PDC Large Brown Rabbit - Luca

LARGE BROWN RABBIT: LUCA

~ 100% cotton canvas
~ hand embroidered face

~ chambray overalls with pockets
~ pima shirt
~ disk jointed neck and floppy limbs
~ stuffed with poly-fill
~ about 16 inches tall (toes to top of head- not including ears)
Intended for Children ages 3 and Up

Handmade in Lima Peru

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ABOUT THE PDC AND THE ARTIST JEN MURPHY

My mother taught me how to design patterns and sew teddy bears when I was eleven years old. We both coveted antique mohair teddy bears, but since we were unable to afford to buy them, she taught herself, then taught me. Throughout my childhood we traveled the country selling her beautifully crafted pieces.

For as long as I can remember this is what we did. We made things. In my twenties and early thirties, I successfully carved out a business making one-of-a-kind teddy bears and animals for collectors worldwide, but once I had my own children I questioned why I was making “toys” intended for adults, often relegated to decorations. I wanted the objects I made to be animated by play and imbued with the love children give their favorite toys.

 In 2012, I launched the Polka Dot Club with this in mind and in the intervening years I’ve seen how that simple act of learning to sew all those years ago, has so deeply impacted the way I live, work, and parent. I wanted to reinforce the idea that everything in our home was crafted and didn't just appear on a shelf ready for us to digest. It came from someplace and someone, which is a very powerful idea- one that I’m committed to. It feeds the Less Is More ideas about consumerism and quality but it also empowers everyone to become a maker themselves.

My Studio here in Minneapolis is where I continue to work and design all the pieces for the PDC, and I’ve expanded the studio to include a small group of sewers in Lima, Peru. This collaboration has been a powerful one. It’s not fast, inexpensive, nor easy to work in Peru, but it is meaningful. This sewing group was started to support hearing impaired women and now employs a handful of very talented sewers. The history of craft is threaded throughout the Peruvian culture and I’m learning so much from working with Pilar, Cecilia, Yesenia, Carmen, Kristine… and we’re only just getting started.

MADE WITH SO MUCH LOVE FROM THE CLUB.