The World is not your LItterbox

I think Felix the cat says it best here, "The world is not your litterbox". And so to do our part for a cleaner, greener future, Pabrika Handmade has launched its newest series of "Upcycled" pillows.

We have rescued old T-shirts and transformed them into beautiful pillows. I got the idea a couple years ago when my American Eagle "Just Bee Yourself" shirt, with a screen-printed cartoon bee on it, became too small on me. Thinking that the cartoon bee would make a great pillow design I stuffed that T-shirt with a pillow and it was like a light bulb went off in my head. Unfortunately at the time I was too pre-occupied with other things to develop the idea further... (During that time I was just starting up Pabrika Handmade and the original line of hand-painted pillows). And so the T-shirt-turned-pillow idea died.

The idea was revived when I was asked if I had any pillows of eco-friendly materials (organically grown cotton, hemp, natural water-based dyes, etc.) And I thought it was a great idea to extend my line and offer products that were environmentally friendly. I did my research and looked for suppliers of organic fabric, but did not end up going through with it because the cost of this fabric was astronomical! And then I thought back to that "Just Bee Yourself" t-shirt that sat in my living room stuffed with a pillow, and decided that there should be no reason to go out and purchase new materials when there is already a myriad of materials out there (i.e. t-shirts) just waiting to be discarded.

And here are the results of my little craft project. There are still many more to come! Click here to shop :)

The Care Bears are my favourite :)

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!

Now selling at Ransack the Universe!!

I am pleased (and excited) to announce that my handmade throw cushions are now available at Ransack the Universe!! The store is located at 1207 Bloor St. W., in the 69 Vintage Collective building. Full of vintage and handmade treasures, it's the perfect place to find something utterly unique.

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.