Matryoshka doll and craftsmanship

Recently a darling little girl turned six, and because she's such a good friend of Anna's, we wanted to get her something special. We chose this Matryoshka doll cushion (much the same as a Babuschka doll or a Russian doll as far as I can tell).

The Matryoshka doll cushion on the gorgeous

antique iron bed of her new owner. 

By day she stands guard, and by night she gets cuddled.

We bought it from www.etsy.com, where the creator, Lucy Patterson, sells her wares. She has her own fabrics printed and the designs are from her collection of vintage Japanese kimono fabrics. She sewed the cushion for us, and posted it down from Auckland. Fortunately, it was a hit with the birthday girl.

It has made me swear off Made-in-China chain stores, where I might save a few bucks and pollute a few Chinese rivers. There is so much luscious stuff on Etsy, and felt.co.nz, that there is really no need. If you haven't heard, these websites bring together people who make lovely stuff with people who want to buy it. The prices are generally very reasonable.

Should I feel guilty for abandoning retail shops? Well, I would if they were different. It seems to me that most of the little ones where things are made with pride have almost all been killed off already by the chain stores, where everything is temporary, bright and chucked in the landfill when it breaks (which is usually sooner rather than later).

The cushion's rear.

 Lucy also sent us some of her postcards, which Anna glued together to make a birthday card to accompany the cushion.

Crochet slippers from Felt seller houseshoes

Here are some other beautiful things I've discovered recently (I can't show you the ones I like most of all if there is only one of them, which is often the case, otherwise when I go to buy them they'll certainly be
gone!)

Ocean-blue earrings from Felt seller artdivine

Black & white chair from Felt seller greyststudio

Something else from Lucy Patterson,
to be found on etsy.com here. It's a craft kit
with printed felt squares supplied, plus
ideas and patterns for what to do with them.

All this crafty business has sent me off in the crafty way myself. It's turned into a sewing weekend - stay tuned to see our creations!