canada day shop update

whew! my shop is all cleared out and now updated with new goodies! i always seem to forget how long it takes to photograph, colour correct, upload to flickr, upload to etsy, write descriptions and then blog EVERYTHING. it's taken a goodly chunk of my weekend and i only put 13 things up! and yes, those little scrappy flowers you see scattered amongst the mosaic are the newest addition to my growing soft toy menagerie. i call them "fleurs" and they are the product of my many bags of luscious vintage, designer and japanese fabric scraps that i can't bear to part with. here's a close up of the front and back of "ginger" (i've suddenly decided to start naming all of my creations - all fleurs get flower/plant names):




see the design aspects involved here? the petals are patterned on one side and solid on the other, while the face is solid linen on the front and then patterns on the back?? man, i'm clever! i designed these specifically for babies (got them on the mind a bit lately), i love the contemporary combination of bright colours with linen and the petals are pefectly grabbable and chewable, plus with plenty of colours on show, it's totally unisex. i'm even pondering giving pattern writing a go and writing this one up for sale - anyone interested?

i have to say again how much (SO much) i am enjoying making both the windsees and now the fleurs with patchwork and scrap fabrics. the windsees especially, i honestly don't think i've enjoyed a project so much in a long time. something about using small bits of fabric satisfies the thrifty hoarder in me and gives me permission to use my most treasured textiles, including my collection of vintage hankerchiefs and trims. plus combining different patterns and textures feels like magic when it all works so well. it's pretty safe to say there will be more of these and probably quite a few new patchwork/scrap projects on the horizon.



and a blog maintenance note: i've decided to become more diligent on replying to comments IN the comments, as there have been a few times when i mean to reply to someone via email and then just get distracted when looking up their email and it never happens. i WILL be better, people, i promise! expect regular comment commentary from me from now on : )