Princess deer

Princess Shika deer 

This deer was made especially for my niece as a special request from her dad. She loves princesses and the color pink. Thanks so much, Rich for helping to support the drive!!

Summertime

dear Japan drive Kiki deer number 21 

Summer is here and it's ice cream time!! Kiki loves her mint chocolate chip ice cream!

The Deer are Here! The Dear Japan Drive fundraiser

Dear Japan Deer no.001

I love Japan and everything about the culture has long inspired me and my art so much that I felt moved to do something, however small, to help the people of Japan after this recent tragic chain of disasters. My first inclination was to make dolls to send to the children affected by the disaster, but practicality issues made that a bit unrealistic, so instead my goal is to make 100 of these felt deer and put them up on sale on my Etsy site, where all the money raised from the sale of these deer could be given to the Red Cross relief effort. The above deer is Deer #1 that I've made and is now up on my Mekanikku etsy site. As soon as more deer are made, they'll be available for purchase. I'm even teaching a sewing workshop for teens in April that teaches them how to make these deer, in an effort to raise awareness in the teens and to show them how Japan has influenced many people (including me!) in art and craft-making. Want to join in on the deer-making drive? Contact me at hello@mekanikku.com if you'd like to help out!

April Sewing Workshop for Teens

Handmade Felt deer

Starting April 6, I'll be teaching another 3-week sewing workshop at Alhambra Library for teens. I enjoyed the last workshop so much I wanted to teach another session. This time I'll be teaching the teens how to sew their own cute deer, as pictured above, which is essentially the same deer I'll be making to help raise money for the Red Cross Japan relief effort in my Dear Japan Drive I've just kicked off. My hope is to raise awareness and at the same time cultivate in the teens an appreciation for all the art and craft contributions Japan has made. Sign ups are up at Alhambra Library, and the workshop will run April 6, 13, and 20.