Grade Eh Design

In the second in our series of artist profiles leading up the Danforth East Arts Fair, writer Gillian Grace introduces us to Sara Deacon of Grade Eh Design.

As a kid, Sara Deacon loved her first time away at camp so much she stayed on for another session. Now, the Danforth East local has left a successful career in marketing to start a housewares company based on wilderness motifs called Grade Eh Design.

Grade Eh Design is Canadian in more than just its name.  As a country, Canada is now made up of mostly city dwellers, but our most-loved design icons — from the Cowichan sweater to the Roots beaver — have always been outdoorsy. So, too, are Deacon’s designs.

Working with organic cotton, vintage textiles and eco-friendly felt, Deacon creates handmade place mats, pillows, tea towels, aprons and wall art with appliquéd felt icons, including Castor canadensis moose antlers and maple leaves. And because a sense of humour is just as Canadian as a way with a paddle, Grade Eh incorporates such north-of-the-forty-ninth-parallel stereotypes as “eh?” and “hoser” into its designs.

Deacon still heads for the woods when she can, regularly canoeing and hiking with her husband and dogs. While at home, she spends most of her time at the sewing machine (a cottage industry in influence and practice, all Grade Eh Design’s products are made in her house).

The true test of Grade Eh’s success? Deacon’s goods are low-key, yet still pack a graphic punch, and, like all good Canadians, are at home in settings both rustic and urbane. Pick up some of Deacon’s cushions or tea towels to brighten up the cottage, or stow them away as gifts for the next dinner party or housewarming you attend.

Deacon’s wares, which range in price from $7 to $45, will be for sale at the Danforth East Arts Fair in East Lynn Park on Sept. 18 & 19, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.deca-arts.ca