Saffrons Blog

Here I write about my creative projects, ideas and things that inspire me.

Koala Softie

Saffron Craig - Tuesday, September 29, 2009

The Koala and The Owl Softie fabric in chocolate brown, orange and blue arrived this morning. I excitedly made up both. I stitched them and trimmed them, cutting carefully into the corners. Then stuffed them and stuffed some more so they are big and soft. Lastly I neatly hand-stitched them closed, and voila—stroke and cuddle two new sotftie. The Koala is such a happy chappy and the owl is just as whimsical as I hoped.
I wonder what adventures they will go on together? How far North or South, East or West? Where they will sleep? Who will sew them up? What will they be called?

I photographed them on the new Owl In Trees fabric in chocolate brown which arrived at the same time, available here. It's great to have two new fabrics to add to the shop.

This is the back view of the Softies. The clinging, cuddling baby Koala, or Joey, is holding fast to his mummy. The mother and the baby theme is continued on the back of the Owl with the nesting scene, though this time more like a dusk version. Love, nurture and protect.

If you are new to meeting me please sign up for a newsletter, for a few days we are giving away a $10.00 gift voucher which might almost—with a few more of your Dollars or Euros—buy a panel with the Owl and Koala Softie on it. How happy would that make you?

I will even happily sew a softie for you if sewing is not your thing. Or post it to your friend as a gift. The ease of online shopping.

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Donna Smith commented on 01-Oct-2009 02:02 PM

Just received my koala and owl softie fabric, OMG so cute, can't wait to get sewing! Thanks Saffron for posting out so quick! Keep up the great work!

Fiona commented on 30-Sep-2009 07:09 AM

This is the perfect sewing project for my 5 year old.

Avital Kline commented on 29-Sep-2009 02:19 PM

I am fainting from the cuteness.

Corrie Sebire commented on 29-Sep-2009 01:27 PM

holy cow that koala is so cute! seriously cute! I think I need to get some...... Corrie;)

Beatrix Sadek commented on 29-Sep-2009 12:03 PM

What a cute print. I love your owl designs.

nicole vos commented on 29-Sep-2009 01:27 AM

Oh they are so cute, I really *need* these two on my couch!

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Hand Prints

Saffron Craig - Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Flaxen hair blowing in the breeze
It is time for the geese to head south
I have come with my mustard seed
I cannot accept that she will be taken from me
Tory Amos

The lyrics of Tory Amos were in my mind as I drew these designs. She started me thinking about geese which followed with a magic image of a huge big golden goose which flew in at the tale end of a meditation.

It took me 4 years to find an illustrated collection of Grimm's fairy tales with illustrations as good as the book I grew up with. Now newly acquired it sits by my bed. I am in paradise reading those tales after so many years. The golden goose must have been read into my child hood memory, thought it is a whisper of a memory.

The inspiration for the sketch of the leaves came while on a winter walk, as the fallen leaves crunched under my feet, one crisp dry brown leaf beckoned me to notice its skeletal shapes with pronounced strong lines, the veins moving in a new direction for me. I took the leaf into my studio and stared at it at length. It really asked to be drawn.

The circle is an ever present element in my designs. Something to do with being Celtic? I certainly love to use it, draw it stitch it cut it. The circle is a wonderful element to play with.

I also like stripes a lot.. I do use them frequently in my sewing. So I want to play with uneven stripes, irregular in width and length. We will see what do with them.

I have dropped these designs off to Leapfrog to make up into screens. I am going to mix paint and print them myslef. Yippee I will get super messy. I am planning on using green-those lovely soft shade of greens you might find in new shoots. I am thinking of lovely linen or hemp as my base cloth.

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Kirstin Bokor commented on 26-Sep-2009 07:39 AM

hey either the geese or the leaves would have made unreal covers for your new chairs

Karen Brown commented on 24-Sep-2009 02:35 PM

Saffron, your fabric designs are why I love sewing - bold and uncompromising, yet somewhat whimsical in their essence. Keep doing what you do, because you help us create beautiful things :-) Cheers, Karen.

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New—Owl Nesting Quilt Kit

Saffron Craig - Friday, September 18, 2009

We added the Owl Nesting Quilt Kit into the shop this morning.

To make the top might only take only a few hours. As a 112cm square it will create a funky feature for the room, a wall-hanging for a child's bedroom, or on the bed as a throw. I used this quilt a lot in the car over the winter months.

It was fun to quilt, I stitched the owl nesting panel with pearl cotton thread in red and orange and creme changing each time I threaded my needle. I stitched in an line which reminded me of undulating rivers, keeping with the natural feeling I am trying to emulate. If you like this line simply draw a line in chalk and follow the chalk lines. For the rest on the quilt I stitched it in the ditch, then followed the blocks in a echo stitching.

I backed the quilt with the Trees Mignon, so that the quilt is reversible. I thought the Trees Mignon worked best to back this one.

What do you think?

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Lily Mulholland commented on 20-Sep-2009 10:30 AM

Crikey! That's a bit too busy for me, but I can see lots of people loving it. I really wanted to say, though, how much I LOVE the quilting! I have some of your owl range and I think I might borrow that quilting style too when I get around to using it - one day soon I hope! Also, love the bottlebrush sketch in your previous post.

nicole vos commented on 19-Sep-2009 04:34 PM

It's lovely! Did you quilt it by hand? I like the thought of a reversible quilt too :)

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Bangarra Banksia

Saffron Craig - Thursday, September 17, 2009

My neighbor is burning off and as the pale smoke floats past my window I am dreaming we are living on a mountain in mist. Such is my imagination today. Wistful and delicate. Did not help that Anne of Green Gables was shown on Saturday night and I am Anne all over again. Luckily I did find my Gilbert.

I have images of last night’s Bangarra dance troupe performance to keep my thinking conceptual. Their fluid bodies in wonderful costumes and amazing music often had me on the edge of my seat. I feel as though I could fly as they did.

In one dance the dancers were painted—one black one white—and as they intertwined in gestures and movements the paint came off all over each other, smearing their costumes, legs and arms, their symmetry was poetic. I thought about the colour of skin and how little it should mean, as it is what is in our hearts our souls, one day we might all be able to see them clearly?

I am sketching nature. Drawing from my own little world again. This Australia I love. The ancient Bottlebrushes and Banksias sparked an idea. They are each so varied and different. I am aiming to make up a few new screens. Though they move around the page like a Bangarra dancer. Touching. They don’t want to be still just yet.

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Brown Owl in Trees

Saffron Craig - Wednesday, September 09, 2009

We have received the new colour for the Owl in Trees and it's brown. It is rich, dark and so warm. I am really pleased. It took two attempts to get the shade of brown just right. I am already planning places for it to live; in lampshades, oh yes and in Kirstins' baby's quilt–she just bought the brown Buggaboo pram, it's going to be happy in there too. So off it flies to be printed.

I love the date today 9-09-09, an auspicious day–we are doing a special mediation in celebration tonight.

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Dani commented on 11-Sep-2009 04:46 PM

I am so in love with brown and with the bugaboo.Oh thanks so much for making brown owls.

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Fun day

Saffron Craig - Monday, September 07, 2009

For this year's fund raiser for my Kindi. I put my hand up to make a couple of canvasses. I asked their teacher Kelly to ask the little ones, ages 4 and 5 to draw monsters, flowers, and fish. I cut out the drawings, added some funky paper and made up these collages.
I am also doing the face painting and Patrick the BBQ. It was so much fun and I have shards of paper everywhere. So much fun in fact that I made four of them.

Which one's your favourite?

Monsters

Fish

Flowers

Rainbow
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Saffron Craig commented on 28-Sep-2009 11:33 AM

So the best seller was the Monsters, they raised a substantial amount of money HOrrAAH.

Aylie commented on 10-Sep-2009 01:29 PM

Saffron there is a project in these!

Julie Treacy commented on 09-Sep-2009 03:46 PM

The monsters of course. I bet the boys drew those.

yvette fraser commented on 09-Sep-2009 09:01 AM

i like them they are fun...i like the 2 second one it looks like sea. love yvette

Kirstin Bokor commented on 08-Sep-2009 04:32 PM

I like the monsters followed by the ocean one. By the looks of today I get the idea that having a child means you are given the chance to relive childhood (and appreciate it) more than it means growing up & being mature...what fun. (and don't worry about all those bits of paper everywhere, whilst you are indulging in childhood pretend you can't see the mess)

Andrew Battye commented on 08-Sep-2009 03:33 PM

I like the first one the best with all the MONSTERS, they are really interesting....but the others are beautiful as well....great work!

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Play

Saffron Craig - Tuesday, September 01, 2009

These wonderful fabrics are being played with by more and more people. As people see and buy them and then cut them up they are emailing me pics of their projects. It's been nearly three months since we started to sell them. Three months of selling yardage prints for me and I am still loving designing, sewing them and cutting them up.

This is one email I received over the weekend showing me how much fun she has been having with the field range. The squiggly flower and the parrots combined with the dandelions in pink and yellow are really happy. I love how the dandelion circles are creating another dimension and add a different colour to the palette cooling it.

It's those hexagons in hexagons, it's makes me think of Spring and fun. What a fun piecing project and no paper required. Such neat sewing. Oh la la! I am not sure how big it will get?

I thought as a special I would sell the fields bundle for a 10% discount just pop in the word play into the discount box to receive your discount.

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Hiedi commented on 29-Sep-2009 02:58 PM

The fabrics are so gorgeous, and the way they are pieced here, all the hexagons, mmmmmm, scrumptious. I love it!