When she is not weaving award-winning short stories from her home in southern France, Filipina expat Apol Lejano-Massebieau is busy creating unique treasures–fabric jewelry, soft toys, pillows, scented sachets, and many other lovable creations–that find their way into the hands of kindred lovers of lavender and handmade crafts in the US, Australia, and other parts of Europe.

“I’ve always been fascinated with fabric,” says Apol, a former magazine editor in Manila now married to a Frenchman. Her travels within the Philippines were always punctuated with handmade discoveries, be they local weaves at a Manila market, bags in Bicol, or throws in Baguio.

One trip brought her to an Ilocos village where she found the womenfolk still kept a loom and were weaving at home. “I was enthralled!” says this girl who used to do the costumes for her college theater group UP Repertory Company.

At the Kamuning market, she would buy two or three kinds of fabric and take them to the neighborhood patahian [dress shop] to make them into skirts. France did not afford her the same luxury: with her mother-in-law’s sixties Singer Starlet, Apol set to work sewing clothes for herself.

Something old, something used
With her love for fabric and everything handmade, it’s not surprising how Apol found herself transforming linen into key rings, warpy-and-wefty dolls, stuffed toys, mobiles, and pillows.

In Apol’s hands, “previously loved” French cotton, tea towels, table napkins, ribbons, sequins, and other vintage wares from the brocante markets get a second life as gingham apples, denim flower bookmarks, mouse-kangaroo soft toys, snail pillows, coasters embroidered with glassware designs, and potholders. Other creations are born of “rescued” linen from upholstery and houseware companies, which sell at a discount or, on Apol’s lucky days, give these scraps away for free.

Another “secret weapon” is Apol’s mother-in-law, a craftswoman who makes wonderful quilts and boutis and knows a lot of hobbyists. The French woman brings her daughter-in-law pasalubong of embroidery threads and notions from older hobbyists retiring from the craft.

Apol’s herb of choice at the moment is lavender, of which she is a big fan and which she used to harvest herself. Not finding enough for her needs, Apol now buys them from an herb vendor at the Saturday market in Arles, a city 40 kilometers away from her hometown. Occasionally she uses rose petals, thyme, and rosemary leaves that are all wide-gathered.

A story behind each baby
Made of materials with a past, Apol’s scented crafts have back stories courtesy of their fictionist creator. “I come up with the names myself. I just play around with words, combining them in whatever way I want,” Apol says.

There’s the scented teddy-kangaroo Gwynunu, whose name comes from Gwyn and Nunu–the former is Apol’s friend who went with her to Arles to buy the pink toile de jouy that the stuffed toy is made of; Nunu is an abbreviation of the French nounou or nanny.

Another creature with a story is the lavender-stuffed vegetarian pig Fifi, “a real activist aiming to fight dirty misconceptions about her and her family.”

Then there’s the basket of bunnies, born too late for Easter. They come with manually embroidered faces and flower tails that every girl would love.

Sending all her love
Apol’s creations get a lot of raves on Etsy. Her biggest success is the Sleep Angels, small embroidered pillows stuffed with lavender, which is said to calm nerves and help one sleep better.

Sometimes, customers as far away as Brooklyn, New York, would make suggestions on what herbs to use, which has found Apol, the self-confessed rebellious housekeeper, experimenting with cinnamon, black pepper, star anise, orange peels, thyme, and other seasonings. These herbs will most likely stuff Apol’s unique, lovable creations for release this Christmas.

Apol delivers her scented “babies” into the world with a lot of love. “I never feel sadness in sending them to buyers. On the contrary, I love it! It’s a great feeling knowing my stuff is in many different parts of the world—not just here in France, but also in the US, Australia, and many parts of Europe. It’s a thrill knowing that what I make pleases people with a visual history different from mine.”

Read Apol’s craft blog
Browse her creations on Etsy

Photo credit: Apol Lejano-Massebieau