Introducing Kimono Kids!

Introducing my new line of Kimono Kids pillows! I find the Japanese culture fascinating, and admire the beautiful luxurious kimonos. The wide obi sashes are my favourite part!

I've found I come up with my best ideas on the ride home from work -- probably because the mind is relaxed after a gruelling day, and tends to just wander. This particular pillow was probably the quickest I've ever made my ideas come to life. I had the lightbulb idea on the subway ride, ironed out some details in my head, and as soon as I got home plopped on the couch and started drawing. A couple hours later I was off sewing! By the end of the night I had finished "Little Mayumi" and a few days later followed it up with "Little Famiko", pictured above. The design itself is appliqued on, and I've used various types of fabric to mix up the colours and textures. My favourite part is how the kimono obi is echoed by a wide piece of fabric on the pillow backing!

Stay tuned for more Kimono Kids in my Etsy shop!

NEW: "La Promenade" Cushions

So on boxing day, instead of battling the crowds at the mall I went to the fabric store. I was intent on making some "gender neutral" pillows, because some people have been requesting some. But, hey, I'm a girl! So I couldn't help but buy this pink/black/grey fabric.

I actually already had these designs in my sketchbook and just didn't have the right fabric to apply them to. So I was excited to start sewing and see how it would turn out. I think it looks pretty good, don't you? My mom likes it :)

Don't you worry, I'll be sure to make my next pillows in army camoflauge ;) Well I don't actually have camo fabric, but I have an insect pillow in the works, so stay tuned... It's very manly.

Summer Breeze Pillows!

So I just finished these new "Summer Breeze" pillows, and I have to say that I've outdone myself this time! hehe... No seriously this is my new favourite design -- although usually when I come up with something new it becomes my new favourite design until I think of something else. They are made of a fabulous linen fabric with intertwined gold accents, which is also lightly painted in brown and white flowers and leaves. The satin flower is appliqued on, and I used glitter paint to do the flower detailing. (Who knew I would find a use for that tube of glitter paint in my drawer?) The pillow backing is a soft brown microsuede material.

The Flower Patch

So this latest innovation was dreamed up on the subway ride home while trying to pass the time... I thought it would be cool to applique different layers of fabric together to make flower petals and this was the result :) I had picked up this brown wool fabric at the annual fabric sale at the Textile Museum of Canada quite a while ago, and had always pictured putting one or two large bright flowers in the corners, but I never got around to working on it until this weekend. I like the bold colours and the simplicity of these covers. The idea was to use the brown fabric that has a vintage / retro feel to it, and contrast it with fresh vibrant colours.

Instant Messenger Pillows!

I just finished up more of my Instant Messenger Pillows, with the new addition of "OMG". (And I also discovered that it looks kinda cool if I just photograph the cushion cover without the inserts, so you may be seeing more of my pillows photographed this way.) The text is in Courier font, outlined in black stitching and hand painted with black fabric paint. These would make a perfect accent to your office, or even living room. For the inner geek in you.... :)

Introducing True Tiffany!

Well, I am back from vacation and already hard at work! I lucked out and found this aqua-coloured material at the Fabricland inventory sale, and I just so happened to have thick white ribbon at home from previous crafty endeavours... So, I couldn't help but try to replicate that little blue box that make girls so giddy.


And the bow isn't just for show, it's used to close the opening and secure the cover around the pillow. I'm quite clever that way :P

Etsy Front Page!

My "Bird on a Wire" cushion covers made it to the front page of Etsy.com today! Yay!!

Pink Autumn

After endless experimentation with airbrushes and stencils, I discovered that the best method of applying my designs would be to stitch them into the fabric in black thread, and then to fill them in with paint using a paintbrush. Airbrush paint works fine, but I have found that the Jacquard Neopaque fabric paints are the best, especially for painting light colours on dark fabrics.

The "Pink Autumn" drawing was inspired by the pink fabric I had brought back from my latest trip to Paris. In fact, the Pink Autumn pillow is the first one I ever sold. Thanks Fanny ;) And just recently I was asked to do the same design in lavender and sage green, which worked out also!

The inaugural post.

Let me introduce myself. I am a mechanical engineer by day, and artisan by night. Specifically these days I make decorative throw pillows and sell them online (http://www.pabrika.etsy.com/). I've done everything from jewellery to furniture, but pillows seem to be my niche. I've been asked how I ever got into the business of selling throw pillows, of all things... And I don't really know how, but one bleek Saturday, after following my job to a city where I knew not a soul in the world, I thought wouldn't it be cool if there were a store that sold throw pillows -- all different colours, fabrics, shapes, anything you could think of. And there it began. I walked to the nearby Walmart, bought some fabric scraps, and started experimenting.

I decided that my lucky friends would be my guinea pigs, and made them each a throw pillow for Christmas. With plenty of kinks still to be ironed out I pulled together 6 lovely pillows by making stencils of the design and painting them onto the fabric in airbrush paint. I matched them with fun fabrics on the back, and voila.

And so I would like to dedicate this blog to my fabulously supportive friends, who have over the years put up with my hits and misses of handmade Christmas gifts, and have praised even my not-so-praiseworthy creations ;) Although I think you guys liked the pillows... didn't you?