Showing posts with label felt hare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label felt hare. Show all posts

25.10.11

Headless Hare


Happily, this doesn't happen very often, but occasionally
I get halfway through a piece and realise that it is wrong to my original intention. As with this pre-ordered hare, Willow. Yesterday I realised that her arms were going to be too long for her body; cutting the arms down, as I did, didn't help. She needed more neck length. She was looking too tubby anyway - more like a rabbit than a hare. Only one thing to do...find the big scissors...
(If you are Janet of the Empty Nest, you might want to look away now...)


Cut off her head. It gives me a rare chance to look at cross section of one of my toys and see how densely it's been worked.



So the neck extending begins.





Once the wool is taking shape, I can hold the head on with a spare felting needle so that I can work on her more easily, in my hands.




About two hours after I cut her up, she is looking much better, but the joins are still weak and obviously showing.





So I tightly wrap some braces round the weak areas and needle them firmly -




- then carry on patching and smoothing. I also added more at her back, so that she didn't look too oddly tall.




After about five hours, I have a shape I am happy with and pop some black headed pins in her, so that we can say hello at last. Her proper glass eyes will be added later, but I like to have my toys looking at me while I work on them, so pins will do for now.




Much better - see the improvement? (You can look again now Janet).




24.8.11

Little Hare


Several weeks ago one of my collectors asked if I would consider a hare commision. Oh dear. I have been trying to design a hare ever since I took up needle felting over three years ago and have failed.


As shy and hard to catch as the real creature itself, I have been unable to visualise a satisfactory toy version, despite it being one of my favourite animals.


But I've broken the hare curse at last! Maybe it was because someone actually requested one, but I finally saw how it would be done. He has glass eyes, a waxed cotton nose and thread jointed arms -


Even underneath, where it won't be seen, attention to detail is paramount.



At my client's request, he was named Harris. Of course, now I've cracked the hare code, I have all manner of similar characters in mind, but they will have to wait until my present orders are fulfilled.



I get many enquiries about when I am going to update my Etsy shop with more needle felt things; I seem to work mostly to order now, but I have two little toadstools looking for homes and who knows when I'll have time to make more...




I am having another 'Puddletown Tales' book signing, this time in central Oxford, at Waterstones bookstore on the corner of Broad Street - very soon! In fact, this Saturday the 27th of August, 1.30 - 4.30. If it's possible for you to make it (and help me break the last record of one book sale) I'd love to see you there and put names to faces.