Purses and Totes

I have been working on making felted purses. They have been coming out well but it has been a learning process for me.

I tried a different style handle. This purse does not have a magnetic snap closure, rather a button tie. I’m not sure if these classify as totes because of the shape or purses because of the size? I’ve used both tags. They’re not small but more purse size than tote which I always think of as quite large.

Needle-felting Snails

I am starting to include needle-felted animals in Fuzzy Knits. These little snails are multiplying all over my workspace. I live on the seacoast so often collect shells. These snails are made using periwinkle shells. The real snails that once inhabited these shells were long gone by the time I picked them up- obviously I did not take a shell that actually still housed a live animal- just the scavenged ones. I varnished the shells to bring out the natural colors then felted a new little snail with beaded eyes. Very cute. Since I started making these little guys I have included one as a gift with purchase otherwise I think I would be overrun with them by now. Yikes.

Finished!

Finally finished! Overall I am pleased with this figure although it presented many challenges for me during the construction process. One of my goals was to incorporate different decorative stitches. I had varying degrees of success with this goal. Either the stitching worked out beautifully, or sometimes, for some unknown reason when everything seemed to be going along well, it would suddenly become chewed up by my machine. Very frustrating, especially when it was the last element to be added to some part of the costume. I hate starting over!

Another goal I had with this figure was to make a realistic face. Dumbledore is only the third male figure I have attempted. He is also elderly with a very long white beard and hair. I didn’t want him to end up looking like Santa Claus - he faced way to many life and death challenges throughout the books to ever appear jolly.

I had a lot of fun making this character- I always do- and I always feel a little let down when they are finished simply because they are finished. It’s kind of like when you finish a favorite book- you wish you could spend more time with the characters. I guess I will just have to start thinking about who my next figure will be.