Rabbit Whiskers (or Judy, as she is known outside of etsy circles) has been smocking since her daughter was born 33 years ago and embroidering even longer, but has been combining the two for the last 25 years. She began when her daughter was born. Eventually, she sold her dresses at an exclusive children's store in Carmel called "The Mischievous Rabbit" and continued to do so for 16 years. When the shop closed, she decided to open a shop on etsy.
Judy is inspired by all sorts of different things. A lot of her inspiration comes from things she sees in nature, such as flowers and animals. Sometimes just looking at a cut of fabric and thinking about how she could take that piece of fabric and make it look entirely different is a fun challenge that inspires her. Colors, music, and poetry inspire Judy also. She always has classical music on while she is working, and she finds it very inspirational. Furthermore, she sometimes finds it is very inspiring to look at a detailed picture and think of what that picture is saying. That inspires her to go off in a different direction and develop just one idea that she gets from looking at that picture.
Rabbit Whiskers loves color and putting it together in different ways. Particularly when working with baby things, she prefers pastels and soft shades of color, but not exclusively. At times she is really drawn to the primary colors and darker shades, but then she usually prefers them contrasted against white. Green is Judy's favorite color; there are so many pretty shades of green from which to choose. She loves pink too, especially a soft pink, and putting shades of pink and green together. Judy's favorite scenes to create are those with lots of flowers in them and scenes with animals, particularly those with bunnies, lambs, and dogs.
Judy is always interested in reading good advice from other etsy sellers and the Storque. She says that there is so much great advice out there and so many people who are so kind to share it! The one piece of advice that stands out the most clearly in Judy's mind is the advice to believe in yourself and your product. Work hard, be patient, stay focused on your goals and, in time, people will recognize your work and come to you.
Here are a few of Judy's current favorites:
I love this dress with the long sleeves. I like the happy winter scene and the contrast of the strong colors against a white background. I prefer it when the scenes on my dresses suggest little stories or ideas, and I like what this one suggests.
Winter
I think I particularly like this dress because of the way it just seemed to pop into my head, totally complete, without my even trying to think about what I might do. It is very rare that something like that happens. I love the whimsical nature of this scene!
Chasing Purple Butterflies
I think this is one of my favorites because creating the little Westie was a difficult challenge, and I'm pleased with the way she turned out. I also like the colors in it a lot.
Pink Puppy Love
And here are a couple of my favorites:
Let It Snow
Lamb and Flowers
