Nearly forty years ago I created my first stuffed animals. They were toys for friends' children, and were such a hit that I began making them to sell as a way to earn extra money for college. My first original designs were large-a 3' tall calico goose, a giant satin flamingo, and "normal" size rag dolls. I soon found these to be cumbersome and difficult to work on, and began making them ever smaller. With the help of a northern Minnesota cottage industry I sold literally hundreds of 6" unicorns and my career was launched-a happy accident!
Since then I've developed two separate lines of miniature soft sculpture, one a menagerie of very realistic wild and domestic animals, the other a collection of whimsical creatures, mostly rabbits, involved in various human pursuits. I constantly look for new ways to create ever more meticulous detail, and use hand embroidery, applique, fabric paint, and some techniques that I developed myself to embellish my animals. It's all in the craftsmanship and detail!
I photograph all the animals I make, and recently decided to turn my pictures into a line of greeting cards. These have been very popular, and I love having the cards to sell along with the animals. You will find both in my shop soon!
