{In the Studio} Polyfil & Plush

It's been a bustling studio in the last few weeks! I've never made so many thread drawing plush in such a short period of time. We've been living in a world of polyfil & boxes thanks to the KLTworks sale at Fab.com last week and I'm finally emerging from the studio & trying to catch up on life. Chris took this photo Sunday at midnight, right after we finished the last plush heading to Fab.com and I thought I would share. 

Hope you are all having a great week! What have you been up to?

{Design} Just FABulous...

As you most likely know, I'm a bit of a design junkie. I love all things design and when I discovered Fab.com last year, (thanks to my friends at Ideal) I was in heaven. So, it's pretty darn cool that I was asked to have a KLTworks sale on Fab.com recently. I've been busily getting ready for it - printing more things at one time than I ever have and then photographing them! I've literally been buried in boxes & tees for the last few weeks. Not to mention, sewing tons of thread drawing plush pillows. 

But It  sure was exciting to see it go live on Valentine's Day - I've been busy ever since! I took the opportunity to debut new colors, styles & designs during the sale - all of the apparel is for adults, at a really great price. If you are a Fab.com fan, pop on over to check it out. The sale goes until Thursday.  In the meantime, I'll packing & shipping....

Hope you have a great week! 

Fab.com: KLTworks Sale

{Favorite Five} Flowers, Tees, or Plush?

Oh February... my favorite month is finally here! Yes, it's true I'm a total sucker for Valentine's Day. It's the sweet thoughts passed on to loved ones on paper hearts & doilies that gets me all choked up. If you are still searching for something unique & special, I thought I would lend a hand. Here are my favorite 5 picks for the Valentines in your life along with a special discount code. 

1. Owl Couple Toddler tee

2. Bride & Groom Owl Letterpress Prints

3. Wool Kitty with Vintage Chenille Bedspread Backing

4. Sweater Slugs

5. German Pointer Toddler Tees

Use IHEARTKLT at checkout here to receive 25% off your purchase until the 14th! How's that for a sweet little deal? Hope everyone is having a great week....

{Cup of Cheer SALE} Top 5 KLT Holiday Picks...

Oh wow does December fly by! There is a only a week left before Christmas & the shopping scurry has begun. Chris & I actually took yesterday off & shopped at our favorite local design shop & now I feel a little more relaxed & ready to enjoy some family time. However, I admit, I'm a BIG online shopper. So for those of you that are hitting the web this weekend for some special holiday gifts, here is a list of my top 5 KLT "ready to ship" items.  

Sweater Slugs ~ These little critters love to cuddle up under the tree, crawl into the nearest stocking or hang out with their favorite kiddos.

Owl Cardigan (for adults) ~ This Cardigan is as cozy as it is classic.

Letterpress Prints ~ These are great gifts for friends (rabbit, fox, & hedgehog not pictured)...

Jolly Jimmy Bluebird- Jolly Jimmy is looking to be someone's best pal... 

Owl Cardigan (for toddlers) ~ A perfect layering piece for your stylish kiddo that will keep them warm & cool at the same time!

These are just  5 favorites from the shop - there are many items that would make wonderful gifts. To make it even easier on your wallet, here's a discount code "11HOLIDAY30"  to use at checkout here - that will give you 30% off your order until Monday (anything you fancy)! 

Whether you are shopping or just hanging out with loved ones, I hope you are enjoying yourself this weekend! 

{Vintage Inspiration} chenille bedspread goodness...

When I got my hands on these vintage chenille bedspreads, I knew right away what I wanted to do with them. I really liked the idea of playing with texture & pattern in my plush critters. This particular floral bedspread made me think of my owl plush. Given that art imitates life & this was a bedspread that I was working with, I felt it appropriate to make my owl a bit sleepy.  So meet Sleepy Olivia Owl.... (she's Ollie Owl's sister).

The other three chenille bedspreads seemed perfect for some fancy slugs & I made these for hutch studio. The textures are so fun to work with... I think I'm hooked. Did your grandma have a chenille bedspread?  Or did you have one growing up?

{Fabric Friday} Mr Rabbit Rawlinson ...

I have a stack of special fabrics in my studio- the stack is reserved for just the right project. A lot of the stack consists of the hand printed textiles that Helen Rawlinson makes. I've posted about her gorgeous designs before I know, but you can never get too much of a good thing. When I was thinking about making my Rabbit Plushies, I knew right away what fabrics I wanted to use on their backs... three of my saved Helen fabrics (lime spot, fuchsia ABC, & charcoal pebble). 

I'm really drawn to the modern, vibrant, & clean aesthetic of Helen's work. As to not reinvent the wheel, I'm going to give you links to the other posts I've written about her designs too. I've been a fan for quite awhile now.

{Fabric Friday} From an Old Chocolate Factory in London

{mobiles} New Collection,

Fabric Friday (one of my first ones) , 

{Everyday Inspiration} Storytime

I love to work with handprinted fabrics particularly when I have a face to the name . So, these little Rabbits were extra fun to make- it's like they really did magically pop out of Cardboard Man's hat. Happy Fabric Friday! Have a great weekend! Do you have anything fun planned?

{giveaway} coos & ahhs...

The first thing that caught my attention when I first saw Amanda's cool blog, Coos & Ahhs, was the illustrations that Manuel Kalmanovitz draws for her  blog header & descriptive icons. His style is so original & I knew right away that Amanda's blog was going to be just as unique.    For those of you that are bloggers, you know how much time & dedication it takes to create & maintain a blog. Well, Amanda is celebrating her 1 year anniversary of Coos & Ahhs this month & to help her celebrate- I'm giving away 3 of my thread drawing plushies that are backed in Marimekko fabric. 

Not only is her blog one of my "go to" blogs for interesting kiddo products, but I've  gotten to know Amanda too & am proud to call her a friend. So cruise on over to her blog and check out what she has to share. While you are there, go ahead and enter the giveaway if you would like.  Cheers Amanda- here's to another great year! 

{shop update} dewey loves orla kiely...

Are you a fan of  Orla Kiely designs? I am & was happy when I stumbled on this shop called Thirtyfive Flowers. Not only does Louise make beautiful cushions & coin purses from vintage & new fabrics (just got this & this in the mail today & LOVE them), but she has a fondness for Orla Kiely & occasionally sells some of her fabric in little packs. I recently purchased a few bundles from her with a plan to make some plush. However, I haven't had a chance to get make them yet. While working on an order of Dewey Birds yesterday, I was able to squeeze in the time to make this Dewey that I had dreamed up the minute I received my Orla Kiely fabric. See, having our house buried in snow isn't that bad... I got more time to sew. Hope you are having a great day! 

{shop update} willie & wanda...

There were glimmers that spring was right around the corner this weekend. It was sunshiny but  still really chilly.  Wanda & Willie worm like to come out in the spring when the tulip fields in our valley start to bloom, but they decided to emerge from the studio this weekend (a little early)  full of cheerful, Marimekko splendor. Making them today seemed like a nice way to encourage more of this weather & to start the week out on a happy note. These are the sort of critters I make when I've had a nice weekend. Hope you did as well! 

{Nap Time} & elf bird...

We have been reorganizing rooms around here lately & purging lots of stuff.  When I was going through Sayer's toys, this little guy resurfaced. Sayer was really intrigued and asked who he was. I made him for Sayer when he was just a baby. I was on this kick to create the perfect lovey for him. This bird came before the slugs.  It wasn't that there was anything wrong with this guy, I just came up with the slug idea and retired this goofy bird to the bottom of the toy box.  I feel a little bad about it really. So I'm glad Sayer rediscovered him this week. He named his bird "Elf". Elf has joined Sayer & his two slugs at nap & bed time ever since their eyes met.

When I checked in on Sayer today during his nap, I was reminded of this photo. Isn't it funny how even though your kiddos grow so fast, there are still those moments that are frozen in time? These two looked exactly the same 3 years later. Hope you are having a nice, relaxing weekend.... 

{Everyday Inspiration} more Marimekko...

January was good to my ever growing stack of Marimekko fabric. I actually might call January 2011, the textile month because I went a little bonkers with finding gorgeous fabrics internationally. Not to mention I brushed up on my textile/design history and learned about a lot of amazing textile designers. Most of my fabric purchases came from Finland or the UK with a combination of cool vintage & new finds that I'm really excited about. So what am I going to do with all of this fabric you ask? Oh, oodles & oodles... but lets' start with some new slug plushies, a kitty, ... and ol' Phil the Groundhogs cousin- Mr. Squirrel.

I find making plush out of Marimekko fabric so inspiring- my hands can't keep up with my ideas. The painter in me loves to play with different color combinations in search of making the colors sing.  While I realize this isn't Friday - and this could be classified as a Fabric Friday post, I felt it belonged in my Everyday Inspiration category as well. Besides, who couldn't use a jolt of gorgeous color on a Wednesday? What would you do if this was your stack of fabric?

{SALE} some plush for the holiday rush...

Did you know that slugs love this time of year? They get really excited at the idea of crawling into someone's stocking. While owls, birds, & snails seem to feel more at home under a tree. 

When I think about some of my favorite childhood gifts, they seem to fall into the plush friends category. So to help make the holiday season a little bit more cozy, use the code {KLTPLUSH25} for 25% off of all klt:plush here. Like the tees under the tree sale, offer is good until December 23rd 11:30pm PST. I love thinking about what kind of exciting new adventures all these little plushies are going to have.  Hope you are enjoying the holiday rush....

{Fabric Friday} Vintage Marimekko...

It's no secret that I have a major fondness for Marimekko textiles. I've written about it many times. Well, about a week ago I bought a bunch of vintage Marimekko fabric via this Etsy Shop that made me giddy with excitement. I carried this stack around with me for days, sort of fearful to cut into it. After all, I bought it to use. But then had second thoughts when I saw how beautiful it was. My husband reminded me that fabric is fabric & it's meant to be used and transformed. If you are a KLT FB "liker" you have already seen this top stack of Marimekko goodness. Actually- the piece of fabric in the middle isn't Marimekko- it's a gorgeous Finnish, vintage textile that I liked too.  But the rest of these pictures will be new for you.

So I did it - I cut into the fabric this week!  My slugs just called out to these fabrics (or vice versa) - it was what I originally had in my mind to make when I saw first saw the vibrant textiles. I love playing with the bold shapes, patterns, & colors for the slug bellies. There will never be 2 exactly that same- which I really enjoy. These little guys are truly special & the colors are so darn happy! 

These vintage Marimekko slugs will be slowly inching their way into the KLT Etsy Shop throughout the next few days. Don't worry you die hard fabric collectors, I won't use all of the fabric, I have saved a bit for safe keeping. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what I will make from this gorgeous stack. Oh, and don't forget that klt:friends get a nice discount code to use for weekend. Happy Fabric Friday!

{KLT Picks} Halloween Round up...

October seems to fly by in a creative flurry without fail every year. Whether it's planning Halloween costumes or just making things for klt:works, ideas are constantly flowing in our household. There are lots of colors, images, & textures that I associate with Halloween and they tend to creep into my studio every Fall. Here are a few of my favorite klt:halloween picks...


Row 1:  Organic Toddler Owl Tee, Eco-totes (for your treats), Organic Woman's Night-Owl Tee
Row 2:  Flora Slug, Vintage Ollie Owl Plush, Organic Kitty Toddler Tee
Row 3:  Night Owl Toddler Hoodie, Organic Raven One-piece (toddler tees too), Kiki Kitty Plush


Hope you are enjoying October! 

{Fabric Friday} vintage fabric ~ from pile to plush...

A few weeks ago, I posted some of my vintage fabric finds for Fabric Friday. Well, I thought it would be fun to show you how those fabrics translated into some klt:plush and a retro mobile. Sometimes I know right when I see a fabric, what klt:character or product will be made from it. This vintage stack was no exception- I had specific plans for all of the fabric and it was just a matter of finding time to make them. 

I bought most of these fabrics from Frecklewonder (in different batches), but there are 2 fabrics that were given to me from Heather, at 3ringcircus. She included some fabrics for me with an order that I had made from her shop. The sweetest thing about it, is that one of the fabrics had been used by her mother to make Heather a dress when she was little. She had mentioned awhile back in a comment on a post, that she liked my slugs the best- so Miss H Slug was born using Heather's fabric (blue with red butterflies). 

That '60's floral fabric (in pinks & purples) was once some kind of curtain or drape and I have a lot of it. I still have some more plans -but the slug and the mobile were the first things to come to mind when I saw this beautiful textile.

I love finding vintage textiles and then giving them a whole new life. It sort of spices things up in the studio for me. I have found a few more cool fabrics that are on their way- so expect to see more vintage critters in the future.... In the meantime, Happy Fabric Friday! I'm on my way to my first trunk show in a few minutes. What are you doing tonight?