My paper, pencil, and scissors

The three kids and I were enjoying one of our favourite outings. It had been a bit of a chore getting everyone ready that morning. Getting three kids under 7 ready is always busy but this morning it was especially fun. Squabbles about whose skirt is whose and who owns the grey bunny were going on for over an hour before we all were ready to go to one of our favourite stores.

When we finally arrived, the kids got settled in a reading corner and I wandered close by. I saw this beautiful giraffe for sale. It was made from cotton and was very simple in design. I loved getting simple toys for my kids. I understood that the simpler the toy, the more it stimulated a child’s imagination and desire to explore play.

The giraffe was $85. I couldn’t afford that price. In fact, most people couldn’t.

Two days later I was pulling out some paper, pencil and scissors and that is how my little toy business began. I designed my own giraffe and elephant. I made my first two animals from repurposed fabrics of curtains, sheets and skirts. . I took my scissors and cut a pocket out of a sweater sleeve and a heart out of some red silk. The tail was made from braided wool. All my little critters had a pocket and a heart, because who doesn’t need a pocket for treasures, and a heart for love. The kids loved them and our friends loved them. They were colourful and soft and huggable. It started as all small businesses do; you make one for a friend here and there.

After about the twentieth animal I decided to see if I could sell my all natural toys at craft shows. I was thrilled to see the incredible response from people at the first show. People loved that the animals were a unique and simple design and all made from repurposed fabrics. Not one was alike. The toys were made from all kinds of fabrics with different textures and colours.

I had made many giraffes and elephants and needed to try some new animals. Out came the paper, pencil and scissors again to create a whole zoo of animals. Dinosaurs from plaid shirts, corduroy jeans and flower sheets. Puppies from denim, silk, and an old felted sweater. The hippo was cotton, purple silk, grey wool and patterned linen. The zebra was cotton with stripes of wool and silk in a rainbow of colours.

I couldn’t stop cutting. I would visit the local thrift stores and friends’ closets looking for interesting fabrics and all textures and colours . I would wash everything in hot water, twice, and dry it on high settings to make sure that my squishy animals would be washable for my little clients. The music would go on and the scissors and pins would come out. Every animal was lovingly pieced together from bits of this and that. My sewing room was a glorious, magical mess.

I loved working with repurposed fabrics. It was very important to me. It was good for the environment and it made the most beautiful and unique zoo of animals I could imagine. I loved watching my kids find bits of fabric and sit under my craft table to create a magical game from bits of wool or silk and wooden blocks. If only I could have seen these magical worlds through their eyes.

But what a mess. I had tiny bits of sweaters, pants, shirts, sheets and curtains everywhere. I spent time organizing the little bits. I had bins for ears, nostrils, pockets and hearts. But I still had more left. So I picked up the paper, pencil and scissors again and created mini animals. I called them pocket stuffies and they were designed so that little hands could grasp them easily and developing teeth could chew away on them safely.

I was inspired to grow my creations by one of my son’s little quirks. He chewed everything including the cardboard baby books. We would be constantly digging wadded up cardboard out of his mouth. For him I designed three cloth baby books with simple designs that reflected my colourful and textured zoo and the natural world around us. Most importantly the cloth books were totally chewable and washable! His sister, who was only 16 months older than him, would happily sit in the back of the van and tell him grand stories from her nature book while he happily gnawed on his. One book was designed with the same animals that were in my zoo so that a parent or older child could ‘read’ the book and show an animal to match the picture.

From the tiniest little bits of the felted sweaters my scissors left behind I created tiny little dress-up gnomes. I made tiny hats, cloaks, coats and treasure bags out of the bits too small for an ear or a pocket. My mom got in on the creations by knitting wee blankets for my little gnomes so children could tuck them in at night. Thank you Mom.

I have now been making animals, gnomes, books and more for more than ten years. I have made hundreds of animals, books and gnomes. I made play bags, treasure hunting packs, and cuddle blankets. I made alphabet blocks, story blocks and plush hearts and stars. I have gone through thousands of spools of thread, three sewing machines, two cutting boards, hundreds of pounds of repurposed fabrics and six pairs of scissors. I have loved every minute of it.

Every animal I have made has been hugged by its adopted child or adult. I love telling people the story of how their animal came together from a vintage curtain, a pillow case and a wool skirt from the 50s. I realized that my zoo wasn’t really about animals or fabrics it was about stories and smiles. I have seen so many smiles on the faces that pass me at craft shows. I will never forget that look on someone’s face as they pass by my booth of colourful simple treasures. The adults, tired from the overcrowded room of the craft show, slow down as they pass. Many times they would stop, sometimes let out a gentle sigh and a calm smile would come across their face as they touch the animals. I would pick up one of my zoo and say, “this one hasn’t been hugged yet today”.

I have a small admission to make. I haven’t made a toy in a couple of years. My paper, pencil and scissors have sat on the table unused and my sewing machine has sat silent. I was busy doing everything else. People who love me have said that I need to get back to it. My simple creations make people happy and they make me happy. Writing this little story has reminded me how much I loved making my zoo and all the other bits. It is time to get back to my scissors and thread and sewing machine.

I have to go now.