Hot Off the Press: Finger Puppet DIY Kits

 

Lots of new, exciting things have been happening in my little mossy corner of the world! 

My graphic designer and I have been hard at work putting together a whole new suite of Kata Golda DIY felt sewing kits, complete with full color instruction booklets and patterns. After several rounds of editing and adjustments, three of the new kits are ready and available for sale.

Introducing Kata Golda's Finger Puppet DIY Felt Sewing Kit Series

The Felt Finger Puppet series debuted last week at the annual Kata Golda/Egg Press Sample sale (held in the lovely new Schoolhouse Electric showroom in Portland), with updates to three classic Kata Golda designs:

  

Felt Cat Finger Puppet DIY Kit

Felt Mouse Finger Puppet DIY Kit

Felt Bunny Finger Puppet DIY Kit

Each kit, priced at $8, comes in a clear wrapper and contains:

• A full-color booklet with detailed instructions and illustrations
• Sewing pattern
• Hand-dyed wool felt
• Cotton thread

Your finished finger puppet will measure 2" wide by 2.5" tall, not including the ears and tail. These kits are suitable for advanced beginners, and even shows what the steps are to do the 5 basic stitches found in most kits. You'll need to supply your own tools (sewing needle, scissors, etc.), of course. 

The finger puppets make great gifts for new moms and small children, but the kits themselves are nice little treats to give DIY crafters as well. They are currently only available in the Kata Golda Etsy Boutique and include free ground shipping within the continental U.S.

Give them a try and let me know what you think of them — and if you're on Facebook, feel free to post photos of your finished finger puppets on my wall! I welcome all constructive feedback.

Happy stitching~

Kata Golda

PLACE YOUR HOLIDAY ORDER BY DECEMBER 12, 2011

In order to receive your order in time for the Christmas holiday, please place your order with Kata Golda by 12/12/11. This will allow time for your order to be processed and shipped. Kata Golda will be closing the evening of 12/14/11 for holiday vacation, and will be available again starting January 4, 2012. 

Abundance & Appreciation

Each fall brings the theme of abundance back into my life, and this year is no exception. Right now, I am joyfully buried in it. 

Work continues on my new 2012-2013 collection, fighting for my time with the sudden rush of new orders (hence my absence on Facebook/Twitter). Many of the orders are for customers planning ahead for the holiday season — which feels like it's been starting earlier and earlier each year. Stores are now starting to put up their Christmas windows (virtual and brick and mortar) right after Halloween, often before. (And sure enough, I'm not imagining this — USA Today has confirmed this.)

As a consumer this adds stress (the holidays? already?), but as a small-business owner I have a different outlook. Because I make most every item to order by hand, I am finding myself appreciative of the early order placement that this new trend brings. Stores place their inventory orders early, leaving me more time to make the items individuals order in November and early December.

During the process of cutting and stitching, I am still and focused — there is satisfaction in working on multiples of the same design, giving slight variation in expression on each character.

A flock of egg chicks, hatching in 2012.

It's the perfect way to "cozy up" on a rainy fall day, and when the work day is done I can look at my finished stacks of stitching with a true feeling of accomplishment. Afterall, I don't do this work to be an assembly-line production house; I do it for the enjoyment it brings to both me and the recipients of my work.

My letterpress printed "you're a star" folded cards, new for 2012-2013, are not yet available online. Contact me directly to place an order.

Pages for felt counting books — a great baby gift.

I am most appreciative to all of the those retail shops and individuals who have made this pre-holiday season the busiest ever for Kata Golda. Thank you, all, for your continued support!

~ Kata Golda

KATA GOLDA JOINS EGG PRESS IN PORTLAND

Kata Golda will be returning to Portland, Oregon for another holiday sale with friends at Egg Press in mid-November 2011. Details will be announced in the coming weeks.

Garden Inspiration: Carrots

This is the third installment in a short series about the influence my garden has had on the new items I'm creating for my 2012-2013 catalog. The first post was about pea pods; the second was about beets; and this latest addition focuses on carrots.

GARDEN INSPIRATION: CARROTS

Summer has been a great test of work-life balance. It's been full of so many activities that I love, the majority of which take place outdoors and don't always mesh well with the work that needs to be done inside the studio.

Perhaps my most cherished daily summer activity is vegetable gardening. I feel productive, am outdoors and the fruits of my labor are delicious and provide me with a great deal of satisfaction. But it's the unique way that caring for the plants informs my creative work that really makes this segment of my life feel like an essential piece of the pie. The patience that garden tasks can require is a welcome slowing of pace to my otherwise "go-go-go" lifestyle, providing a "quiet of mind" that can otherwise be hard to come by.
 

Picking carrots is one of the routine tasks that really gets the back burners of my brain simmering. It's so satisfying to pull all of that color from the dark dirt. I am thankful that I don't have rabbits to compete with, as my friend Rita does. On a recent visit to her place we noticed that they had managed to find their way under the chicken wire and into her garden bed. They had quite the feast.

These rabbits are more endearing, and less likely to gobble up the garden. Like the pea pod I made, the carrot that these little guys live in is made from a 50% organic cotton / 50% organic hemp fabric that is hand-dyed. All 3 rabbits are made from wool felt, also hand-dyed, and tuck in to the carrot, which fastens at the top with a hook and loop closure.

I did take some liberties with the leaves on top of the carrot. I wasn't happy with how my experiments making carrot leaves from felt were turning out, so I turned elsewhere in the garden for inspiration — and found that arugula leaves translated beautifully. 

I hope you all have a fabulous labor day weekend and enjoy the last days of summer.

~ Kata Golda

NOW AVAILABLE IN KATA GOLDA's ETSY BOUTIQUE

The Kata Golda Good News Bear DIY Kit contains the sewing pattern and materials needed to create your very own wool felt Good News Bear. This small wall hanging holds a collection of cards upon which kids, parents or teachers can write the "good news" they have to look forward to that day.