Playing dress (me) up

Filed Under Going Green, Stuff | April 11, 2008

Local mamas are creating so much great stuff that we can hardly keep up. We’ve had our eye on Dress Me Up products from Victoria-based Tressa Brodsky ever since we spotted her amazing range of organic blocks, balls, quilts and hats on Natural Pod a few months ago and our fancy has really been struck by her upcycled and oilcloth products.

What was upcycyled we wondered? Was it some new eco-buzzword we just hadn’t (organic) cottoned onto yet? Well upcycled fabrics are found fabrics that Tressa hunts down in charity shops, linen closets, and church and garage sales. Because these fabrics have years of use under their belts their chemical sizing and dyes have had time to disperse.

We think her upcycled Ostrich Picnic Blankets are the bees knees. These double-sided blankets are made from wool and faux ostrich leather, rendering them both water resistant and insulating – good qualities for West Coast living. They also multi-task as well, keeping your tot cozy in her car seat or stroller, working as a cover for a baby carrier, filling in as a cape-like jacket in case of an unexpected shower, or claiming your own little dry spot for a picnic.

The Casey from Dress Me Up is a funky and useful diaper case made from vintage Mexican oilcloth prints from the ’50s. Each Casey holds about four diapers and a pack of wipes and comes with its own change pad. Oilcloth is durable and easy to clean and the Casey is perfect for popping into your tote when you don’t need the full-meal-deal diaper bag.

You can see (and buy) the whole range of Dress Me Up products at: www.dressmeup.ca