gifts to exchange

at the last fiber guild meeting, we did a little handmade gift exchange. as i didn't have anything on hand, i needed to create something. and, as so often the case, i waited till the last minute to do so. so, the evening before, i got out the sewing needles, buttons, and small scraps of cloth, and decided to make a cloud pin with a raindrop embellishment. i kept things simple, and took an idea which i had worked on in japan; to line up the button holes with the holes on the pin backs i use, and to sandwich the button between two bits of cloth which can be trimmed to whatever shape one likes.

when gift wrapping, i like to repurpose, as it makes things more interesting that way. so the paper i wrapped with was packing material used to cushion glass, and the bow was made from candy foil.

the button sandwich pin needs more development, but the clean lines you can achieve is quite nice, and the simplicity lends itself to minimal embellishment. i quite like the look of the aerated paper as well, and luckily, i need to order another beaker, so, yay, more wrapping material!

lovely outsides

now that the intended has received their present, i can post photos of the wrappings! i really like that by using a monochromatic color scheme it makes you focus on the different textures. again, i'm using the curricula silk; these little pods are just so beautiful, i have an overwhelming need to use them.

no, it's really the outside that matters

there's a simple joy to wrapping a present. not with the tradition box and a bow, but something special and unique to each gift; i think it's as important as what you're giving.

i like to reuse tissue paper, i seem to always get it when buying clothes. to add decoration, strips of material that i trimmed off a project work very well, as does the washi tape that comes from japan. sometimes i will use pretty papers or origami paper sheets and cut out images or shapes.

one year i used square images of flowers which i cut up from a postcard mailer to write the to and from on. it's interesting to find creative ways of recycling images and "scraps" to make someone a pretty package.

purses, pincushions, fabric, oh my!

i adore and am constantly being inspired by the creative work of australian artist tara badcock. her pieces are not only quite aesthetic, tactile, and gorgeous, but entirely useful as her talent takes the form of pincushions, tea cozies, purses, and pillows. her embroidery pieces are divine, excellently crafted and oftentimes bare a deeper meaning of complex social and world issues that affect her.
i've had a photo of a colorful and zany pincushion she created saved on my computer for quite some time, and finally decided to ask the artist if she still had it. luckily for me, she did, and we struck up a wonderful series of conversations. ultimately this led me to acquiring not one, but two of her lovely pieces! i was also able to feed my fabric stash with many soft and cozy cuts of wool from waverley woollen mills of australia.

as you can see, it wasn't long before meiko decided she was going to help me sort. actually, help may not be the right verb here; sabotage or hide may be more apt.

there's something about packaging

i love buying something and receiving it all wrapped up prettily! it's always such a nice surprise when opening up a nondescript box to find the item you ordered all decked out. so when i decided to start selling my pincushions i knew packaging was important.

i wanted it to be inexpensive, but done nicely, in a way that was easily duplicated for every item. eco-friendly packaging is also important to me, so i decided to use recycled paper cardboard boxes, reclaimed packing filler, unbleached wax baggies (instead of plastics for water resistance) with a personal wax seal to close, and reused tissue paper. i also love ribbon, and there may be others out there who love getting it as well, it's such a nice touch.

i hope the receivers of my pincushions love the thought and effort that went into them, from their construction to their packaging!