fairy tale sewing kit

I sent a second present to Candy as part of a separate fairy tale exchange, in which participants were supposed to serve as a Lost and Found service and return an item to their partner that might have belonged to a fairy tale character.

Another favorite fairy tale of mine is The Wild Swans, in which a young princess is tasked with the job of knitting shirts in order to break the spell that has turned  her six brothers into swans. The shirts were made of sharp nettles that cut her hands as she made them, and because she becomes mute as part of the bargain, she cannot defend herself against the charges laid against her by her scheming mother-in-law. This particular story stuck with me because, although it does have a happy ending, it seemed fraught with trials and tribulations, and the poor princess had to sacrifice quite a lot in order to save her brothers and to save herself.

For this swap, I thought it would be interesting to create a little sewing kit that the princess might have used for the finishing work on these shirts. I first created six little swan pins to represent the brothers, using Shrinky Dink film and a vintage swan illustration. I roughly followed this tutorial from Wee Wonderfuls to create the pins, although I used a heating tool on the pins instead of baking them in the oven. This was the first time I'd used shrink film since I was little, and it was great fun and so easy to do!

Next, I cut a pattern free-hand and sewed a wool felt pincushion, incorporating a swan image as well as nettles and leaves around the edges. The pink and pale green felt was hand-dyed, and embroidered with floss. Lastly, I enclosed a pair of golden scissors with a bird on the handle, along with a letter written to the rightful owner from the Lost & Found delivery service.

The best thing about this is that Candy actually does a lot of sewing herself, so the sewing kit was both appropriate for the princess, as well as appropriate for my partner! This was a really fun swap to create, and I'm really glad I had a chance to do it.

featured artisan: hillary lang

Last week I reviewed the beautiful new book Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love. This week, Hillary Lang chats about her creative process, her cool job, and why it's super important for artisans to step away from the computer.

Your dolls are just lovely! Where do you find inspiration for your charming toys?
My children, their toys, the toys I had as a kid, vintage books and fabric. Anything and everything cute!

Please tell us how you became an artist.
I have always been crafty. I wish in retrospect I'd been arty too and pursued a degree in design or fine arts, but crafting has always kept me warm and happy.

Plushie makers all seem to go about creating their patterns in different ways. How do you create and test your patterns? How many prototypes do you typically go through before you have that "ah hah, she's perfect!" moment?
I start by drawing pattern pieces on paper, then transfer to muslin and sew them up. At this point I think if there was a Project Runway: the Soft Toys edition I could definitely hold my own. Most of the time I get it after one tweak, but sometimes there's a trouble-maker and I can be redrafting almost a dozen times before I get it right.

How did the Wee Wonderfuls book come about?
Well, after seeing so many of my friends write craft books I was starting to feel left out so I joined the club. It seemed to be the right time. I'd been avoiding the idea for awhile because, with two little kids, I was really overwhelmed by the idea of all that work. Also the idea had never been quite right. I'd spent a lot of time on book concepts that were not about toys. When I finally decided it could just be a book of toys I became so excited about the project.

The handmade movement has experienced quite a surge in the past few years. How important is it to your family to buy handmade? 
Pennies are tight around here and whenever I can I like to send my money to an Etsy shop or a handmade business. I hate when I can't afford handmade and have to spend my money making Target richer. I think a lot of people feel the same way, like they really want to support each other.

How do you balance your work life and your home life, being that you work from home?
I spend as much time being a mom as I need to obviously and then squeeze in business when/if I can. My husband and I both work a lot from home so it is difficult to separate home/hang out time from home/work time, but we really try to not be awful, perpetually distracted parents. Right now I'm very focused on the book and the shop, but hopefully soon I'll have some time to squeeze in new designs.

What is the most wonderful part about being able to craft for a living?
It is amazing to be essentially a working artist. I guess the best part is that I have to buy fabric and yarn for supplies and go to used book sales for inspiration. It's a luxury to have what you love be a priority.

Other than sewing and embroidery, what other crafts do you enjoy?
I love knitting. I can get behind some crazy event baking. And I really want to take a pottery class.

What is your most favorite thing you have ever made?
If the house was on fire the two projects I'd grab would be the quilts I made from the kids' baby clothes.

What's up next for Wee Wonderfuls?

Not sure. Fingers are always crossed that we can keep on keeping on. I have my eye on my next pattern project, I'm thinking about a quilt design with embroideries.

What is the best creative or business advice you've ever received, and what would be your advice for other artisans?
Take a break from the internet. Can I say that here, on the internet? I'm easily overloaded. I am always at my best creatively when I'm looking at the least amount of stuff.

Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love is available everywhere books are sold. To learn more about Hillary, visit her on the Wee Wonderfuls blog. You can also check out my review from last week, which includes links to some great WW projects to try out!

Photographs courtesy of STC Craft.

wee wonderfuls book review

If you’re a crafter who reads a lot of blogs, you’ve probably come across Hillary Lang’s work at some point on her Wee Wonderfuls blog, which chronicles her adventures in toymaking, quilting, and other creative activities. Hillary’s blog, which was started in 2004, led to a thriving online shop, which has now led to a beautiful new book. Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love is brimming with ideas and projects to sew at home that are, well, just wonderful.

The whimsical sweetness of Hillary’s designs is appealing to crafters of all levels, and the book is written in a cheerful, encouraging tone that makes no project seem too difficult to tackle. The bright colors and interesting fabric choices are lovely to peruse, and the author ably demonstrates her techniques for creating distinctive hair styles using different materials, including ribbon, stitched yarn, cut yarn, etc. This trend toward full color, hardback craft books with cloth spines is a pleasing one, since it eliminates the waste and shabby corners of a dust jacket while maintaining the good quality of a hardcover.

The projects in Wee Wonderfuls include soft animals, dolls wearing real clothes, embroidered and decorated pillows, bags shaped like animals, and more, all of which are appropriate for gift-giving. My favorite projects are probably Hillary’s versions of a topsy turvy doll (pictured in yellow on the book cover), as well as bookish Evelyn Inchworm and her flowered head scarf. (I usually try to make a project from each book I review, but various minor injuries prevented that this time, so you’ll have to look at these beautiful professional photos from STC Craft instead!)

Each charming toy is accompanied by a short anecdote with the source of Hillary’s inspiration for the piece. The stories are just long enough to give a little peek into her creative world without being distracting, and they enhance the reader’s appreciation for the featured doll or animal. The usual basic glossary and sewing techniques are covered here, along with a satisfying list of online resources. The book also includes all the patterns necessary for each toy, which may be photocopied and enlarged as needed.

This book is a must-have for any fan of Hillary's work, as well as for any crafter who loves quality handmade toys. The toys are adorable, the projects are fun, and the book will be one you'll reach for again and again for inspiration.

Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love

ISBN: 978-1-58479-858-3

168 pages, hardback

Price: $27.50

Color

Skill Level: All

Usability: Excellent

Check back next week for my interview with Hillary! You can also try out some of Hillary's projects through the links below.


Free Wee Wonderfuls Projects:
Mermaiden pattern
Wee Wonderfuls blog freebies


Photographs and review copy courtesy of STC Craft.