This fellow was a special request from someone who is amassing quite a collection!
Hopefully you can see the pattern in his hair in this photo.
He will be off to the UK soon. Happy travels!
Sew Mama Sew toy drive
Back in March I was over on Sew Mama Sew as part of their 6 weeks of softies. The 6 weeks are over and people made some amazing pieces which you can check out here. They are also doing a toy drive and are looking for more donations.
This is what Kristin + Beth sent me-
I have a favor to ask. We are accepting donations to the Soft Toy Drive through the end of the month. So far I have a couple dozen contributions, but I’d love to be able to send at least 200 toys to the National Foster Parent Association conference in June. I heard from so many people involved in foster parenting who all agree that foster children often show up at a new home with hardly any personal belongings. Having a toy that is all their own to love and keep would mean so much. If you could help us spread the word to your readers, I would really appreciate it. All the information is in this post.
I am going to send in some pieces that were made as samples for books or prototypes for toys. I never knew what to do with them and this seems perfect. Maybe you have something to contribute?
Big man in browns
It isn’t really obvious from the pics but he is lots of browns- his boots, the toile, his hair.
The tattoos on his chest are a fox hunt I think, with men, horses and dogs. I like the 3 faces here-
The back is a river scene.
And here he is on the porch. You can see that I am putting out some of my pots that have semi-hardy plants. It is beginning to feel like Spring even though there is still some snow piles around.
Tattoo man with mustache (4)
It is fun to embroider a mustache!
Awesome arm tattoos-
and then, 3 owls
Yes, there are more men but I made these too.
blond tattoo man (3)
I am having fun, playing with hair curls.
Bone man
Now don’t those bone trousers match up with the skeletons in a perfectly crazy way?
We have flowers blooming even though there is still snow around. Hurray for Spring!
tattooed men again- colors!
The first time I used this type of fabric, I wasn’t sure if I was comfortable getting away from the classic toile tattoos. In the end, I decided it was great. So much so that I ordered a bunch more and dyed it up, including some ladies. Now, I am finally getting the men put together.
Here is a slightly out-of-focus shot where you can see the color of his beard.
He has a big antique shell button for his belt buckle.
And yes, there is still some snow but really, not very much.
Puerto Rico Flowers
Being in Puerto Rico was like spending a week in a greenhouse up here in New England- so many flowers! We spent one afternoon at a botanical garden in San Juan where there was an orchid show.
After we spent some time admiring the specimens in their pots, it was fun to see some in other places is the garden, more of their natural habitat.
After we left the beach front, we spent several nights in the mountains near the rain forest. The owners of the guest house were avid gardeners and there was some lovely specimens to see!
Passion flowers, above and below-
And this is a ginger with a little tree frog, coqui, peeking out.
I am back to work and will have a few things to show soon. Next weekend I will be down in Philadelphia to attend the Sweet Paul/Makerie– this year I will be enjoying classes instead of teaching. I am very excited!
Puerto Rico 1
We had a fantastic time in Puerto Rico! What a relief to get out of the dreary monochromatic winter-scape and see colors. All these photos are taken in old San Juan, a lovely place to spend a day or two at the end of March.
I have never been to PR before and really didn’t know what to expect. We didn’t do much pre-planning and let ourselves be open to enjoying the warm weather, beautiful colors, and tropical landscape. I will post more pics soon.