Raccoon pillows and soft blocks

I made a couple of raccoon pillows yesterday. Actual pillows featuring my raccoon linocut, not raccoon-shaped pillows. I got a custom order (now shipped off to Australia). Sadly, as soon as I got started, my sewing machine promptly stopped working! Luckily, my mother was able to help me lug it across town for servicing and I was able to use a machine at The Workroom to complete the order. I thought I might as well make two, so there's a new raccoon pillow available in my shop.


The other thing I've been working on are a collection of soft (foam-filled) fabric blocks for babies, featuring my linocut letters. These are on hold until I get the sewing machine repaired (*fingers crossed*), but here's a sneak peak:



Each block has three linocut letters and three other fabrics (assorted printed cottons, including vintage and new prints and the digitally printed NASA imagery I ordered). I want to complete the alphabet of linocut letters make other combinations of letters.

Pillows too

I've also been making block printed pillows, and pillows with printed fabric showing my 'It's not the moths' linocut.

The Owl and the Pussycat - pillows

The Owl and the Pussycat are now together in my shop. My namesake cat, Minouette's portrait is blockprinted in mauve on gold silk fabric, and a western screech-owl in is blockprinted in brown on gold silk. The reverse is a wonderful print fabric illustrating their tale. (The set: ocean as turquoise, knit, throw blanket, boat, sky & sun as Japanese washi paper. The Owl is about 22 cm or 8.5 talls and Minouette is 7 inches or 18 cm tall)



RJH photographed Minouette and her mini-me.

Cat Pillows

So, I held off posting this because I didn't want young Master Ernerst W. (& parents) to see the original cat pillow (and 0th birthday gift) until it had arrived in the mail. I thought Mr. E would be fast friends with Mr. Sammy Samuelson, Cat, Esquire, so I made him his very own Sammy, block-printed, patchwork fabric cat. Knowing his mother, Lady Redjeep's pashion for thrifting, I thought some vintage fabric was in order. I also used my collection of letterpress letters and some embroidery to personalize it for him.




(Also, personally, the way gifts for infants tend to be highly gendered irks me, so I avoided all that non-sense: we've got denim and faux-bois on one hand and vintage florals on the other).

Next, someone who has been won over to appreciate cats by the intrepid Minouette, seemed to really love this print and project, so I made a second cat pillow:




And then, I thought I'd make a couple for the shop. Since these cats are the spawn of the Mr. Sammy Samuelson, Cat, Esquire lino block, their names are linked to his. Meet Samantha:




and Samir:

Seahorses & nautilus

Yesterday, I organized the back room and the fabric situation stash. It's actually organized by colour now. At least, the contemporary fabric is... anyhow, with this new-found organization, I quickly made a new seahorse and a nautilus pillow. The turquoise seahorse I've had for a while, but had not photographed. In fact, I was going to give it to a friend's son, but I made him a dinosaur instead.

minouette is out there

Minouette products can now be found at Freedom Clothing, 939 Bloor St W., Toronto, M6H 1L5, a cute little shop between Ossington and Dovercourt. blogTO says, Freedom Clothing Collective "is a fun scavenger adventure into a realm where random eclectic finds are plenty and affordable designer pieces deviate from the mass market and their questionable labour practices." They have clothing for both men and women, accessories, some art and other lovely indie products. I was particularly taken with some of the screenprinted, re-worked vintage jackets.

Amanda, one of the Collective, invited me to stop by next Sunday when they are having a craft swap. You should stop by, if you are in the neighbourhood.

Looks like my things are in good company. I am really pleased!