My Favorite Creations Today

Vintage Peacock Fiber Art

How do you decide what your "favorite" of anything is? Is it the thing that is part of your current interests? Is it the thing that was very hard to come by, and therefore has a built-in satisfaction level? For me, I get a rush of energy when I am around my favorites, whether that be my favorite people, places or things! Do you get that rush of positive energy?

I want to share two items that make my heart sing. When I began making each item, I did not have a firm plan in place for the end product. Don't you love working like that? To me, it is like being open to what happens, instead of being determined to force something in particular to happen. I love the energy of that creative flow.

The first item began as an ornate and shabby vintage frame. After it was cleaned up and painted a bright and glossy purple, it was time for me to create fiber art. I have been playing around with printing my images onto fabric. This is a photo of a magnificent peacock that I printed onto cotton fabric. I added some sparkle with seed beads, thinking "If a peacock in full plumage cannot sparkle, who can?".

Aspen Grove Fiber Art Pillow

The next item represents a favorite place for me: the mountains of Colorado in the midst of an Aspen Tree grove. I love the towering presence of those trees, but I especially love the sound you hear when you are near them...the quaking sound.

This needle-felt and applique pillow was made to recreate that feeling -- the one where you are standing on a mountain and you look over a gently sloping field, and just beyond the aspen trees, you see another glorious royal-blue mountain range. Have you ever been there? I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Top Ten Tuesday -- March 6, 2012

There are birds and fiber galore in this week's top ten! From a hand embroidered bluebird lunch tote to a burnished bird necklace, and 7 other wonderful items in between, I feel great kinship to those who hand-make bird-themed items and fiber arts projects! If there were more than 24/7, I'd be interested in trying my hand at many of these types of projects. Oh well, I cannot make the days any longer, but I am so happy to pass along contact information for these creative folks!

#1 Hand Embroidered Blue Bird Canvas Lunch Tote

Jemzy on Etsy makes this sweet bag which measures 9" x 11", and comes complete with a pink floral calico pocket lining. This may be the best Easter basket you've ever received! Visit with the talented Jemzy here.

#2 Sparrow Tea Cups from Rustic Peace

I originally saw these lovely cups on Pinterest and have tracked them as far as I can to Rustic Peace on Tumblr. I hope that if anyone gets further in the search for these coveted cups, you will share with all of us!

#3 Seamless Felted Mittens with Floral Design

Aurelial T Felting in Lithuania is making these charming mittens to order on Etsy! I know that winter is almost over for many of us now, but springtime in the Rockies can be seriously snowy, so these mittens look just right to me! If you live in a place where it is snowy or cold at least part of every year, this mitten purchase just makes perfect sense. Visit AureliaLT felting and see her complete line -- you'll enjoy yourself!

#4 Needle Felted Landscape Ball

I'm really impressed by the detail that The Felted Egg shopkeeper Emily puts into a simple 3.25" spherical shape! You can see photos of all angles of this ball on her charming Etsy shop, and I'll bet that you will be impressed, too! She has used both wet and dry felting techniques and 100% natural plant-dyed wool. Lovely!

#5 Pink Embroidered Felt Birds in time for Spring

The applique and embroidered details of each Beedeebabee item is artistic and perfectly balanced. Don't you love the uniformity of her hand work and the charming shapes of her designs? This little pink bird brooch is nearing the top of my list for sure...enjoy your visit with Beedeebabee on Etsy here!

#6 100% Re-Turned Recycled Norwegian Wood and 100% Adorable

Hand turned wooden birds made in Norway by Lars Beller Fjetland are catching my fancy this week. Lars used left-over wood from carpentry production, like a table leg or armrest, and turned them into these adorable sculptural birds. Let's all keep our eyes open for production of these charming pieces!

#7 Meg Hannan's Fabric Jewels "Millefiori" Hearts

I have to share with you these textural treasures from Rag Sky Art Studio in Seattle, Washington, and the hands of Meg Hannan. She has used vintage fabrics and fibers to make these layered and rolled fiber hearts. I found a shop named Great Green Goods that offers them through Renga Arts to us folks outside of the Seattle area!

#8 Peony Eco Shopping Bag

I would feel very special indeed carrying this exceptional shopping bag! Colettecolor on Etsy tells me that it folds up to stash into my purse when not in use, but it is so lovely, I think I'd proudly walk into the grocery store with it on my arm! It measures about 15"x17" and has a 22" strap. That's some good-looking grub!

#9 Burnished Nest Necklace from Sidney Hanner

I was intrigued to see all of the great classes in jewelry making being taught by designer and instructor Sidney Hanner. I also love the name of these classes: Gilding the Lily Classes! I know that classes like this are only available for specific time-frames and places, but I am inspired by this necklace and Sid's generous sharing of her techniques.

#10 Funny Animal Photo of the Week!

Someone has a sense of humor! Perhaps it isn't me, but here's my funny animal of the week!

Thanks for stopping by,

Georgianne

Nestle and Soar Studio Scene



Long's Peak 100% Wool Landscape

It has been a busy week in my fiber folk art studio! There is something special about hunkering down to artwork when it is consistently rainy and cool outside. My space feels like a cocoon.

I have been looking at my landscape of Long's Peak for a couple of months now as my progress seemed to stop after I accomplished the background layers. I now need to hand embroider and dry felt the mid-range and fine detail work, and I am stumped. I just keep looking at it, waiting for inspiration to strike. I think I should take a drive and sit with my sketch pad for awhile as I look over that scene again. I was inspired while on the gym's treadmill to begin this piece...my view from the west-facing window at my gym is just spectacular. Not sure why some folks stare at the television when they could be looking at this mountain view instead...to each their own.

Coexist Tree in Blue Sky Series, 10"x10"

The last photo shows how messy my work table gets during a busy week. I have been using all these colors of wool -- Delicious. I like having everything close at hand, and at the same time, I long to have everything neatly tucked away. The creative process is not a tidy thing--Don't you agree? I am almost finished with my 10"x10" sky series that depicts a tree with birds; I like to call this design Coexist. Birds in many colors, shapes, types, and all personalities are welcome...Coexist. I plan to make 12 of this design, each slightly different. The trees are becoming more and more plump as I go. Never trust a skinny tree, that's what I say!

My work table right now...

Thanks for stopping by my studio,
Georgianne











Wool Bird's Nest with Wooden Eggs

My Wool Bird's Nest is available on Etsy.

The flowers are peeking up in my flower beds. The bird feeder is full and morning bird songs help me wake up as I walk around my neighborhood. My most organized neighbor has already raked his lawn and is watering today, and his yard will be emerald green for St. Patrick's Day! It seems like the perfect day to share with you my wool felt bird's nest.

I knit this nest with wool yarn---it looked like a winter hat for a gnome! I felted it in the washing machine, let it dry stretched onto the bottom of an up-turned sauce pan, and then I added wool yarn and roving embellishment. The wooden eggs were fun to paint, and I probably went a little overboard on the freckles...oh well...happy spring-like day!

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

We Love Birds?!

I always have a look out for organizations and companies that share my love of birds. One reason for this is that I collect birds and bird images for my home and as gifts. I think birds add charm and beauty to our home. I also like the gift of a bird-themed item, as I think it is light-hearted and it reminds me of nesting and coziness. I hope my friends and family still like (or even love) birds!

I was poking around the Internet and found an organization new to me called http://www.welovebirds.org/. Of course, I had to check it out. This site is fun to visit and is perfect for folks who love having pet birds in their home. You can buy bird feeders, cages, supplies, toys, and several movies to watch (when watching your real-life birds gets boring). My daughter is a trainer at a bird aviary in Loveland, Colorado, and I know that birds like to be entertained and challenged when they interact with humans. I was glad I found this website!

It has been a 9 years since I had a bird in my home. My son especially liked working with the parakeets we used to enjoy, and our supply of bird paraphernalia is stored in the rafters. I may need to start thinking about pulling those items down and making room in my home for living birds...they would look great beside my wool ones!

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Time flies at year end!

Museum of Contemporary Art Show in Boulder Colo.

I am astounded that I haven't touched my blog since December 8th! I haven't checked in with the folks I follow, either, so I am really out of the loop! Besides my annual gig as Santa's little helper, I've been spending a lot of time planning and scheming about how Nestle and Soar Studio will function in 2011. This is a fun and terrifying job!

My new website is almost ready to go live, and that is something I've wanted for a while. I've been showing my folk art in museum shows and craft fairs in Colorado in November and December, and it is always rewarding to watch people look at my art...wonderful to receive face-to-face feedback. I am also designing a new series of bird-inspired valentines in time for the love-fest that is February! If you love love, you'll enjoy this new series.

Grandpa and Brayden (our littlest Santa)

The most important thing I've been doing for the past 3 weeks is getting ready to host family and friends for Christmas. Our kids and their kids won't all be able to gather at one time this year. I send out my heart to all of you who, like us, have kids in the service this holiday season. No matter how, when, or where we "gather" in body or in spirit, may each of our homes be filled with peace and laughter as we close out 2010 and prepare for 2011.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Duplicating Myself

CafePress Apron with my Art

It is fun to think about all the items one can have photographs applied to these days. I notice on Etsy.com that lots of folks are selling reproductions of their original art as such things as note cards, coffee cups, and wall art. It makes sense to me, as there are only so many 35-hour hand needle felts I can create! If I can take a great photo of my original fiber art and have it printed onto a quality item, that sounds good to me!

I had the folks at CafePress make this apron for me. I'm planning to wear it at holiday craft shows in December! It has large pockets that will come in handy during a busy selling day. It was fun to see how my photograph would look applied to a canvas apron.



Field of Flowers, 16" x 20"

 I have also started working with the friendly people at FinePrint Imagaing in Fort Collins, Colorado. They have a special studio set-up I can use to have my wool wall felts photographed, and the image will be color-corrected by a pro there. (The image I'm showing to the left was photographed by me. Their version will be so clear, I'll be able to reproduce it with pride.) Those images can then be printed onto gallery wrapped canvas or several other substrates! I'm looking forward to seeing how this will work for me. Stay tuned! If you were to have a lovely, textural folk art image displayed in your home, what size would you want it to be?

I wish I could duplicate myself tomorrow as I begin cooking for 10 people at 5am--maybe my husband will be like a mirror image of me :) I do know he's the one to rise and shine and put the turkey in the oven! Happy Thanksgiving to each of you...

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne



Plant a Tree with your Holiday Gift Giving!



Bold and modern red and black colorway...

I am excited to be able to combine a wonderful Holiday Special on my Etsy.com shop with the planting of a tree in the National Forest! My most popular wool applique design, Bird's Eye View, comes in multiple colorways.

Through the end of 2010, I am offering these 16" x 16" handmade pillows at a Holiday Special price of $49! Each time you order from my Nestle And Soar shop on Etsy, I will have planted in your honor, a tree in our National Forests through the Arbor Day Foundation.

I invite you to visit my Etsy shop to see my entire line of Bird's Eye View pillows. If you visit my Holiday Special page on my Etsy site, you can select from all the colors I offer.

Another wonderful advantage to ordering from Nestle And Soar, is that I use lots of TLC when I ship my pillows [I will ship directly to the address of your choice]. I place each pillow in a muslin pillowcase, wrapped in a satin ribbon. And if you would like, I can leave blank the Arbor Day Foundation card, which will help you use that card (explaining the Tree Planting), as the gift card for your friend or loved one. How easy!

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Do you adore vintage?

I was pleasantly surprised today when the gals behind Adore Vintage included me in their lovely collection (shown in this photo). I am having a lot of fun collecting vintage picture frames, refurbishing them, and then creating a nature-inspired needle felt for their next chapter in life. It is wonderful how my folk art in vintage frames looks so right with these other vintage items!

I remember like it was yesterday when my beloved Aunt Betty bought me a straw purse decorated with brightly colored flowers! I am thinking about my Aunt Betty today :) I do wish I still had that little purse...

If you would like to learn more about the wonderful creative vision behind this collection of nine vintage items, you can find them at http://adore-vintage.blogspot.com/. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

The World's Forests

Autumn Meadow Folk Art, Georgianne Holland, 2010

I have had a fascination with trees for as long as I can remember. I even bought a mediocre house because the trees on the property were magnificent! Not my best financial idea, but certainly one that proves I can go nuts over trees.

I have teamed up with the Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) to include my passion for trees as part of my folk art enterprise. When anyone orders one of my original folk art designs from my Etsy shop, I arrange with the ADF to have planted, in their honor, a tree in a U.S. national forest. I am very excited that such a program exists to make my work as an artist a small part of keeping trees healthy in this country.

I started to think about forests around the world, and know that national forests in America, while close at hand, are not the only forests in a suffering ecology. I want to learn more about the world's forests and the ecological miracle they demonstrate. I will be posting my findings as I come across them, along with beautiful tree images I find along the way!

"Across the world, forests and the soil beneath them absorb about a quarter of all carbon emissions. This is an indispensable contribution to life as we know it, and forests offer many others, too. They house more than half the word's species of animals, birds and insects...Forests are also the source of most staple foods and many modern medicines. They provide livelihoods, wholly or partly, for about 400 million of the world's poorest people." The Economist, September 25, 2010.

My fascination with forests and trees is personal as I feel a connection to the earth whenever I look at a tree. Beyond the personal, forests and trees are a vital part of the earth, and I would love to hear about your feelings about, and experiences in, the forest.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Calling all Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds are on my mind these days! Ted and I purchased a hummingbird feeder, and we haven't had any visitors yet, unless you count the squirrel I caught swinging by his paws yesterday. I've decided to look into this new bird interest of mine.

Most hummingbirds of the U.S. and Canada migrate south in fall to spend the winter in northern Mexico or Central America, thus my low turn-out at dinner time!

The Rufous Hummingbird is one of several species that breed in western North America. This is thanks in part to artificial feeders and winter-blooming gardens, and some even return to the same gardens year after year, which is what I am hoping for! The Rufous Hummingbird nests farther north than any other species and must tolerate temperatures below freezing on its breeding grounds, which, I understand happens for some humans, too. This cold hardiness enables it to survive temperatures well below freezing, provided that adequate shelter and feeders are available. Now that I've learned all this about hummingbirds, I suppose we purchased our feeder at the wrong time of year. I will keep my new feeder hanging anyway, at least through the fall, and see what happens. I really want to see these lovely birds up close.

P.S. Did you know that they can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their tiny little wings 90 times per second! They can also fly backwards, and are the only group of birds who can...I really want to see that.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Freckled Birds Folk Art Pillow

I have freckles and so do my birds! This fun folk art pillow was recently featured in an Etsy article title A Colorful Countryside, and it has been fun to see how many people from around the world are enjoying these little birds! Click here to read the article. A Colorful Countryside Article.

There are many ways to applique a design like these birds. Lots of folks are enjoying the raw edge applique technique, which my design could be described as, because I did not turn under the edges of the birds when I sewed them. My birds are made of wool felt, so they will not fray or change shape. I found a helpful video about raw edge applique using a sewing machine, if you'd like to learn more.

The method I used for making my Freckled Bird Pillow involves all hand embroidery. Using embroidery floss and a simple running stitch, I apply the felt birds to the taupe linen pillow front. I know that it would be faster to sew these birds on by machine, but I like how the hand stitching looks in this design. I've sewn seed beads onto each bird to represent the freckles. It almost makes freckles seem charming...which is an attitude about freckles that I wish everyone enjoyed!

I've heard from dozens and dozens of people since the Colorful Countryside article was published this weekend. It is fun how immediate activity happens in this world of Internet retailing. I am pleased that this pillow design strikes a chord with people and I will have fun making the custom orders that are coming my way for this pillow design. I will be teaching an applique class in August and plan to teach several applique techniques. It is a time-honored method for creating quilt blocks, pillow fronts, and embellishing clothes and accessories. It is one if my favorite art forms!

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Hip Baby Boomer - Yes, I mean Me!

It is baby week for me, and when I saw these baby birds reaching for food, I felt that deep pull of maternal instinct kick in! It is a real emotional empowerment, that desire to keep my loved one's fed. And this week especially, as all of our grandchildren are in Colorado for a visit, which is unusual and wonderful!

So as I fuss over the Holland babies, let me tell you a funny thing about being a baby boomer. As the role of grandparent is new to us, and we are just barely in the boomer generation, we create new ways of thinking about ourselves as the "older generation" in our ever growing family. I can envision myself as a grandmother, but I'm not sure yet about being married to the grandfather of 3! So I did a little research about what all the hip baby boomers are doing out there in this wonderful world of grandparenting. I mean, being hip is something that is kind of a stretch for me...I was always the nerdy Susie Homemaker girl, not really the Happening Hipster during any previous decade of my life! So, research is a legitimate thing when one wants to know what real hip grandparents are doing.

Do you know what one finds when they Google "Hip Baby Boomer"?

Yes, my friends, I received many links to information about getting a Free Hip. Funny, huh?

So, I am feeling old, I am feeling weak in the knees (my particular area of future replacement parts), and I am feeling very hip, for my grandfather/husband and I are no where near needing any sort of mobility help! We are young, active, vital, and yes, the grandparents of 3. Or so I think (3 grand babies, that is), for Thomas and Jenny have been in labor all night, and I am ready for the phone to ring with a "Come on up, there's a new baby for you to meet!".

Our bird's nest of hungry babies is full, all in Colorado, and we can walk there under our own steam!
Yeah!

Thanks for stopping by. I'm off to a grandma rave...kidding!
Georgianne

Peacock Feathers

I am in love with peacock feathers, and this lovely pendant is my new favorite thing! My daughter Jessie took care of many of the birds at the Denver Zoo, and while on duty, found discarded peacock feathers on the walkways. Those peacocks are free to roam the zoo grounds, and often show off their magnificent feathers to amazed children and zookeepers alike. So I have a fun collection of feathers.

I asked my mom to help me decorate a lampshade with peacock feathers and that was one of our most recent shared home decor projects. What a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon with my mom!

When I found this lovely peacock pendant on an etsy shop called http://www.verabel.etsy.com/, I knew I'd want to share it with all of you. This charming shop is located in Portland, Oregon, and it looks like they have found huge success on the etsy marketplace. I hope you will enjoy looking at all of their jewelry as much as I did!

Thanks for stopping by today...have a wonderful weekend!

Peace,
Georgianne

Lemon Cake Birds

Lemon yellow along with some buttery yellow wool roving were used to create these delicious birds on a pillow top. This photo shows my progress about half-way into a great afternoon spent needle felting. I was hopeful I'd be able to show you the wonderful yellow bird images I found on www.WhatBird.com.

But no luck! Here's my story: I loaded this bird-lover's resource as a toolbar element to my Internet Explorer this past Monday. It is now Wednesday, and my computer hasn't worked right since then. My friend Kathy, who shall remain blameless, showed me a super application for IBird on her fancy IPhone device. This WhatBird website looks like the same thing, so I was really happy to have it available to me on my computer (as my cell phone is stone age compared to Kathy's phone). I've always taught my kids, "You need a Plan B!"

Well, let's say, I am happy to show you the yellow birds I created the old fashioned way instead ;)

Hope you enjoy them!

I have one bit of bird lover trivia I'd like to share with you before I go back to my studio. I love watching the Robins in my yard looking for worms. Have you ever seen it--the head tilt thing--where the Robin cocks his head and points one beady eye toward the ground, looking for worms? I think birds look soo funny when they do this. I find it really charming. Well, I read one expert at Animal Science say that birds do not look for worms at all when they do this! In the art of How the Bird Gets the Worm, it seems as though Robins are actually listening for the worms. Yes, they would not survive, I am told, if a visual of the worm was required. Their senses are much sharper than that, and their chances of catching their food is much greater due to their acute hearing.
I think that this is interesting, and the next time I see a Robin, or a Lemon Cake Bird, tilt his or her head, I'll be sure to be quiet so that they can find their lunch...and I think I will go tilt my head next to the fridge and hear what sounds good for lunch!

Thanks for stopping by,

Georgianne

Studio Wednesday - What's on my worktable?

Welcome to Studio Wednesday. I'm excited to get your opinions on my new felting project, which started out to be a triptych. The idea was to show a long tree branch with three distinct scenes taking place and then frame them into a 3-part frame: love birds kissing, baby birds being fed, and a bird soaring into the air, away from the branch.

I made the mistake of not making the frame for this project first and then designing the work to fit the frame! Rookie mistake! Now I have the emotions and colors of each scene in place, but it really doesn't fit any frames I can find.

So, what do you think I should do? I don't really have enough fabric to stretch this piece on top of a foam core. I don't want to cut it into thirds, either. I'm stumped. It is exciting to be designing needle-felted folk art for the wall. I've been doing pillows for so long, this is a new challenge. I can feel my brain cells perking up!

Please give me your ideas...I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
Thanks for visiting,
Georgianne

P.S. When I look at this design, the thought that keeps coming to mind is, "Inbetween Nestle and Soar is Nourishment." Deep thoughts by Jack Handy ;)

Song Sparrow

Here is the Song Sparrow I've been giving all of my attention to lately. What a sweetheart! The window of our diningroom looks out onto our flower garden, and in that garden is our bird feeding frenzy. When we can keep the squirrels off of the feeders, we are visited by a dozen song sparrows most every day. I understand that these birds often form small flocks, joining other types of sparrows, like the Field Sparrow. They are tiny; only 6" long! I love the red in their coloring. I've got my eye on one sweet bird that has a goofy-looking bright red patch on top of his head! I'll capture a picture and share it with you -- at least I hope to. I may have to camp out in the bushes dressed in camouflage, ready with my camera. That's a funny image in itself! My kids have worried that I might become this kind of obsessed bird woman. Perhaps we just won't tell them...

Thanks for visiting. I'd love to hear about your favorite bird sighting today!
Georgianne

Wool Folk Art Amish Birds

I have been wanting to make this pillow for a while now. Amish colors of black with deep green, purple, red, and gold are my favorites, so this pillow design has been very enjoyable! I am sewing in my studio half-square triangles to create a patchwork pillow backing fabric. This is going to be one of those designs that will be pretty on both sides. The birds are larger than I usually make out of wool. Their wings kind of look like saddles to me! The overall impact is very graphic. I'd love to know what you think of it!

Thanks for stopping by to visit...I am going back to the studio to finish up this pillow...I am having a blast!

Best wishes,

Georgianne

Handmade Cottage Industry

When I was in college in the late 1970s, I had a printing press in my dorm room. I used the press to print return address labels that I sold through mail order. I would have to print during the day because that press was old and noisy and made a "clickity-clickity-click" noise that made everyone crazy. I have ever since loved the feeling of being a part of the handmade cottage industry. I love the freedom, the creativity, the sense of accomplishment, and the rush of success!

Another benefit of cottage industry, which means making a product for resale inside your home, is that when you grow, you get to move out of the dorm!! Perhaps I wasn't completely ready to move out of the dorm, but my business sense told me that living in community and operating a noisy printing press was not ideal. And also, the people in charge told me that the time was right for me to move out of that dorm, so, it worked out for everyone.

Sometimes getting too big for my space means I have to simplify instead of move. Being forced to plan growth is good for entrepreneurs because many of us tend to take on more than we should. If we are running out of space, we are forced to make choices about what to pursue, and that thought process is useful. One key benefit to simplifying the artwork I produce in my home based art studio is that I can better manage my cost of goods sold. What do I mean? If I produce 25 kinds of folk art, I need many more raw materials than if I create 10 kinds of folk art. My space limitations allow me to store wholesale quantities of supplies for my 10 folk art specialties. I could not buy wholesale quantities, space-wise, when I was trying to create 25 different items.

I have received many words of wisdom as I grow my small business within the exciting field of handmade cottage industry. Here are a few links you might find helpful, too!

http://www.sba.gov/ U.S. Small Business Administration

http://www.score.org/ SCORE: Counselors to America's Small Business

http://karichapin.com/ Kari Chapin, author of The Handmade Marketplace

http://countryliving.com/ Crafting a Business by Kathie Fitzgerald

Kapok -- My New High Fiber Diet

Talk about eating a high fiber diet! I received my wholesale order of kapok this week and I have been tasting it, peeling it off of my apron, sweeping it off the floor, and breathing it in! Kapok is as soft as silk! I can plunge my hand into the 40-pound bags and it feels like the softest silk, the most newborn kitten, the absolute best!

Kapok is a natural fiber from the seeds of the kapok tree grown in the South Pacific. It is hypoallergenic, fluffy, and a sustainably harvested filler. Like the bamboo batting I love in my quilting, I add kapok to the list of my new favorite fiber. I use it for filling my needle-felted pillows and it plumps my Freckled Bird lapel pins. (A flock of these freckled birds was last seen in my studio.) Kapok resists clumping which is ideal for your pillows; you can wash them and they bounce back to their original shape! Instead of the scratchy polyfil that is so last week, kapok is easy on my textile-weary hands. (My go-to hand moisturizer is now Alba Botanica; I buy that by the boat load, too!)

I've been shopping for kapok pillow forms for months and finally made the decision to buy this fiber in wholesale quantities and make my own pillow forms. I am glad that I did. I am placing them on my etsy shop this week if you'd like to try them in your own creative life. One day, kapok may be readily available throughout the country in many retail outlets. Until then, you can count on me!