7.4.09

Fairies and yellow dogs



Several weeks ago, when Winter was still prising his icy fingers under our rickety door, a packet of fairy goodness flew all the way over from Canada. Now, the delightful Fairy Gazette is published by Templar - but MY fairy gazettes are oh-so-special limited little limited editions, hand bound and signed by their creators and in that respect, they are priceless. And quite beautiful.





My favourite aspect of them - apart from the gorgeous colouring - is the 'advertising'. Utterly charming -




I am delighted that both Frances and Avril have started blogs - 'Fairy Lanterns' and 'Over the Garden Wall'. I can think of many fellow bloggers who will love their gentle ways, and I'm so glad to have made their aquaintance - and urge my fellow fairy lovers to go and knock - quietly - at their door, to say hello and welcome. And a very big thank you to them both, from me, for their generous gift.





As for me - I am terribly dull, being halfway through a trade order. I am not going to make a habit of this, but this is for a very special company. Making (almost) identical models takes far longer than one-offs, but I am sure it is Good For Me. And looking forward to being able to spill the beans when it is all done and dusted.

The next four days are forecast to be full of another trio of slow-shaping lumps.




Now that I have finished my little band of dogs;-





I have to admit I'd rather be out here...



With this person...




...sat in the sun behind a drystone wall, with a simple picnic. Maybe I'm just getting lazy.



WEBCAM UPDATE

I took my web cam offline for a while, but it's back. If you would like to watch the craft equivalent of paint drying, I am at my desk most days. If you are not in the UK, but somewhere outlandish where time is different, then I will usually be shutting down for the night while you are sipping your morning coffee, or, contrawise, I will be main-lining my morning pot of tea, while you are deciding which pajamas to wear. Unless, of course, I have escaped to the great outdoors.




35 comments:

tut-tut said...

Hello, PG! I'd like to see you in action. Will be back. You may want to move the dogs up a bit . . .

My WV is widen today!

Anonymous said...

Eh up chuck! The best things in life come in threes, no? x

tut-tut said...

Forget my dog comment; the video didn't come up first time . . .

Elizabeth Rhiannon said...

Thanks for sharing and educating me on the Fairy Gazzettes, I've never heard of them and wandered over to the site and love it. They're beautiful...

Gigibird said...

What a lovely pack of dogs!

Acornmoon said...

Thanks for the link, I am sure those little books will be worth their weight in fairy gold one day!

Your little film is fascinating.

Liza said...

The Buttercups are gorgeous! I liked her with her "shampoo and set" look just before the beret was fully felted! (But the berets are lovely too). I have tried needlefelting and it takes ages, you must have so much patience!

d. moll, l.ac. said...

Identical triplets! Loved the beret, watching it form and become, yes, a beret. I think I would like to hire Hedge and Hogg for Fall clean-up, I'll mark it on the calender for September.....

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful gift! They are too cute! Good job on the dogs, I love your whymsical style.

Wyldhare said...

I loved watching you make the hat for the dog! After trying this, I am all the more impressed! You do amazing work!

I also had no idea, till this weekend, what a slow process this is!

Frances said...

PG, though I quite understand your longing to be outside in that beautiful country with that person, I do thank you for the wonderful film of how a beret becomes a beret. On a dog.

I began watching carefully, never having seen anyone do needlefelting, went to the next stage, ah...this is very interesting, and something I would want to try, and then ... oh, it does take a bit of skill to get to the desired result ... and PG needs to create multiples of this these beret-wearing dogs.

By the end of the marvelous film, I found myself even more a fan of your unique talent and eye, and sense of fun.

xo

Caroline B said...

Good grief Pg, you have my utmost respect! So interesting to see how it's done, but I think I'll stick with needles of a less dangerous kind. Beautiful books too - lucky you!

Gail said...

I love the 3 little dogs - amazing that they are all so alike, but still each looks to me like they have their own personalities! Looking forward to seeing the other 3 taking shape!
Best wishes from sunny Devon
-Gail X

tlchang said...

Your felting is, of course, spectacular. And I love those little fairy books! Lucky girl.

Chris.P said...

Thanks for sharing the video with us. I take my hat off to you:¬)

Sarah Laurence said...

Those are nice ads. Such lovely illustrations. It was fun watching your felting in action. Good luck finishing your order so you can get outside and enjoy the sun.

rachel said...

Can't remember the last time I watched a video clip with such intensity, eyes like saucers, mouth open, drooling a little, wishing I could do something like that. What a wonderful skill, and what utterly charming results! I love the poignancy of your animals; they all look like they might harbour deep and sometimes melancholy thoughts.

Nan and =^..^= said...

I was glued to your needle felting video...even the sound was mesmerizing,so amazing how you can create such endearing critters from felt and a needle. Wonderful!

Kim said...

Oh those little dogs are such poppets :) I could eat them all up! Repeat orders are very good for the skill, but terrible for the soul! It's a good thing you only have to do 3 of each otherwise you would be running for the woods for sure!

Kim x

Dana and Daisy said...

that's a nice looking tom sitting on your desk. I'll stalk you again some day when you're working. Your felt toys just get better and better!

Morna Crites-Moore said...

Yellow dogs, good. Yellow snow, not so much. :)

Pamela Terry and Edward said...

Oh gosh, oh gosh! They are so darling, all lined up in a yellow row with their berets sitting just right on their heads!! So French. So adorable. I am happy your webcam is back and Edward and I shall gaze at you sometimes!!

I loved the photo of all their fat little bums in the air.

Mytutorlist.com said...

Leaping lizards, those finished dolls with their berets are soooooo darn cute!!!

Unbelievable!

Karen said...

I love your little dogs!
So fascinating to watch you stabbing away with that needle, how on earth do you not stab your fingers? :)

The fairy books are so pretty!

Rurality said...

Love the video! I had no idea that's how it was done. Cool!

Rowan said...

The Fairy Gazettes are delightful - such pretty illustrations. I watched the video and it was amazing to see the little beret take shape from a bundle of fluff. The little dogs are just gorgeous.

Jackie said...

How on earth do you make sommany of these gorgeous little creatures without getting RSI?
I really enjoyed the video.

Contessa Kris said...

Awww, how adorable! I love the pup pups! The outdoors picnic looks like a smashing good time as well! Very relaxing. Can't wait to see what you're working on next!

Mamamotherlode said...

These designs are so very delightful, free and happy. I always admire folks like you who can break away from strict realism.

roz said...

How fun to watch you work. The sound of the needle punching the wool is so soothing. Loved it. Thanks for sharing.

Libby said...

Love your blog so would enjoy seeing how you actually creat your needle felt toys, look forward to popping over for a peek!

Kim said...

Your blog is beautiful and the little needle felting film a revelation! I had no idea that it was such a long process, never again will I complain about my sewing machine speed. The dogs are extremely cute, and remind me very much of my dog Lola from behind (she too has ample hips!)
Kim

Pussycats and Angels said...

Wow! I've just come across your blog and I'm already hooked. I love it when I find like minded folk and your blog is certainly full of interesting stuff. The photo of the Hare is amazing, one of my favourite animals. Looking forward to your next post.
Warm Wishes
Julie

natural attrill said...

I love the little band of dogs!
Good luck with all your crafting, I hope you get it done soon and have some time for picnicing.
P.x

Janet Metzger, Artist said...

morning gretel..what are you using for a pad..some kind of dense foam? Happy Fun Friday!