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

Bottle Doll #8

A friend gave me the Long Neck giraffe bottle last month. I have many other bottles waiting in line to become whomever they are destined to be, but I decided to start with the last and work my way back.This time instead of using fabric, I decided to try needle felting to see if I liked the result. I do like it, but I think I will also continue to use fabric as well in the future. Nice to be able to have the option depending on how the spirit moves me.

Polar: Arctic Ocean Mermaid

I finished my third mermaid today. Her name is Polar because she is holding a polar bear cub! Each mermaid is named after what they are holding or the ocean they represent (or should I day "live in"!). This mermaid's tail is made from deep purple wool overlaid with a white lace. Her bodice is the same deep purple wool as her tail sans the lace. On her bodice is a vintage pin (another from my grandmother's old costume jewelry box that I was fortunate to inherit).  Some of the rhinestones were missing from the pin, so I embellished it with purple beads. Her hair is hand-spun yarn that is very soft. It is 40% angora (bunny) and 60% merino (sheep) which translates to 100% yummy! I bought this yarn at the NH Sheep & Wool festival and have been saving it for the right doll.

As with the other two mermaids, Polar has a needle felted head and upper torso and a stuffed fabric tail. The little baby polar bear cub is entirely needle felted

Here is a picture of the three mermaids on the closet door in my studio. Pearl (Atlantic Ocean), Pacifica (Pacific Ocean) and Polar (Arctic Ocean). Only one left to create- Indian Ocean- think of the possibilities!

Jewel: Fairy Queen of Joy

I just completed (almost completed) my third Fairy Queen. Her name is Jewel. My other two Fairies are holding things in their hands, Jewel is not, so perhaps she isn't really finished.

In the photo, her dress and hair seem to be distinctively different shades of blue, but actually the turquoise hair is almost the same as her dress which is photographing blue rather than turquoise.

As with the other two fairies, she has a needle-felted head, arms, and upper torso. Her gown is designed over a styrofoam cone. All three fairies' gowns are made from craft felt which I just learned is made in the USA of eco-fi polyester made from recycled post-consumer plastic bottles! Pays to read the labels!

Nefertiti                                         Jewel                                            Uno
Fairy Queen of Strength                  Fairy Queen of Joy                    Fairy Queen of Truth
 

March of the Fairy Queens

Pacifica: A Mermaid of the Pacific Ocean

Here is my second mermaid- Pacifica.  I used my same pattern as Pearl (Atlantic Mermaid). Pacifica has a needle felted head with a Styrofoam armature, a stuffed fabric torso and tail and needle felted arms. Her torso has a needle felted overlay. Her hair is hand-spun dyed wool with a metallic thread interwoven. Her headpiece is painted lace. The fabric of her tail has a fish tessellation on it.
Here she is:

Shell in her Hand

Water Droplets on her Tail

Pacifica
Pacific Ocean Mermaid

Pearl
Atlantic Ocean Mermaid

I did change the cut of the top of her tail and added side flukes to Pacifica but otherwise they are the same pattern.
I like to put these wall dolls on interior doors as well as walls. Very inviting.

I have now made 6 wall dolls. Four are elf creatures and two mermaids. The weird thing is all their names start with the letter P which was not  initially planned, but now I seem committed.  They are: Periwinkle, Pansy, Pebbles, Paper Crane and Pearl all named after whatever they are holding in their hands. Pacifica is holding a pearl just like Pearl, so to distinguish between the two she is called Pacifica because of her golden sunny color scheme  in contrast to Pearl's cold blue. I have plans for one more mermaid from the Arctic Ocean. She would naturally be called Polar. It just never ends! At least the mermaids are pretty creatures unlike my little dwarves!

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.

Nefertiti: Fairy Queen of Strength

Love the back- curved wings

Paper Crane

Please welcome my latest doll: Paper Crane!

I was inspired by the origami doll the Textile Tart's group made last month to create this needle felted wall doll. I will be bringing it to our meeting today to share. If I can get better photo's taken I will replace these but for now these will do. The first photo looks like one leg is longer than the other but in reality one foot is extended a bit from the wall- they are the same length. Also I find it difficult to take clear close-up shots of the face without a bit of blurring. I'll work on that.  But, I do like her. The ornamentation in her bun was once my grandmother's earring. The large button on her wrap also came from a bag of buttons I got from my grandmother. I have had the fabric I used on her kimono for a long time, just waiting for the right figure. I lined the kimono with gray satin and she also is wearing a pair of linen pantaloons that are embroidered with a gold leaf pattern. She is 22 inches tall, I used the same torso pattern as my other three wall dolls. Of course, as is also the case with all my wall dolls, she is named after the item in her hand. It is an origami crane.

Who Is Your Favorite Pixar Character?

Last May, on Mother's Day, we were having a"Collins' Family Breakfast" when I asked each of my children which Pixar character was their all-time favorite. The amazing thing is that of the six people I asked, none of them hesitated- they all had a favorite. My oldest son, Neil choose Woody from Toy Story. Carla, his wife, immediately picked Nemo. My daughter Kathleen chose Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. Her husband, Mike had two favorites, but his first response was Guido the little guy in Cars that changed Lightening McQueen's tires in record speed during the big race. Their son, my darling grandson, immediately piped in with Lightening McQueen. And finally, my youngest son, Mike, chose Wall-E. A psychologist would probably have fun analyzing their choices...even I have thought about that a bit... but I wanted the challenge of trying  to create a surprise Christmas ornament for each of them. At first I wasn't sure if I would be sewing or felting but in the end I needle felted them all. I started right away making the first three.

                                May I introduce.....

Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc.  
5 1/2  inches tall- Needle Felted Wool

Nemo
4 inches long- Needle Felted Wool

Wall-E
4 1/2 inches tall-  Needle Felted Wool with Button Eyes

After completing these first three, I became distracted by other projects and let them sit in my workroom for months before getting back to them. Now I find it is just a few short weeks before Christmas and I am only half done. Plus, I had put off making the most difficult one- Woody! I find it very difficult to needle felt small people. Getting defined facial features on a head that is not much more than an inch long is quite a challenge. But if I was going to have an ornament for everyone I had to get back to it.
     
                     Here are the last three.....

Woody from Toy Story
6 1/2 inches tall  Needle Felted Wool

Guido from Cars
3 inches tall- Needle Felted Wool with button Wheels

Lightning McQueen from Cars
3 3/4 inches long- Needle Felted Wool with Button Wheels

And finally a group shot....

Finished just in time for Christmas Day!