Tolkien Dwarf #3: Oin

The last of my trio of dwarves inspired by the writing of Tolkien is now complete. This little fellow is called Oin. He is the tallest of the three, just measuring a bit below 10 inches. He is also the oldest of the three, sporting quite a mane of white hair and a long curled beard.  Because of the white hair, I gave him a bit of color in his outfit. I really like his fur boots with the silver buckles.  And I must say I am impressed with the battle axe he is carrying. As with the other two dwarves, his body is 100% solid needle felted wool with wired arms, fingers and legs. His cape and his weapon are both removable, but all his other clothes are permanently sewed to his body.

 One, Two, and Three!

Now I need to work on something a bit more attractive!

Tolkien Dwarf #2: Gloin

Second figure finished- maybe. I might add a sword or small axe to his left hand or I might not. I'm going to let him be for a while. I find that I need to leave a piece for a while, then look at it again with fresh eyes to decide if it is actually finished or needs improvements.
Anyway, here he is.

 The biggest challenge with little Gloin was his shield. It is needle felted with the addition of the sterling silver chains and the small plastic center cap. The center cap helps it keep its shape and gives him something to grasp. I reinforced his arm with a metal hook that the cap loops onto inside his hand. That way it can be removed but won't be constantly falling off every time he is moved. 


His jacket is machine embroidered wool fabric. His boots are wonderful but unfortunately do not photograph well. They are fur- very fashion forward for a dwarf. He also has glass eyes-piercing blue ones.

Two down, one to go!

 I certainly don't want to give the impression that I can make these figures in one day! Ha! Not even close! I know there will be three figures because I made the three heads first. The heads took me nearly a day each, but they do define the characters so as I am making them I am also thinking of who this character will be. Once I had the heads made, then I made three bodies and attached the three heads to the bodies (unclothed). Finally time to have the fun of  creating clothes and accessories. It takes me about a day, sometimes two, to clothe and accessorize the figures. So it is a slow process, but lots of fun.

Tolkien Dwarf #1: Dwalin

Finally finished my first Tolkien inspired dwarf. He certainly looks ready for any adventure. He is a solid needle felt. I did wire his legs, arms and fingers for movement but otherwise he is solid wool all the way through. He stands just shy of 9 inches tall. His jacket is made of felt that I embellished with embroidery stitching and trim. His eyes are glass. He carries his axe which is also needle felted wool attached to a small stick that I varnished to seal it. He is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his two compatriots.

Teaser Alert!

I am going to tease you with just a small part of the figure I am currently needle felting. Actually it is a trio of figures that I was inspired to make after watching the Hobbit.  You can probably guess. In  any case, this little satchel can actually hold something as it can be unlatched and opened if desired.

I should have one of the figures finished today. I will try to post a picture of him very soon. The satchel is his. Stay tuned.

Moose

I made this moose the other day. I have no reason why I wanted to make a moose?? Just ended up making him. He is the largest animal needle felt I have made to date. I think he is a bit too big- standing just shy of 12 inches measuring from the very top of his highest antler. From the top of his head he measures about 9 inches high.  He isn't huge by any means, but compared to the other animals I have made, he is much larger.
The challenge was to make very thin legs that could support a large body and balance a large head with antlers that were beyond the point of gravity for the spindle legs. It worked out fine- maybe I just over-think things.
His antlers and legs are wired so they can be moved. He has plastic eyes, otherwise he is solid wool. I think I should call him Bowinkle.

 

Gatsby

May I introduce my four-legged grandson Gatsby! He is a Miniature Schnauzer. My daughter -in -law gave me a needle-felting dogs book for Christmas that had a little Miniature Schnauzer on the cover. I took a lot of pictures of Gatsby when he was visiting, so I thought I would give him a try. He is pretty cute in real life- quite a personality- I hope they think this little replica of him is as cute!

Gatsby- Almost 4 inches tall

Christmas Ornament 2013

 I have always loved our Christmas tree. We have ornaments on it from my husband's childhood (fragile glass ones), two very special ornaments my grandmother made the first year my husband and I were married (38 years ago). They are Raggedy Anne and Andy completely hand sewn. I treasure them. We have the "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments for each of our children, and recently added two more for our grandchildren. We have every ornament our children made over the years, including one which is just a brown button on a red string (my favorite). I have ornaments given to me by my students and my husband has a few Home Depot ornaments that were given out at company gatherings.

When I look at our Christmas tree I see my life. It brings me great joy- and when times are tough- great comfort. For the past four years I have been making a Christmas ornament for each of my children. They are all grown now and have their own trees in their own homes. This year the theme is Christmas Trees. Every tree needs it's own tree! I think they are pretty cute, and very easy to make. I had everything I needed on hand. I am including these photo instructions in case you would like to try your hand at one.

What you need:
Wooden bead- button that fits the base of the bead. My bead is about 3/4 inch tall, white shirt button
Styrofoam cone - I used the small sizes - 2 1/2 inches to 3 inches
One sheet of crafting felt. 9" x 12" or more than one if you want different colors.
White glue
Straight pins
Thread the color of your chosen felt
Decorative thread or ribbon for the hang tie
Assortment of beads and sequin- to decorate your tree

Step 1: Glue a button on the end of a wooden bead.

Step 2:  Glue a scrap piece of felt flat on the top of the styrofoam cone bringing the edges down the sides. This does not have to be pretty as it will be covered. Also, trace the base of the cone on felt and cut out the circle.  Glue this circle of felt on the bottom of the cone. Double thread a long needle and sew the trunk (through the button) onto the base bringing the thread through the cone up to the felt on top of the cone. The felt on top will allow you to tie off the thread securely without breaking the styrofoam. The trunk is now secure. You could probably just glue the trunk to the base if you don't have a long needle but I sewed mine on.  Next choose your hanging thread or ribbon and attach it to the top of the cone. Again the scrap piece will give you a good firm footing.

Step 3: Cut out a bunch of tear drop shape felt pieces and attach them to the base of the cone using straight pins. Be sure to always put your pins close to the top of the felt so that they will be overlapped by the next layer. I let my petals hang about 1/4 inch.

Step 4: Once this lower level of felt pedals is complete, add glue to the very bottom edge of the cone and secure this layer. Be careful not to go overboard with the glue or it will seep through the felt (not good). Grip with your hand to help secure the petals to the base. This is the only layer you need to glue until you get to the very top. The pins are enough to hold the rest.

Step 5: Continue to shingle layer the felt up the entire tree making sure each layer covers the pins in the layer beneath. When you get close to the top, cut your felt pieces smaller.

Step 6: When you get to the very top petals, use glue to secure them. And voila! You now have a cute little tree to decorate anyway you wish- the sky's the limit! As you add your decorations sew them on letting your needle pass through the styrofoam cone- this way the petals will become more secure and you will not be able to lift them up.  I sewed sequin and seed beads on mine, but you can do whatever you wish. The star or bows on top are glued or sewn around the attaching tie. Enjoy!

Some of my finished trees! I think I will make a white tree next- still need 4 more before Christmas!