End of the Rainbow Exhibition

Currently I have two wall figures on exhibition at League of NH Craftsmen headquarters, Concord New Hampshire. It is the first time I have put my wall figures in a gallery and they were very well received- selling both the day before the opening reception!

June Dog: Jolene

A friend of mine, a fellow Tart's member, sent me a picture of her workmate's dog and asked if I would make a felted figure of her- Jolene. Here is the picture:

What an incredibly beautiful dog! Also, such a challenge for me- the black becomes literally blinding after a while when working with it. Sounds crazy I know, but I had to keep repositioning it while working because all the black tended to obscure the details. Anyway, enough excuses, here is my interpretation of Jolene.

May Dog: Beagle

I just made it under the wire. Here is my May dog of my "dog a month" challenge. He is a cute beagle. I hope you like him too.

 And here he is in my hand so you can gauge his size...  

 I never realized a beagle's tail stood higher than its head until I researched them for this project. I guess you learn something new every day.

Possibilities

Please welcome my most recent figure: Possibilities

As I am just now venturing out into the world with my figures I feel this wall doll represents my current place in time. She is a strong figure with her high top laced boots and lambswool hat. She also wears a bit of body armor for protection from the more cruel elements she may face in the world. But she is fearless in her draped plaid and ready to try new experiences.

Possibilities
24 inch Wall Figure

League of New Hampshire Craftsmen

Wonderful News! I am now an official juried member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen and I couldn't be more proud!

 https://www.nhcrafts.org/index.php
 
 Last Wednesday I participated in a jury session at the League Headquarters in Concord NH and was accepted. It was a wonderful experience although I will admit to initially being extremely nervous. But I needn't have been because I could not have been treated more courteously.  I was asked to bring examples of the range of my work and these pieces were examined by a group of members in the textile fiber field. They asked me about my process in creating the figures, my history with this craft, and my plans for the future. Although the interview lasted an hour, part of which I was not in the room as they consulted, the time flew. By the end of the day I had three pieces -dogs- in the League of NH Craftsmen shop in Concord. What an exciting day!

Long Tall Sally Finished

I completed my version of Long Tall Sally today.  And, the amazing thing is, she still actually stands!

Basset Hound: April's Dog

I have managed to continue my "dog a month" goal with a sweet basset hound.

So far this year:

Bulldog, Mixed Breed, West-highland Terrier, Afghan, and Basset Hound

Long Tall Sally: Peggy Wilson

Textile Tart's, the doll group to which I am a member, decided to each make a "Long Tall Sally" doll by doll-maker Peggy Wilson. This is an unusual fabric doll in that she stands nearly 14 inches tall on the skinniest legs imaginable. And yet stand she does! Yesterday at our monthly meeting, each group member constructed their doll and was successful in getting her to stand on her own tiny feet. Below is mine- naked except for a pair of very fashionable black boots topped in velvet. I need to have her finished and ready to present at our next meeting in early May. Much work to be done but it will be great fun to see how each person has costumed their doll. I love it when each doll looks very different yet each is constructed from the same pattern.

WIP's:  I have a vacation coming in just two short weeks so I have been looking over the few characters that sit waiting for me on my work table.  Although I will be traveling a bit this vacation, I plan on choosing one of the characters below to finish. But which one??

Warrior Wall Doll

Elderly Gentleman

Shore Elf

I have a pretty clear picture of who I wish the lady on the right to be- another wall doll. Of course she needs more wool added to the top of her head as she appears to be brainless at the moment. And my blue haired elf must have some connection with the seaside. But who is the elderly gentleman on the top?? I've no idea- but it should be fun to figure it out.

March Dog: West-highland Terrier

Bogart

Bogie

Continuing my goal of a dog a month- here is Bogart. He was the second dog I shared my adult life with for thirteen years. My husband brought him home from the SPCA much to the delight of our small children.  He loved our family but not many other people. I would have to tell him to "go to your room" whenever we had guests over and luckily he obediently obeyed me and scampered upstairs until the intruder left. But we all have our faults...other than that character flaw he was a wonderful fellow.

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

Recently I watched the Westminster Dog Show and as a result seem to have become obsessed with needle felting dogs! In January I challenged myself to create a dog a month this year, but unless this obsessions dissipates as quickly as it began there will not be a "challenge element" to my challenge at all. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't complain-it's better than hitting a dry spot and losing interest all together.
I have always shared my life with a dog. Since the death of my husband, I truly would be lost without the companionship of my little mutt Maggie. She is so much more than "just a dog" to me.  I haven't needle felted Maggie yet, but I have done Major- the first dog my husband brought home way back in the late 1970's. Major was our first "child" arriving a few years before the first of our actual children entered our lives. Major was obviously a mixed breed- part German Shepard/part Collie and who knows what else? But he was a good dog that put up with a lot when our real children came into the picture. Here is my tribute to Major.

February Dog: Bulldog

February's dog is now complete- a cute little bulldog. He stands 4 3/4 inches tall and approximately 4 inches long.

January Dog: Afghan

I've decided to challenge myself to needle felt a different breed of dog each month this year. So here is January's finished product. I've never made a long hair animal before so that was a new experience.

Shoes

During the last meeting of the Textile Tarts, a member demonstrated how to make shoes using Paper Clay. These are the ones that I completed. They are quite small, only about one inch high. They are made of air dry clay, embroidery floss laces, and thin black ribbon. Now I need to determine the "person" that is wearing these shoes! Fun!

  

Seagull

Made this seagull just for fun.

March 19: Although I liked this seagull, I always though something was missing. He just seemed a little plain to me. So today I went back to him and added a bit of embellishment. He now has lace on his webbed feet with a tiny white pearl on the top edge. He also has a piece of deep blue lace on his tail feathers embellished with small black beads. And I also embellished his wings with small white pearl beads. I like him better now....is he finished??

Penny

I finished my 10th wall doll- Penny.  She holds a lucky penny!

Swap Finished

We had our December meeting of the Textile Tarts which included the Tilda Swap so I am now able to post the doll that I made for this swap.

I especially like her blue suede fur topped boots. She has a new home now and my desire to make Tilda style dolls is done- at least for the near future. They are a lot of fun to make though, so there's no telling what the future could bring.