In an age when the plastic mini-monsters known as Bratz dolls are coveted by little girls everywhere, the softies movement has taken on great significance. Craftsters, once banished to local fairs and yard sales, have now become part of a growing subculture unashamed of its Peter Pan complex and quirky vision.
Thanks to them, these one-of-a-kind plush creatures, many of them inanimate objects, congregate on the internet on sites like Flickr and Livejournal, inspiring other creations and raising the bar for homemade cuteness. Quite simply, softies and their creators work to restore the enchantment and wonder that is so lacking in the lives of children and adults in a digitized world.
The determination of Therese Laskey to champion this delightfully unconventional handmade art has wrought her first book, Softies, a collection of twenty-five unique creations from artists all over the world. Webmaster of softies-oriented blog SoftiesCentral, Laskey hosted the inaugural Softies Awards earlier this year on her website. Many of the judges appear in her book, including Chika Mori, whose folky, embroidered Dorian the Dog pattern is among the hand-sewn selections of “moderate” difficulty.
Softies, wire bound and full of large, gorgeous photos of each piece, serves as an introduction to the aesthetic, technique, and philosophy of a growing faction of “rejuvenile” craftsters. Artists have a small profile at the end of their contributions, citing creative influences and why they work within this art form. Considering the curious nature of these numerous felt friends (the Lonely Dollop, a pensive swirl of poo of Shawnimals fame, for example), the question is essential.
Those unacquainted with the bread and butter of fabric crafting get a little help in the beginning with a crash course in stitching technique and basic materials, but are left to their own devices when it comes to the project instruction. Even the easy patterns require some trial and error, but luckily the projects are just so cute it doesn’t matter.
And not every piece is just cute — some softies featured in the collection, like Tamar Mogendorff’s delicate Snow Bunny and Cassi Griffin’s Scattered Flowers Pinchusion, are fit to be framed.
– Kristena Adamo
Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals
Therese Laskey, Leah Kramer, Laurie Frankel
Spiral bound, 120 pages
$19.95, Chronicle Books
Therese Laskey: www.softiescentral.typepad.com
Chronicle Books: www.chroniclebooks.com