over the next couple of weeks we are going to find out a little more about the wonderful makers featured in the 2010 whipup calendar – Our June feature artist is Eva Monleón.

Eva Monleón from Misakomimoko also has an etsy shop where you purchase the cutest things, she lives in Barcelona.
Main craft of choice: Stuffies / handcrafted dolls
Craft hero: Something’s Hiding in Here, Lili Scratchy, Ann Wood, Stephanie Congdon Barnes, Le train Fantôme, Emily Martin…
Fave web site: my fave sites lately are fine little day, mieke willems + Joyville
Fave crafty materials supplier: my local flea market, Els encants vells in Barcelona

I asked all our participants to answer a few questions about their creative process:

1. When did you start making/crafting, and who or what inspired that first creative burst?
I learned sewing and embroidering at primary school, later I was very influenced by Annette Messager, Tracy Emin, Georgina Starr, Niky de Saint Phalle, Dubuffet (and Art brut)… while studying Fine Arts, so I mostly crafted, made installation and painted/sewn soft sculptures. Then I worked for a long time as a multimedia and graphic designer and after of ten years working with computers I realized that I needed something else. I joined an amigurumi workshop in a lovely gallery shop called Duduà and since then I haven’t stopped making crafts.

2. What would you say was that light-bulb moment when you discovered your ’style’ and really hit your making stride?
The moment when I finished my first little doll was so exciting… she made me feel very special and I thought that maybe these dolls could make other people feel the same way, so I started doing different little dolls to see what happened.

3. Why do you make – what do you get out of it?
It makes me feel really happy, making them it’s a kind of childish freedom and joy. When I imagine how a car doll, or a little dog, a bird, a table or a carrot doll would look like, I have to began to draw and sew it and then finish it to see how it will turn out. I love playing and allowing myself to be swept away by the process of making them just to feel this kind of peace and make people smile.

All images courtesy Eva Monleón

Find out more about how to get your hands on a copy of the 2010 whipup calendar here.

over the next couple of weeks we are going to find out a little more about the wonderful makers featured in the 2010 whipup calendar – April is Shannah Burton (daskaninchen) with her stuffed wool Hare.

Bio:
Shannah Burton (daskaninchen) has an etsy store and flickr site. She lives in Illinois.
Craft of choice: Always sewing and currently felting.
Craft hero: Nicole from www.astulabee.com because she is a hard working mama who creates soft sculpture creatures that are firmly art and craft all in one.

I asked all our participants to answer a few questions about their creative process:

1. When did you start making/crafting, and who or what inspired that first creative burst?
I’ve always been making/crafting but my push came from my textile studies in school while in the art education program. I fell in love with the materials and have been hooked ever since. There was an amazing mix of talented grad students and a nurturing teacher to help me get started. Often, elementary art teachers stop making art because so much creative energy goes into teaching, and I didn’t want that to be my fate. I set up an etsy shop as part of my independent study to help keep me motivated after I graduated and have enjoyed it ever since.

2. What would you say was that light-bulb moment when you discovered your ’style’ and really hit your making stride?
I received a warm welcome from the etsy community. Maritza from sotosofties (her mice are on the December calendar page!) was my very first etsy buyer- thank you Maritza! I was overwhelmed by the response I got from my beuys bunnies and fibonacci rabbits- I sold out of everything I had put in my shop by the next day. That was my vote of confidence.

3. Why do you make – what do you get out of it?
I create/craft for many reasons; as a compulsion (creating is breathing), so that my kiddos have meaningful and beautiful handmade pieces in their lives, and being part of a crafting community helps me to feel part of something bigger than myself. Thank you whipup and fellow crafters for the daily inspiration!

All images courtesy Shannah Burton.

Find out more about how to get your hands on a copy of the 2010 whipup calendar here.

Softies Only a Mother Could Love: Lovable Friends for You to Sew, Knit, or Crochet by Jess Redman & Meg Leder with numerous contributors. Published in the US through Perigee / Penguin (February 3, 2009)

Having seen this book around the traps but not knowing much about it, I was curious about who and what designers and projects were included. Originally published in Australia, the U.S. version of Softies is now out and available worldwide.

Not disappointed, despite the softie frenzy on the blogs, the galleries and the book market, the projects in this book manage to still be fresh and original. There are bunnies, dolls, teddies but also dogs and cats, angels, giraffes, owls and bugs. Sweet softies by your favourite softie designers and bloggers, it is a pretty simply laid out book – clear photos, patterns, templates and illustrations without a lot of extra fluff.

The whipup 2009 calendar features 13 artists/makers/designers whose work has been featured on whipup. This year I hand picked the participants but next year I hope to open it up for everyone. Over the next 13 days I will be featuring each of the participants – so you can get to know them (if you don’t already) a little better.

September artist is Emily Moss: www.ravenhill.typepad.com. Norway based artist Emily makes beautiful Matryoshka Dolls from her home studio, each doll is unique with detailed hand painted facial features.

The whipup 2009 calendar features 13 artists/makers/designers whose work has been featured on whipup. This year I hand picked the participants but next year I hope to open it up for everyone. Over the next 13 days I will be featuring each of the participants – so you can get to know them (if you don’t already) a little better.

Sandra Monat: www.herzenart.com: is our cover girl. Her gorgeous viking soft dolls grace the cover beautifully. This gorgeous fellow – viking no.54 is Eric Bloodaxe. Sandra is a German artist who makes toys to sell out of her home studio. Her work is featured in an upcoming book by Penguin soon to be published in Australia. Read Sandra’s latest news on her blog.

Invasion of the Plush Monsters!: Wickedly Weird Creatures You Just Gotta Sew
by Veronica Alice Gunter, published by Lark Books (May 6, 2008)

This book is strange, but in the best possible way. Packed full of weird and odd plushy monsters, Invasion of the plush monsters! is great to look at, not only for the monsters themselves, but for the headlines that introduce each individual project. When you see a page titled “Nauseators Overwhelm Air Traffic Controllers” or “Terrifying Totebaggers Stage Full-Moon Foray”, how can you help but want to bust out the fur fabric and fleece, and make a monster?

The patterns in this book include lots of plush monsters for cuddling or decorating your space, as well as some bags, slippers and hats. This book is marketed at children and in the marketing blurb states so simple to sew that kids can do it—as long as they have this book, the only one of its kind created just for children.

My 8 year old monster child and I attempted to sew the ‘Big Belly monster’, and while the instructions were for the most part fairly straightforward, there were a few assumptions made, and between us we couldn’t figure out a few of the steps. In the end we created a passable monster (and my 8 year old monster loves it!), but between the instructions and the difficulty of manipulating and sewing with fur fabric, I would really recommend a pair of big hands to work with any little hands that are keen to create any of the monsters in this book.

Even if you don’t feel like sewing any of these monsters, they are worth checking out!

About the author: Kate is a busy mother of four and has far too many craft projects on the go at any one time. These could include, but are not limited to, crochet, sewing, dyeing, paper making, spinning, felting and bookbinding. Kate has challenges in the areas of finishing things, saying no and craft supplies storage. She also has a very very patient and tolerant husband.

I love these clever (and again slightly sinister) stuffed dolls from etsy store dolls for friends. (quite a bargain too so snap them up). [via crafter shock]

thanks kate for sending in this link: amazing (and a teeny bit scary) needle felted creatures from under the liquorice tree [via crafter shock]

I love these babushka dolls with their babies in a wrap – from ravenhill.