The Whimsy Patch

Faster than Chocolate Cake (going into my mouth-that is)! More Crafty than a Quilting Grandma! It's SuperDog!

 

Well, I've been making plush as long as my son can remember (at least I think... Unless he has memories from when he was 10 months old....), turning them out and stuffing them in boxes for shipment.  Usually, he is content these days with giving the plush dolls and animals a hug before they get boxed up.  He really liked SuperMason but didn't cry when it was time to box him up.  Unfortunately, that was not the case with SuperDog.  He cried and even tried to push a chair over to the shelf where SuperDog waits to be boxed so that he might retrieve him for more hugs.  I promised him I would make him his own SuperDog, but that did not remedy the tears.  Thank goodness for redirection!  We took pictures of SuperDog, told SuperDog "bye-bye" and then I let him hug the computer screen and give SuperDog's image a kiss.  He's off playing in his room now, having gotten over SuperDog for the moment, I guess....

SuperDog comes to us from the Whimsy Patch just following on the tail of SuperMason.  He heard his good friend had left the Patch and just had to come see what this place is all about. Back in the Patch, he often spends his time rescuing donuts from the bakery cases--or kitties from trees depending on the assignment.  He's very fast and sometimes races the Whimsy Patch trains trying to improve his time.  He's especially quick when it comes to slurping down chocolate milkshakes or eathing cupcakes with sprinkles.  I guess all of that flying keeps his figure trim.  He's also very crafty and can make a dozen sock puppets in the blink of an eye, a drawerful of wooden spool dolls before you can say "Save Handmade!", and ten amigurami cats before you can say, "amigurumi."  So next time you need help opening that jar of salsa or binding that quilt, just give SuperDog a call and he'll be there faster than you can say "chocolate cake!"  Just be sure to have a piece ready for him as a thank you....

Of Superheroes and Princes

Okay, all I have to say is "so much fun!"  I've been busy with custom orders for some time now--I think since two weeks before Thanksgiving--no joke!  I have been blessed by all of the work that has come my way, but it can become challenging to maintain a full creative tank at times.  Fortunately, I have had some really fun orders as of late and this has to be one of my favorites.  I was commissioned to make a superhero and a Hawaiian prince--too fun!  The customer (Cheri, you rock!) sent me a couple of her sons' baby shirts and asked if I could incorporate the fabric into the two pieces.  This was a lot of fun--especially when working with the Hawaiian Prince because I decided to make some new doll clothing patterns when working with him.  SuperMason's shirt and Prince Jax's shirt and the lining to his wrap all were made from the shirts she sent me.  I think they worked beautifully--and I was determined to use all three shirts!  Now it is time to meet SuperMason, Lightning Fast and Brave and Hawaiian Surfer Prince Jax.

 

SuperMason has to be one of the bravest heroes in all of the Whimsy Patch.  His powers include lightning speed, a keen sense of hearing that he uses to locate babies who need help rolling over, supersight (and the mask is just a fashion accessory;) that he employs when looking for piles of paperwork that he must hide so that he can get his mom and dad to play more, and extra charm and spunk that he uses to make his mom melt.  He's actually big brother to our little Hawaiian Prince Jax and he's the best big brother in the world.  You might just find them rolling in the floor together.

 

Hawaiian Surfer Prince Jax may not be a superhero (though Whimsy Patch residents inform me that superheroes often do not find their powers until they are a few years older--we'll see:) but he has enough sweetness and huggability to make up for that.  He currently loves to spend his afternoons surfing the Whimsy Patch waves and making pineapple smoothies--at least when he's not tagging along with his big brother on some adventure.  He's also known for his keen sense of Hawaiian style.  Just look at him.  Charming, isn't he?!  He even made his lei by hand and wove his own sandals.  I'm impressed!

A Fairie and Her Sweet Friend

 

Lottie is sometimes called the "Bug Whisperer" in the Whimsy Patch--though she points out that she only plays with the lovely bugs: catepillars, ladybugs, butterflies, and the like.  She's not too fond of roaches and flies though you might occasionally find her befriending a spider.  She's just not into creepy while crawly can be just fine.  Lottie spends her days fluttering about the meadows and forrests looking for new insect friends to add to her collection.  Her toadstool loft is made to resemble the natual habitats of various types of bugs so they generally feel just at home.  You can see that she is currently hanging with a catepillar, one of her favorites. 

Lottie is also very good friends with Zinnia, a very sweet little dollie who loves flowers and owns her own garden center in the Patch.   She sells all sorts of wildflower varieties and also roses, dahlias, hyacinths, butterfly bushes, and tulips.  She often asks her good friend Lottie to drop off some new butterfly friends to spruce up her garden and encourage buyers.  A lovely set of wings will do a lot to convince buyers that their gardens will attract many of the same.

 

Lottie and Zinnia are looking forward to their new home in Australia.  They cannot wait to find out about the indigenous insects and flora!

New Desigs in the Whimsy Patch

Though the Christmas season was absolutely fabulous for the Whimsy Patch, I was feeling a little drained after all of the mad rush sewing once the New Year rolled around.  A week off was not even enough to help me recuperate.  Fortunately, I had a custom order (Thanks, Kim!) lined up that left me some room to create something fresh and that helped refuel my creativity tank.  What you will see below is the first dollie in my "Chubby Dollie All Grown Up" line, the first new pattern in what will be an entirely revamped Whimsy Patch line.   This also means I will likely begin selling many of the patterns for my original Whimsy Patch lines.  I'm still toying with this idea--nothing certain yet--but things are moving that way. (All old lines will still be available for custom order, but the new lines will be what you see in my shop.)  The finalized Chubby Dollie All Grown Up will likely see a couple more changes.  This version took a week of drafting and revisions before I felt she was ready to go to her new home.  Kim, I hope you like her!

 

Here is a close-up of Amelie, the Lovely in Mod Valentine.  Chubby Dollie All Grown Up means a rounded more dimensional head.  I kept the headband and bows while adding more sculpting and fullness to the hairstyle.  The "with buns" version will have the same dimension and roundness rather than the old, flat face.

 

Chubby Dollie All Grown Up also means cute little wedge heels rather than the Mary Jane flats that the original Mod Chubby Dollie wore.  This design was actually a happy accident after I kept fudging the pattern (that I've made at least a half-dozen times--go figure).  I love happy accidents!

 

Chubby Dollie All Grown Up means a cute little shirt and skirt ensemble with a sash around the waste.  I might do the occasional dress but I wanted to switch things up a bit.  Okay, she's about ready for her full reveal....  Amelie wants to note that she's a bit nervous because she is the first!  Here we go:

 

Ta-Da!  From the front you can see that the Chubby Doll All Grown Up still gets a lovely hairpin as well, but now she also gets a scarf around her neck, the sash around her waste, and the grown up shoe details.  She's about 2 1/2 times the size of the original Mod and is perfect for hugging.  I should have measured her before sending her out but I'll guess she's around 24 inches tall and she's much more voluptuous than the original. 

Expect to see many more of these gals in the future!  I'm also working up new fairy designs soon and the Handsome Chaps come next.  I can't wait!

2009

  My yummy new fabrics to ring in the New Year

2009 excites me!  2009 terrifies me a bit....  For those of you who are in the crafting biz, you are probably already aware of CPSIA, a law going into effect February of 2009 that will make handmade children's goods illegal.  Those of us in this community are holding out hope that something might change by then, but we also know this might not happen and that many of us will be forced to shift gears.  Many will be forced completely out of business.  Imagine a world where a rag doll becomes a black market item.  That's a frightening place to me!  (You can go to cool mom picks to read up a bit on the issue and find some links.) 

So, what does 2009 mean for the Whimsy Patch?  Regardless of CPSIA, the Whimsy Patch will continue to function--just in a different way--and new dollie creations will continue to hop out of the fabric pages on a weekly, if not daily, basis.  There will be new stories to tell--I just might not be able to tell them directly to children.  The Whimsy Patch will morph a bit regardless of what happens with the law.  As a plush designer I am in a fortunate place because the plush market is larger than children.  Insomuch, I have a lot of new and more mature ideas percolating in my head (child friendly still but more pleasing to the adult collector at the same time) that are just bubbling over with the desire to jump out of my head and onto the fabric.  All of my older lines will still be available for custom order, but the newer lines will be the ones to receive my focus.  In order to remain creative, I realize I must evolve and I am ready and excited to do this.  After a handful of custom orders on my plate, you will probably start to see more and more of my new plush lines.  For the girl dollies, I have at least three new ideas already and for the chaps I have two.    I cannot wait!

As for the Whimsy Patch blog, I have decided I want my blog to evolve as well.  There will be some added fun as I mix in my "Kitchen Adventures with Little Bear and other Whimsy Patch Friends."  Before I truly fell in love with sewing, the kitchen was my first love.  Since I began sewing round the clock, the kitchen has hit the back burner so-to-speak and I feel the call (for the sake of my family as well as my creativity) to make a return to the saute pan and mixing bowl.  I really do adore cooking and I have allowed my kitchen muse to grow dull.  For Christmas, I picked up 

   

and found myself completely inspired and elated to hit the linoleum (boy do I wish I could say tile) hardcore and really enjoy mixing up fabulous meals and treats for my family again.  As I do this, I plan to take my two Little Bears (my son and the plush version of him) along with me for the ride.  My blog will catalog these adventures--hopefully at least once a week if not more often!

And on top of all that--though I'm not sure when I will begin to be able to squeeze this in--I have purchased my first doll house to make from scratch.  I hope to start learning the art of making miniatures from polymer clay and other media.  As soon as I am able to begin tackling this, I will chronicle this in my blog as well.  I have an entire Whimsy Patch village planned out in my head!

So cheers to the New Year and wherever it might lead the Patch!  I cannot wait to see where we are when 2010 rolls around:)

I have a featured article!

 

This magazine just hit the newstands and bookstores yesterday and I have a wonderful seven page spread and full article!  Dozens of awesome artists including Lori Brown of Morninglori Vine, Lisa Thoms of q.D.patooties, and Annie Oakleaves  are featured from vaious plush genres.  The photography is fabulous.  The articles are well written and there is so much inspiration inside.  Stampington & Co. put out this publication so you know you are paying for quality when you pick up a copy.  The next volume will be out Summer of this year, 2009 and you can expect to see more as long as the magazine's success continues.  Please check this out and support the art of plush!

Some of My Holiday Visitors

I had so many visitors over the holidays that I cannot possibly blog about them all.  In fact, I missed opportunities to take pictures of a few of them.  Nevertheless, I want to let you all see some of the highlights.  I had visitors of many kinds--many dollies, a fairy, an Emo Bear Boy, and a snail to name some.  We celebrate Christmas around here and things were a wee bit crazy for a while with such a full house--all of my plush friends and my Mom and Dad came for the week!  Festivities also included cookies, presents, and more than one nice meal.  After all of this, I was completely exhausted so I took a week off to recouperate.  Now I am getting back to business and tryign to catch up.  Vacations are complicated in that way.

 

Fifi flew in to enjoy the Gullets--a French waffle cookie whose recipe has been passed down in my family from my French great grandmother.  They are so sugary sweet with a delicate texture and notes of almond.  Yum!  Back in the Patch Fifi enjoys hanging with the birds and learning their songs.

 

Lincoln enjoyed the Gullets as well but his favorite thing was the traditional Christmas Hot Fruit that we make every year.  He just loves cherries so he was especially pleased with the batch we made this year using sweet pitted dark cherries and almond extract.  Yum!  Lincoln and Fifi are best friends in the Patch though he enjoys tree climbing more than hanging out with birds. 

 

Sparkles Deer just enjoyed hanging out under the Christmas tree looking at all of the lights and ornmaents.  She made the trip here with Lincoln and Fifi and says she already missed the Patch Christmas celebration.  It seems they cover everything with twinkle lights for Christmas and that you can even smell the cookies baking when walking outside.  Sounds fabulous!

 

Maude and Grumpy Snail loved all of the Chrismtas music the most.  I think we even caught Grumpy smiling a bit when he heard Bing Crosby sing the Christmas Song.  Maude and Grumpy owned a little musical instrument shop back in the Patch where they handmade all of their instruments using beautiful woods from the Whimsy Woods trees.

 

Shy little Crystal mostly stood on the sidelines during the fesitivities but she really enjoyed helping wrap the presents.  She has a ribbon shop in the Patch so she just loved help with all the wrapping embellishments.

 

Sassy and sweet Sally, who usually celebrates Hannukah, was eager to celebrate with us and ready to help plan a party when she arrived and that is what she did.  You should have heard all of my little plush friends, dancing and singing carols late into the night!  They even spent time making handmade ornaments that I found on my tree in the morning. 

 

Summer arrived with her bag just full of presents for everyone.  Evidently she knew who would be here and spent the day beforehand picking out the perfect presents for each friend--a sweet birdhouse for Fifi, a new tree swing for Lincoln, a beautiful beaded bracelet for Sparkles, a collection of lovely ribbons for Crystal, a teaset for Sally, new cake pans for Pinks and Lollie, and new garden chairs for Sylvia and Marie.

 

Pinks and Lollie came with their arms loaded down with Christmas cakes--Cinnamon Spice, Eggnog, and Gingerbread Vanilla Nut to name a few.  They own a bakery and spent the week beforhand preparing for their visit.  The most fun thing about the cakes was the fun shapes they came in--a gingerbread man, a snowman, and a Christmas Tree were just a few of the festive molds they used!

 

Sylvia and Marie, owners of a lovely bontanical showplace in the Patch came with beautiful handmade garlands made of fresh holly, mistletoe and pine that they used to decorate the house when they arrived.  You should have smelled the house once they were done!  It smelled just like Christmas!