Textile Gifts for my Galleries

 I am so late with this post! I was up at 5am and never had a minute to sit down. I have had a very busy week getting textile gifts ready for my galleries. Everyone has sold up it seems simultaneously, which is great, kerching and all that but requires prompt action.

So I have been making brooches, including a new style that i have not photographed yet, lavender finger mice, key rings and hanging birds. Lots of felt, lots of embroidery and loving every minute, although my hands are now sore. It always amazes me when you schedule a complete week to do this just how much you can get done. By the end of this weekend I should have all of the pieces finished ready for shipping on Monday. Phew!
Just a note to everyone, Folksy is having a Perfectly Imperfect Weekend with some real bargains. Old stock, samples and seconds. I have already sold out and Reuban @impsqueak has one imp left on his shop
https://folksy.com/shops/impsqueak
She is a real sweetie and will not be repeated. Really worth checking out for some lovely work.

Midnight Characters

 

Starting to work on a few midnight characters and finally get to grips with my mole idea. It is the paws with the claws that is slowing my completion. The pattern is so small it is making the claws look effective.
This little girl bunny was Judith from last summer. I have on my table a bunny boy and girl, a fox boy and a mouse. All in lovely midnight fabrics.

Ardusa, A Spring Bloom Mouse

 

A selection of Spring Bloom mice are now in the shop. This little girls is Ardusa, a little harvest mouse with an applique and embroidered dress in a folk art style.With citrine to her heart and chamomile in her stuffing for a gentle fragrance she is a sweet spring mouse. Dressed in coral chambray cotton with Liberty Spring Bloom and white tulle petticoats she sports leather shoes and a sampler pillow. Finished with organza ribbon, tiny buttons and broderie anglais drawers peeping below her dress she is a delicate little mouse.I am working with the three colourways of fabric from the Spring Bloom series, in coral pink, aqua blue and black. Enjoying the harmony and making mice, bunnies, fox boys and hopefully a new mole!

A New Style of Doll for Me

 

This is first share of a new style of doll that I have been quietly working on for a while. Little Abigail is the prototype of a series of little girl and boy dolls I want to make around the themes of fairy tale and fable.
I have been trying to do this forever and failing because the dolls were not young enough. Red Riding Hood is around ten years old in my mind not a young woman.
So I had to start with proportions and went back to the great Suzanna Oroyan and her books to get those altered child sized proportions into my head. I then went on to explore fabrics for the body, abandoning calico, my usual first choice, for a heavy wool felt. Which gives a much smoother finish when stuffing such a larger head. These eyes are not quite right and I want to explore different types of hair but I am happy for a first complete doll. I then needed to work out patterns for clothes and new to me shoes. So again thank you to Barbara Willis and Simone Gooding for showing me how to create a pattern for a fully formed shoe. I now have to work out how to create them in leather.
The first dolls I want to make are Alice, Red Riding Hood and the pair Hansel and Gretel. Just playing, loving the costumes and exploring folk art motif more fully.

A Wooden Elphaba Doll

 

This little girl was my busman's holiday and what a joy she was to make. She is a little wooden doll dressed as Elphaba from Wicked.
The doll base is by Sophie Tilly Dolls found @sophietilleydesigns . At the moment she is selling off her doll bases and they are going fast. Each is hand turned beech wood with beech arms and legs. Coming in two sizes 27 cm and 21cm. This little lady is the larger of the sizes.
Dressed in silk, tulle and felt, her little black ensemble is detailed with beads, lace, charms and tiny emerald green glass beads. She sports an acorn to her hat.
A huge fan of the musical, the books and really enjoyed the film. I received an Elphaba doll for my Christmas present and this little girl is now on my wall as part of my collection. I have quite a few and collected them over many years, currently she is my favourite!

Rosa, A Nod to Valentine's Day

 

Rosa is a little Fairy God Mother with a nod to Valentine's Day. With hearts to her sampler pillow both stitched and as charms. She carries a little heart shaped wand to bestow the gift of love.
She has a piece of rose quartz to her heart and rose petals in her stuffing for romance with a tiny coronet in her hair.
Her dress is made from Acufactum cotton fabric in a raspberry red and rose pink confection called Simply Love. Beneath she sports broderie anglais drawers with red cotton and white tulle lace petticoats. Her shoes are raspberry leather. She is a sweet girl with a quiet joy to her.

Maysant and Samer Grumpy Frogs for Spring

 

Maysant and Samer have just landed in the shop, along with the first of the spring mice. All dressed in Liberty fabrics and looking very smart!
Maysant and Samer have Liberty Piccadilly Poplin Wonder Garden as their fabric teamed with olive chambray cotton and tweedy plus fours. Maysant carried her sampler pillow and Samer has a strong bag to carry their finds. Each little bag is sporting a smart bronze dragonfly charm.
Both have river glass from the Yarrow to their heart with fennel and rosemary to the stuffing. Each has a hand painted and hand embroidered face. They are both wearing stout galoshes for stomping round the river and each has a brass ring to their back to hang. I must confess to loving the very froggy fabric. Rich in greens, teals and greys.
I am finally getting back on track, back in the workshop and making again. Nearly caught up with myself. I have found getting going in this new year quite hard, which is unusual for me. Maybe all the grey skies and freezing rain have had more of an effect than I realise. It seems forever since I saw the sun! Have a lovely weekend and my warmest wishes xx