In Favor of Fuzz™

While we are on the subject of rugs (see previous), I’ve discovered a creative application for those bags of stuffed animals in the attic. (In this case I’m referring to soft toys. If you have bags of taxidermy cluttering up your storage space, you may consider donating to a museum or furnishing a country club.)

You should of course hand over your forlorn plushes to artist Agustina Woodgate. (Here I take the liberty of assuming she wants or accepts donations.) Agustina strives to create art that “fosters exchanges between people rather than encounters between a viewer and an object,” and I think she is successful with her Skin Rugs. These furry floor coverings are hand-sewn from recycled stuffed animal skins, exploring both the history of their owners and the history of the rug as a display method for memories.

Agustina is especially interested in the arrangement of rug designs, and I have to wonder at the organization of hers as I spy eyes and paw pads, the outlines of once floppy appendages. Amazingly, the rugs maintain the endearing quality of the stuffed animals, as if nothing was lost in their deconstruction. The memories are palpable and you can’t help but recount your own experiences to the closest available ear, if only to point out you have a plush just like that at home.

How often do you think about your floors? Believe it or not, there is a world of options beyond carpet swatches and hardwood finishes.

Loom Rugs of Australia is the perfect blend of traditional and contemporary. By using vintage materials and tried-and-true techniques in unexpected ways, this gem of a company creates floor coverings that inspire greatness. And why shouldn’t it? Founder Doan Bilgis grew up in Turkey surrounded by rug weaving, a tradition rooted in his family’s nomadic background. Shortly after moving to Australia, Doan saw a gap in the local design market that seemed wide enough for his unique vision, and so in 2006 he opened Loom Rugs. Ready for a peek?

The Hepsi rugs, literally meaning “all, everything,” are patchworks of vintage rugs and kilims (flat woven rugs without knots or piles). Patchwork is usually reserved for quilts, so I’m intrigued to see it incorporated here.

The Old Yarn rugs are handwoven from recycled yarn painstakingly unraveled from vintage kilims. The technique yields aged colors and varied tones that combine to produce gorgeous textures. Oh, the textures.

Loom Rugs also offers vintage handwoven rugs from nomadic, tribal, and village peoples like this Turkish rag rug. I love that one solitary green stripe next to the gold, don’t you?

Why triangles? Why not triangles!

Geometric Mountain Reflection by Retro Menagerie will have you asking yourself, now why didn’t I think of that? Simple, beautiful, and engaging, this print belongs in your Ikea-inspired living room. Admit it.

Looking for a statement piece? Twin triangle necklace by Hug a Porcupine comes in twelve eye-catching color combinations that will have you strutting like one of the cool kids. Or one of the smart kids who went on to make millions.

Be kind to your dining room—gift it these geo napkins by LINEA CARTA. Bright and (arguably) happy little triangles have been screen printed by hand on taupe linen, and they’re ready to spread the joy.

I like seeing sophisticated baby items because little Jack or Jill isn’t going to be transfixed by yellow duckies forever. CarsonToo makes crib and stroller quilts meant to be enjoyed for a lifetime, including this Equilateral Triangles design.

This kaleidoscope-inspired necklace by ColorblockShop is all about geometry, color, and more color. Did I mention color? Color.

Who doesn’t love hand-painted wooden blocks? How now design recommends using these tiny cubes as wedding favors, but you could also just increase your own building potential. I won’t judge.

I’m sorry, but when it comes to stuffing, chopsticks just don’t cut it. Or stuff it.

I know every plush project book under the sun claims that you can grab any stick-like object to get that stuffing where it needs to be, but rummaging through your kitchen drawers should only be a last resort when it comes to giving your soft creations shape and volume. A well-stuffed item feels consistent throughout with no lumps, bumps, or empty nooks. So how is this stuffing feat accomplished?

Hemostats and stuffing forks make the act of stuffing controlled and precise. Hemostats are surgical instruments that act as locking clamps. They come in a variety of sizes and can be used to grab and position stuffing, especially in tight, hard-to-reach spaces. The stuffing fork, created by Barbara Willis, is basically a skewer with a notched tip. It comes in two sizes, regular and mini, and is meant to grab and tease stuffing in a uniform manner (unlike the chopstick, which either stabs through the stuffing or forces it into a clump).

I like to first use a hemostat to position my stuffing and then use a stuffing fork to further work it into place and to the desired firmness, but you may find that one or the other gets the job done to your satisfaction. Both tools are worth exploring, but adding either one to your tool bag will soon elevate you to professional stuffer status.

Do you have a tool to recommend for Tool Trade? Send me an email: infavoroffuzz[at]hotmail[dot]com.

stuffing fork photo from Heather Bailey Store

I want to be a kid again and I want my room to be full of blabla.

I first encountered the blabla brand in a design boutique back home. I always take my time in the kids’ section (because everyone knows that’s where the really fun stuff is), but I was surprised all the same when I spied a gigantic knitted lion doll sitting in the corner. His name was Charles. I lifted him up under his arms like a small child and instantly knew he was professionally handmade. I scrambled to find a label, wrote my discovery down, and made a Google search my top priority. Well, that and purchasing a knitted monkey doll keychain.

Blabla is the brainchild of Susan Pritchett and Florence Wetterwald, conceived after an eventful trip to Peru. It was there that the two friends encountered entire villages of expert knitters who would later become the artisans behind their line of children’s products. Dolls, blankets, mobiles, and outfits are all knitted by hand with cotton and care, every stitch upholding blabla’s quest for “beauty, authenticity, and laughter.” We all want to experience the stuff of childhood, perhaps even relive a memory or two, and blabla seems more than ready to share.

A celebration is in order: after changing web hosts in probably the messiest way possible, I have resurrected this blog from its digital ashes. (I shall spare you the ugly details.) My sanity, on the other hand, is still being glued back together, so our celebration will have to be somewhat zen.

Any decent party comes with favors, and I came up with an idea for using my succulents. Most of these hardy plants reproduce by shoots or offsets that can be separated from the parent plant, usually being the fleshy leaves. Here I took a couple new shoots, planted them in a plastic applesauce cup, and completed the arrangement with a pinwheel pick. Now how stinkin’ cute is that? I can imagine these little planters being a big hit at an outdoor lunch.

If you have a succulent such as the popular “hen and chicks,” simply pop off a few leaves and lay them on top of the soil. After a while, some or even all of these leaves will develop shoots (and later roots) at the ends where they were originally attached to the stem. You may even notice leaves that have dropped on their own and initiated the process themselves. Not all succulents are the same, however, so you may have to use your observation to determine how new shoots are produced. Once you have growing shoots, plant them in plastic fruit cups or other small containers and decorate as desired.

Tips:

• Allow yourself a couple months before your event to grow desirable shoots
• Make cards, tags, or labels containing basic care instructions
• Mix different succulents for more visual interest