Armand, A New Imp

 

We are both busy making new Imps for Imp Squeak. I have started taking the motif from the fabric and embroidering the tummy of these wicked little mice.

Embroidering onto the fur is quite challenging and you have to clip the fur first but I do like the results.

As ever the porcelain details are hand carved from Reuban's cast of his original sculpture. The Imp is buttoned jointed and weighted with sand, has lavender in his stuffing with a tumblestone obsidian crystal to his heart.

His tiny collar is a striped lined Liberty print called Fairytale Forest the midnight version. Reuban takes the time to embellish with stain each little head and this little chap has a tiny white tear.

I like the folk art style of the embroidery details. Two great bear artists that use embroidery in their bear making are @bearlescent and @berloga_teddy whose work I both admire. The space on the tummy was just asking to be embellished and I really enjoyed doing it. I have certain stitched I return to time and again giving the work a unique look I feel. Teamed with little bronze bell charms I think it is a lovely detail.

I do love that tail, it is so cheeky! We will have new Imps on the shop today and if you can give a like or even follow us @impsqueak that would be wonderful and really give Reuban a boost. He is working so hard and developing new heads. A mouse skull and a froad is on the drawing board. The froad is as you can imagine part frog part toad with a little of both in the design.

Have a lovely weekend and enjoy this little burst of sunshine xx

Little Lancashire Witch Eve

 

Little witch Eve is dressed in an amazing Liberty tana lawn called Floral Eve, the midnight version. With blond wool tops for her hair, which is hand styled and sporting a black felt witch's hat she is ready for the coming season.

Warm autumn tones with carnelian to her heart she is picking up that late summer, early autumn feeling. You can see it in the garden as everything just starts to go over. I love that moment when the flowers become blowsy and over blown, particularly the roses.

Loving the garden at the moment, it won't last long but everything is just perfection with some of the perennials on the turn. Some of the cherries have a real autumn cast to their leaves and the herbs have run wild.

From her stripy legs and leather shoes to her felt hat, Eve is a proper Lancashire witch. Not remotely wicked, just a hard working village witch of the hedgerows. She has a calm and gentle nature with a no nonsense attitude for getting things done and seeing things just right.

The fabric of her dress is stunning, teamed with blood orange shot cotton and black tulle lace for a midnight look.

I still have a couple of sale dolls on the shop and I am working out how I am going to ship my brooches before I list them. I may have to send myself one or two to see the best way to post them!

Autumn hoops and brooches

 

I have been quietly working on my hoops and brooches for the last few weeks. Fitting them in around commissions. I show these at events and in galleries. I was wondering whether to list some of them on my Folksy Shop?

The little landscapes are worked with stencil brushed oil pastel before being left to dry for 48hours and then heat fixed. I then embroidery them.

These little hoops are feeling the autumn vibe in the air and the brooches have the same colourway. The little hoops are just 3inches and the larger hoops are really just to show off different stitches that I use in my sampler work.

Let me know what you think, I would be really interested. They are a joy to make and a welcome change from the sewing machine. I do love slow stitch, the gentle rhythm is very calming.

These are the little daisy brooches I make, each in a tiny 4cm embroidery hoop. They have a brooch back and come mounted on a little card.

I love using every little bit of left over fabric to make these and so there are always wonderful variations in colour. However, the white daisy is the most popular.

Each daisy has a contrasting centre with a button finish and is embroidered with French knots and straight stitch. They take minutes to make and I make them in large batches. Probably making brooches and hoops is the only time a make in batches. Each doll is a one of kind but I do enjoy the process of setting up a production run!

This is the other style of brooch I make. Again in little embroidery hoops but a landscape not a daisy. This collection has that autumn feel to the colourway.

I make both landscape and portrait brooches. Each style gives rise to its own pattern and landscape.

Again I use a white tana lawn, which I was first to remove any size. I then use stencil brushes and paper stencils to create a landscape with Markel oil sticks. This is then left to dry for 48 hours before being heat fixed.

I then embroider each brooch using fern stitch, French knots, straight stitch and couching.

Let me know what you think about listing a few on Folksy, I would like your views. Thank you xx

Maud, A Meadow Queen

 

A new doll design for the summer, Queen Maud is a meadow fairy queen. With a meadow print dress from Acufactum, silk ribbon and a flower wand. Her medieval style dress is trimmed with crystal and glass beads as is her mad hair. Tiny wings in a complimentary peacock blue spot sit well with her shot cotton underskirts and her pillow. Lots of beads and ribbon make up the trim.

I just loved making them! They were inspired by the Duchess, Gertrude Groan. One of my favourite books, Gertrude is my favourite character.

The illustration is Mervyn Peake's own vision of Gertrude and couple that with the BBC version played by Celia Imrie and you can see how they influenced my choices.

Gertrude is a pretty unpleasant woman, self serving and lost in her own world - a truly dreadful mother but I find her compelling. When Gormenghast is threatened she rises to the challenge. Most of the characters in the trilogy are truly awful, real grotesque but the women most of all. Maybe I will have to make an Irma Prunesquallor doll too!

So far three little queens grace my shop. Maud, the Meadow Queen, Matilda, the Strawberry Queen and Martha, the Winter Queen.

I have been making brooches and hoops this week ready for my winter shows but although it is great to have a change I am itching to get back to my dolls.

There is a witch on the cutting table with a mohair mouse and an embroidered mouse in the wings. All based on the vintage Liberty print called Lola Weisselberg!

Honesty and Elodie, in late summer colours

 

Vintage Liberty Prints and strong late summer colours are lending an autumnal vibe to my dolls this week. I can feel a change in the mornings, it is still dark at 5 am. You feel it more in the morning than the evening at this time of year.

Each doll has carnelian to her heart with chamomile in her stuffing. I am just starting to make my autumn brooches for autumn stalls. I love this time of year with all the sunflowers abounding.

Elodie is a little mohair mouse with a hand embroidered dress. The motif is appliqued and then embroidered by hand. The embroidery runs around the skirt of the doll and features tiny buttons with seed beads. Finished with organza ribbon, tiny buttons and a sampler pillow she is a true folk art mouse.

Elodie has carnelian to her heart with chamomile in her stuffing and has that late summer, early autumn feel that August brings to my mind. She has a Liberty print underskirt teamed with cream tulle and cream broderie bloomers.

This little Lancashire witch, Honesty, is dressed in a vintage Liberty tana lawn called Poppy and Honesty. Rich oranges, coral and blue greys compliment each other for a subtle colourway.

Finished with deep apricot organza ribbon, tiny buttons and a sampler pillow. She has a blue grey wool felt hat with a tiny copper acorn, a motif repeated on her sachet.

I genuinely enjoy complimentary colours and the burnt orange with the blue grey are a lovely compliment.

I hope it is not too hot for everyone today, at 5 am it is pretty warm already and I am going to get the watering can out to refresh tired, hot pots!