i was losing my grip on time when i was still semi-unhermited and working in an office environment.

deux: it's amazing how much better a hair cut will make you feel about yourself, no? i'd let my bangs lapse into a near sheepdog state and thus had been rocking a sort of hedgehog mess of pins and ponytails for the last month or so. i finally rectified this yesterday with a cut and coif and my-oh-my do i feel fine today. (additionally, there is nothing like the first shampoo after a hair cut. it's like washing an entirely different head. novel!)

trois: new! mobiles! not just for little ones! why should babies get all the pretty things to look at? these have been hanging in my bedroom for the last week and they make me smile every time i walk into the room. also, quite nice to have a little lie in on a sunny morning and watch them dance around. sure, let the babies look at them, but put them somewhere you can enjoy too. (they're in the shop now! images linked.)

have a wonderful august, please. that last summer hurrah with sneaky adventures tucked in every spare moment. even if that adventure looks suspiciously like an afternoon snooze in a hammock.

xo. r