Softies in Poland and everything inspiring

Latex For Fun (THE BOOK)
Originally uploaded by ☁ Maybe ☁.

I found it on my unreplaceable flickr - and have to read about Latex For Fun (THE BOOK) project - looks quite inspiring for me actually, especially now. I love any projects connected with toys designing and exhibiting, and though I know some amazing initiatives like Month of Softies or Plush You, but anything new can that would help me in organizing my event would be appreciated.

Well, then it's official - I'm working on organizing an exhibition. Almost all participants invited, almost all accepted my invitation. But the term will be not September 2007, as I was suggested to make, but 15 May 2008, as I had planned. I hope they'll like it! There is plenty of thisng to organize. Fortunately I have wonderful venues and almost everything completed to organize it. Though I know I should be writing some articles about Medical Anthropology or anything connected with my field but I'll better make something to make me happy - an exhibition to present in Poland my flickr friends and their wonderful creations. And, actually -not just flickr friends because some Polish artist want me to participate in this project also! And I love their works!!!!

The key for choise of the participants is their artistic activity: I wanted them to be artists of various fields AND softies makers.

P.S. I wanted to make a button - kind of preview of the banner I'm working at, and I made a button in Button Maker at first and I was really happy how it looked (though it was very small) but then I found CoolText and I think it's even more usefull tool. Lots of free fonts to downloads - some of them are great. So far no button yet - I want to make it real good (unitl Greek calendas, propably...)

indie emporium

Being home again (and having some time while Ada and Adam were visiting greatgrandmother, I've started to search internet in everything connected with indie: design, enterpreneuship, craft, blogging. And I found this - advertising one Fall craft event in Tulsa, OK. Pitty, there is no such event in Poland. Yet. I like this banner (on the website Indie Emporium one can find more banners to doanload.

I also like Fishcake Nifty Stuff Made by Vozz and though I still can not install its banner, I have it on my site roll among "Sites I like" :)

Generally, I've noticed I prefer indie designers, and women bloggers and crafters - if I think about the reasons I find the girl power the most appropriate and interesting. And, to tell the truth - in the field of softies making men are in minority.

I find it pitty that in Poland tradition of handcrafting is dying and just few young people craft - even in social anthropology or evern ethnography my collegues scholars seem to avoid the subject - maybe it's too oldfashioned for them? But I'vwe learned that such movement - worldwide movement - like softies making is really interesting and important to survey - that's us, in the first decade of new millenium!

diary 2008 project

diary 2008
Originally uploaded by lalootka.

I participated in diary2008 project - also in flickr group - and it was real pleasure and great fun to make a page for this diary. Lucy B from Fantazya Fantazies who was the manager and initiator of this project accepted my drawing, and I'm happy for it. Actually I'm very happy! Now I have new motivation to make supply to my etsy shop - though it's not opened yet. Grand opening soon, I believe, as soon as I have a banner, but so far visiting relatives and family doesn't go well with sewing and drawing. I don't know why but I seem to be more busy here than while at home! Ada goes to sleep rather late, wake up early mornings, wanting almost constant care - too much exciting things happen to her everyday - too many children, new people, fun, new words she learns, new territories she explores - and she can hardly bear it! I quite understand her.

But speeking of diary again: I like the idea of a diary when lots crafters and artist can draw a page or few - to advertise, to show their style. Many interesting people took part in this project and I'm priviledged to be among them, excellent! I wanted my page to be as simple as possible. Of course, the main character on this page is Ada, accompanied by her softies. Some are already existing, some are not. But they will.

dragons rule! And Harry Potter!

Dragons rule. One of the most mysterious creatures of imagination. I always wonder why in the West they became so feareful, merciless, greedy, anyway - evil creatures while in the Far East they are blessed and blessings bringing, generous - well, mostly they are. Whatever the reason is I love the art whose subject were dragons.

plush dragons on display
Originally uploaded by nicole s.

And I love dragons - that's quite common, I know. But I collect St. George's images to have more dragons. Dragon and dragon slayer bond to eachother for eternity influence my imagination. I love Ursula K. LeGuin's "Tehanu" for the wonderful character of baby dragon in human form. And for Kaliesin - she rocks! (Kaliesin, not just Ursula K. LeGuin). And now dragons - or one of them - became again important character in the last of Harry Potter sag - great! I saw an amazing illustration of a dragon rode by Harry and his friends by Madame GrandPre (I adore her illustrations in "Narnia"s books and Tolkiend's stories also) and wonder how to get the special edition of HP... (Reading comments of Potteromaniacs was wonderful and touching - most of them wants to believe that Snapes is good at heart and Ms Rowlings had some mercy for Harry. So do I!)

I decided to make my own version of a dragon - lalootka's style - soon.

Feng shui corner of my house

rhino and birds
Originally uploaded by lalootka.

I like feng shui as an art of creating our environment, and treat all the symbols that anchor our imagination. That's why, from time to time, I make something new to my "feng shui corner": now it's a blue rhinoceros for protection of the house, birds that bring lucky chances and pi yao - a dog clown.

Rhinoceros is inspired by Saracoloridos' - one of my Inspiring Cre8tives - beautiful rhinaldinha or rather rhinosalsicha as Sara called it. I kept the shape, material - felt, though changed the size and resigned of those unbelievable stripes she had made. My rhino has blushes - I like blushes very much in all my softies.

And I made pi yao - flying dog. Pi yao is the ugliest and the funniest creature at the same time - he's role is to uppease angry Duke Jupiter and pi yao is the only one who can make it. I'm not surprised - it's so comic. Pi yao is made of polymer clay and painted with acrilics. it has wings to fly to the heavens bringing our requests. I like this creature and it's friendly snout. I keep it in my study.
It has auspicious birds painting in a background. I like this picture very much - I made it just before last Christmas, as a kind of a gift for the house. Now it welcomes everybody in the entrance of our house. Maybe I should make another one for my mother - she said it's beautiful.
Recently I've found a great Feng Shui course - Feng Shui For Cats (with instructions) funny, smart and illustrated with great photographies of amazing cat with gorgeos eyes (Rudolph would be angry hearing my complimenting another cat, so would Adam, but as the cat has now another life of his 9 lifes, I hope they forgive me). I like this course very, very much. I took all these advise and want to find a good paper box for Rudolph - now I know why he doesn't like his carrier to sleep in and prefers our bed.

Otter and baby blanket

Finally, that's the otter became rattle. I resigned of making another mascot - kitty when I realized how time consuming baby blanket was. So to help the situation, I put one rattle into otter's belly, and second - in a tail. It jingles softly. It's wonderfully cuddly, because I didn't stuff it too much - just for the 6 months old baby girl Ula, I hope. I made all stitches extra carefully to protect from busy fingers ripping the sews. I'm especially proud of its tail, I must say, not just because of jungle, but in general - it's long, firm, just otter's tail - perfect while swimming. Mr Otter has no paws - Adam's noticed that it looks more like swimming like that. And as I quite agree with it, I took his advise not to sew the paws. It diverse much from the first sketch: it has no whiskers, but blushes, it's longer and slimmer and has more rounder head - but I like it even more.

I like to pose my softies with a folk stripes painting in a background - it's so colourful and joyful. I'm glad I made that painting. It brings fresh look into our study.

I completed all the work today - about 3 p.m! Just before customer's arrival, which means Malwina. Baby blanket was finished at 5.30 a.m.
This baby blanket took soo much time and, frankly, effort that next time I'll think twice before I take such an order having such a short time! Though now I have an idea how to make it better. Originally the pocket of the white (cream) side of blanket was for kirry - but Mr Otter fits also. As well as pacifier or any other baby good.
It was fun, of course, as my first attempt to make a baby blanket and applique, but on the other hand - it's been a big challenge. I like the idea of embroidered characters appliqued on, and that can be useful in my next project, but I see that as always less means more: less fabrics means more effect.
And though I like it, I can not be sure if the customer was satisfied till Malwina reaches her family, baby niece Ula and nephew Mauni, 3 years old (what a nice name, I forgot to ask if it's Hawaiian or Polynesian name). Malwina seemed to like it -I hope she really did!!! We are friends and I don't want to make any misunderstandings because she bought something from me and it was not satisfactory. But if she likes it, she can be the best trendsetter ever!
Forest set of finger puppets needed some improvement. So I changed it a bit - monster has been replaced by a tree with a sky background. Animals didn't need any change, but I made a bear much bigger than before. In such a comparison wolf looks rather a cub than adult one.
I made also a nice, orange felt envelope decorated with blue blanket stitch. Puppets can be packed nicely to protect them from dust, for instance. I hope they won't dust anyway! They need to be used as a theatre for children! Now I need to make such a set for Ada, at last!
And I had a chance to improve my tags slightly. I added ribbons and thanks to eyelets set I made a nice little whole :)
As usually, as a package I use my favourite brown paper.

I'm happy with the result. But my family is not happy with me so busy for few days! After a week absence, mother and wife still out of reach, that's too much. Now I'll have to make an effort to sooth them.

baby blanket WIP

I'm working on Malwina's custom order. I changed it a bit: it's more decorated actually than a first sketch. To tell the truth, it's completely different. Exept the swimming otter, which I put here also. Here are embroidered figures of an otter and kitty, playing together in a moonlight. There is a moon embroidered also with a chain stitch, and felt cloud. I used two kinds of polka dots fabrics: navy blue with white and warm brown and beige. I like polka dots, especially on satin textures, I must say.
Malwina wanted me to make this baby blanket of various textures and it is multi-textured: many kinds of fabrics, embroidery, ribbons, polar fleece, denim, cotton, felt and frotte (kitty has a pink frotte towel). Many textures to touch and activate child's curiousity. I hope "story" I'm telling with this blanket will look friendly and nice.

In addition I'm gonna make two heroes of this story: Mr Otter and Miss Kitty. Kitty will be mascot with a rattle, and otter will be much larger - a big pal for the kitty. And for the baby.
Or vice versa - maybe it would be more fun when it would be Miss Otter and Mr Cat? Anyway kitty will be black and otter - white. My two favourite colours - my base.
It's my first attempt to make an appliqued blanket and I'm very curious how it's gonna work out. And also first time when I use my sewing machine! It's too large for me to handsewn it so I needed some machine help. My "genius personal sewer" is not a machine, but a toy, but it can help anyway.