Needle Felted Whooping Crane

Just finished this Whooping Crane. I'm pleased with the final piece. It stands 11 1/2 inches tall. The legs are  wire covered with black wool roving and there is a wire inside the neck so his head may be repositioned. He has black bead eyes- otherwise he is entirely wool. I have been working on him for the past three weeks- just on Sundays. I've started reserving my Sundays for needle felting- I hope if I keep up that schedule I should be able to make quite a few creatures. This crane was fun to make but it did offer its share of challenges. The legs in particular- I used #18 wire- first I wasn't going to cover it but in the end I wrapped it with wool and secured the wool with thread. I particularly like the head- the beak is a mixture of different colors. I'm considering making him a partner poised a bit differently. If I do I will place them both on a more permanent stand. But for now- he is finished.

Art Doll Quarterly

I just received my copy of Art Doll Quarterly- Feb-Apr 2012- my dolls are on page 84!
 I submitted pictures of four of my Vintage Spirit dolls in the bottle doll challenge last September. Shortly after I was notified that my dolls would be included and have been waiting ever since to see which doll they would pick as well as what other artists did with this challenge. Well to my surprise and delight, I have a full page dedicated to my dolls and they included three pictures! I could not be happier! In the write-up they also describe a fourth doll, Island Girl, but she is not pictured so I have included a picture of her with the picture of the magazine in this blog entry.
It is really amazing to see how this challenge was approached by everyone else. The submissions are incredibly diverse. My dolls are the only ones that are all cloth. Many are created using polymer clay or paper clay. I have some paper clay that I have used for accessories on dolls but I have yet to attempt to actually sculpt a doll. Maybe that will be a future challenge for me. But for now, I plan on continuing my Vintage Spirits as all cloth. A few months ago a friend of mine (fellow Textile Tart) kindly gave me a beautiful cobalt blue wine bottle that will soon become another spirit. When I make a doll I do need a span of uninterrupted time which is difficult to find. I have been spending most of my free time lately creating items for my etsy shop and working on needle felted animals and -oh yes- I do have a  full time teaching job as well. Busy is an understatement.

New Item in the Shop- iPad Sleeves

I'm on vacation this week so I made two more iPad 2 sleeves. I improved my first design by altering the drying form a bit to make for a tighter fit and adding an extra elastic to the band for increased heft. I used a double strand of yarn when knitting them so the felted result is quite thick- offering nice protection. I think they are really nice. I just put them on my etsy shop yesterday so time will tell if "Joe Public" agrees with me.

Needle Felted Polar Bears

Group Photo

I received two needle felting books for Christmas so I decided to make a few polar bears since I had a large amount of white wool on hand. I think these turned out well considering they are a first attempt. They are quite small, the seated one is the tallest and he is only 3 inches. The two standing ones are less than 4 inches long and approximately 2 3/4 inches tall. Needle felting takes hours!!! The process consists of poking a barbed needle into a mass of wool shaping as you go. I have been knitting up a storm lately and decided I needed a change of pace so tried my hand at a new skill. I must admit that I really like needle felting and will certainly be making more creatures in the future!

Too Cute!

  

This is my dog- Maggie. She is a mixed breed- what mix even the vet can't quite figure out? But I don't care. She has lived with my husband and me for four years now. Just a 22 pound bundle of joy that we found at our local animal shelter. I am including this picture of her in my blog because it is the time of year many people start thinking about their "New Year's Resolutions" and I had a thought- why not give the ASPCA a plug! There are many animals waiting for homes. If you are in a position to give one of these cuties a home please consider your local animal shelter. If adopting a pet is not feasible right now, perhaps volunteering your time either at the ASPCA facility or at functions the shelter runs during the year. Do you need to shed a few pounds this year (who doesn't)? Just think of how much you will save on gym memberships by walking a dog instead, not to mention the constant unconditional love. Just a thought!
Photograph by Mike Collins Click here to see more of Mike's photos

Merry Christmas

I'm finally able to post a picture of this year's ornament. I made one of these mice for each of my children, and each of the aides that work in my classroom- that's 10 in all but who's counting! They are small, only standing about 4 inches tall.  I modified a pattern by http://vintagericrat.blogspot.com called Jofus and Lally- shrinking it down and changing the tail construction. I also chose to clothe mine. They were fun to make and every recipient really seemed to love them.

Textile Tart Holiday Party

Every December the Textile Tarts have a holiday get-together at which we swap a hand made gift. Every year it is something different- an ornament, a pin cushion and needle case. We usually decide in the fall what item we are going to make. This year we decided to bring a Santa which could be no larger than 6 inches. He could be an ornament or a decorative piece. I made this felt Santa. He stands about five inches tall. He is made using a rose pink felt that I embellished with green holly leaves and beading. I think he is a very cute fellow. Tomorrow is our meeting so it will be interesting to see how everyone interpreted the Santa idea.