A Sneak Peek of an Object for Spring

Welcome to our bimonthly newsletter where I share what we're working on in our woodsy Western, MA studio.

Every morning the curled leaves of the rhododendrons outside of my kitchen window remind me that it is too cold for woodworking in the uninsulated woodshop and time to focus on projects in the warmer sewing studio. So I’ve been working on something for Spring.

Over my winter break I prototyped a classic stuffed rabbit. I drew inspiration from vintage Steiff teddy bears, Beatrix Potter illustrations, and of course the original 1926 Winnie the Pooh pen & ink drawings to create a toy that feels timeless and special. With a brown paper grocery bag and some leftover tissue paper I got to work on a pattern and handsewed a prototype at the kitchen table.

This prototype was a gift for a friend. While there are some changes I would like to make for the final Spring version, I absolutely love it. The fluffy cotton is so soft and the micro corduroy stomach gives it a lovely vintage feel. It’s so hard to find quality children's toys that aren’t made of synthetic materials so my plan is for this rabbit to be made entirely of cotton and wool.
Some cozy recommendations:

Gael’s Sunday Focaccia: We’ve been trying to recreate a favorite nostalgic bread in our house and this Focaccia recipe gets pretty close. It’s easy and quick and makes for the perfect winter comfort food.

Victorian Easter Postcards: While researching old illustrations of rabbits for inspiration I came across the bizarre world of Victorian postcards. (Ebay has many to explore- lots of anthropomorphic bunnies frying up eggs and serving them to chickens.)

Lemon Rosemary Simple Syrup: A friend recently gave me some of her homemade syrup batch and it is a great addition to tea, seltzer or cocktails. I don't know that this one really needs a formal recipe but I found one.

This lovely painting from Pere Torne Esquius circa 1913: I happened upon his work randomly. He tended to paint lots of quiet interiors that give the feeling of someone present without actually showing any human figures. I haven’t been able to find out much of anything about him but I would like to spend an evening inside the room of this little painting.

 

Have a great weekend! These next few weeks I will be designing packaging for these little bunnies, and sewing their little bodies with the hopes that these could be ready in time for Easter and for Spring! I will be reaching out to shops too so if you have a favorite children's store that you could imagine selling this handmade bunny, please let me know.

All the best,
Haviland Justice

Made Cozy