Who's behind lily & gus?


Hi! Nice to meet you, I'm Ashley, the chaos wrangler at lily & gus!

As a new mom I spent my days chasing after our high-energy dachshund (Gus) and finding ways to entertain my darling daughter (Lily). On a stir crazy day I started designing plush animals and clothes to go with some of my daughter Lily's favorite words (rhino, whale, octopus); this rainy day fun has blossomed into a shop as I decided to share our favorites with others.

All of my plush items are made using repurposed fabrics (from denim to wool) and lovingly constructed from my own designs & patterns. Each plush toy comes to life with a distinct personality as I work with the textures, colors, and quirks of repurposed fabric. I love to bring unexpected fun to my animals with surprise embellishments taken from the original clothing items (beautiful stitching, a fun tag, a touch of suede).

Each of my clothing pieces starts with an original design that I hand draw on the cloth using a dye resist technique. I hand dye each piece using bright, high quality fiber reactive dyes.

Lily is always requesting new designs, and I love stretching myself by fulfilling custom requests from customers. Our home is an ever-evolving zoo and I can’t wait to share our friends with a larger audience. I love what I do and I create each item I sell with love and care. I hope that you love them as much as we do!

Martha Stewart American Made Awards Finalist (2012)
Martha Stewart American Made Awards Finalist (2014)