A Doodly Bird

...popped out of my mailbox yesterday....

He brought me some bits of trim from the UK!  Lynn... (who I always call Ms. Doodly Bird .. behind her back) ... is taking the same "wrapping cloth" class from Karen Ruane.  As a matter of fact, it was on her blog that I saw the info about the class.  She is taking several classes at the same time.... acckkkk!  She must have a ton of energy.

Another thing she does is make Doodly Birds .... like this guy... although, usually they are painted... this is a Sewing Dood.... hahahh...love it.... thanks Lynn.

Anyway... back to the fun ... she offered to send me some bits to add to my stash...and I gladly accepted the offer.  I'm in the very early stages of creating my "stash" of white and off white fabrics and trims for making these "wrapping cloths"..I'm definitely going to make more than one.  As I mentioned before, I'm going to call it my "friendship cloth" because it will be made with gifts of fabric and trim from blog buddies, relatives, friends and friends of friends...  I've already added several to my first three blocks....

Here are some of the goodies in my Doodly Bag.... thanks so much Lynn.  What a great addition they will make to my next block...or in the case of my third block.. because I am debating taking out one bigger piece that seems to jump out at me and I'm not convinced it belongs....

As usual.... every time the postman comes to our house, ...'you-know-who' is on top of it.  Or in most cases..several 'you-know-whos'... barely left the room for a minute to get my camera and when I got back.... they were all sitting there having a great time on the new fabric..... hmmmm...

"Look, I found a snowflake ... the colour of ...  me !"  ....

"Ooooo .... can I hold it?"















"Uhm, .... not now.... maybe later....."

..."or........ not........................."  "I really like my little snowflakey"........

"Never mind.... found my own".....

"oh............"

"us too".... "look there's enough for everybuddy"

...  Frikkles and Posie found some too.....

... and, my other birds were eager to chat with the Dood .... about his long flight and all I guess .....

We all love the goodies Lynn....!

Some arms...

.... and a body.... the beginnings.....

Even though I usually try to sort of get the same amount of fluff set out for arms.. they invariably end up different in size.  Now..it is a matter of adding some to one in order to get them the same size.

This little guy is not much like my others.... and I am trying a different shape and size for body and legs and arms...we'll see how he looks.  If I like it ...fine...if not.... I'll just alter the shapes.  It's all a matter of my personal preferences as I go along.  There is never a wrong or a right with fun stuff.  It just ends up being what I like at the time.  As it should.

I'm trying to begin a new little bear..

In the midst of the chaos.....  haven't gotten very far along.  Am using some lovely soft brown wool sent to me by a fellow felter in Poland in exchange for some I sent to her.  She seems to have moved on to stitching little guys from recycled sweaters.  Some of them are very cute.

Also trying to plot some new landscaping..... including moving sprinkler heads and pipes around....

Two large trees will be removed from the property first because one dwarfs the house now...and the other is diseased and damaged internally.

The electrician is upstairs ...arcing and sparking away.... getting things hooked up again...finally.  It's been a long time on temporary plug-ins...and only very few of them at that.  I don't want to stay on here long in case the power goes out totally and shuts me down.....

Going to the mall..... hahahha...and not to shop.  For some peace and quiet.  I could take the fluff with me...but, my arm only lets me do a small session anyway...not even worth carrying it over there really.  Guess my elbow is toast... forever now.  It just isn't getting any better even after a year and plenty of therapy.... no strength and no stamina for small motor movements at all it seems.  I am going to try something called an osteopath next.... some runner friends have had a bit of luck with this particular clinic.

WOYWW

She's finished!!  My copycat goosie...... with tips and advice and even the wool !! from my friend Gretel... a world class felter, artist and now... published author of a children's book... Mrs. Mouse's Cupcakes... for which she felted all the characters and even the cupcakes for the photos in the book!
If you live in the UK... ... you could even get in on one of her in person felting workshops!!  And, I'll be green with envy!

If you want to see progression photos from the balls of wool stage to this..... ... just backtrack a few posts... cover your eyes at the bloody one.... hehehe........ ...it happens..... occasionally, if not often ...
Gretel's goose in the background photo ...mine in front.  Think I will name her Gracie.
She is seven inches tall at the top most part of her neck/head area.  How tall is yours Gretel? .

My little guys were impressed by her sheer height..oh, and also her feet.......

Tuffy was hoping she didn't decide to get up and go anywhere........

From Ruggles' perspective .... view of the situation.... and little Buttercup just looks on in awe of the long, lean model on the runway....

Here is how a needle felt begins....  a bag of wool... and there are many types along with a huge array of colours (or you can dye your own ... I've even used Kool-Aid to do that) .... from various breeds of sheep....
Here is the wool Gretel sent me back when I began my project.  She declared that the stuff I was using was never going to work.  hahah....thanks Gretel... for taking pity on me.  I love it.  It's like having a second sister...

You also need some barbed needles to stab, gather and shape the wool into various parts before assembly.  A pen holder like this one is a good idea instead of trying to hold the tiny ends of a needle...just too hard on hands and wrist.  This particular one will hold up to 3 needles... you can also use only two for the smaller pieces or even go down to just one for tiny things or for the finishing ...

This 'copycat' mentality is what got me started on needle felting in the first place several years ago.  Could I make a little bear as cute as Norm was making? the first ones I'd seen .. .. and that I just had to buy on e-bay?... because after the first two I bought  .. the third one got into a bidding war and I paid waaay too much for him.  When he arrived in the mail, I carried him around for a day just looking at him... totally in awe... he was so cute and so tiny ... well, ...that was it.  I was hooked before I even found some wool and needles and tried to make one for myself.  Hahaha... and the first was pretty funny ... looked more like a monkey than a bear..but I finally got him to look sort of okay and was pretty thrilled that I had made my very own little guy.  However, I have to say.....I still want to own at least one of Gretel's creations... yep...I do.

For the WOYWW we are supposed to keep our posting short...but, eh..... just wanted to also tell you about my doll making start.  Almost the same thing.  For months I had wondered if perhaps I could make a doll.  One just like "youknowwho"....  and.....  had to give it a try.  Turned out I could.  I did.  She worked out beyond my wildest dreams for a first....and from an online course actually.  How I loved the little personal challenge of the attempt.   I don't think I have much imagination of my own really ...but, I love to try making some of the things I see others doing.

Here's my first doll .... Echlin... from a Sherry Goshen pattern.  Wow... back in '07 already  .... hmmm...time sure flies....

The painting of the faces was the most intriguing part to me.  I'd never tried anything like it in my life.  But, there were about 18 pages of pics and instructions... you just follow along and all of a sudden...a face appears... absolutely amazing to me!  We also made the little chair.  It was supposed to be made by cutting and cleaning a big dirty old gourd.... I just couldn't bring myself to use one.  Instead I just made a paper clay shape over a shallow bowl and went from there. ... lined it with silk and made some flowers from paperclay as well... and voila.  My first doll!  Pretty darn thrilling to me.

If you want to check out blogs of others participating in WOYWW....go to Julia's blog and see our list of bloggers...wow...it gets longer each week....

Time for tea!!

Especially when this happens.   It was a total through and through ....in one spot and straight out the other.  I was sort of going sideways with one good stick .... and all I can say is thank goodness I didn't get any on Ms. Goosie!

If it happens... you have to lick the wool ...hahaha...yeh...your saliva works wonders.  But... hhaakkkk!!  it feels like a cat trying to get rid of a hairball for a minute or two after that .... ptoooey .....

You just have to walk away ...and wait it out til the bleeding stops .. especially with white wool.  And...hopefully you don't leak any of the red stuff before you snatch away the poor aching finger.  It hurts to stab a finger or thumb... almost feels bruised as well as stuck ... it hurts.  Please be careful if you try some felting.

Think it's time to stop for tea and a cookie now.....oh, I forgot to bake any.  Just for that ...maybe I'll bake something next then.....

But, before I did that ...I finished up both wings....and began to add a bit of wool for the leg tops...oh, and... stuck some wire into the feet...

Sunny Monday..

Didn't have too much opportunity to work on little goosie over the weekend.... and just got kind of tired of stabbing away on her beak and not getting it quite perfect.  It has to be pretty darn perfect to even come close to a Gretel goose... so, for a change of pace, I made her a little collar instead, and stitched on some pearls that she sent me.  Hard to tell in the photo...but, they are different colours... pastel greens, one almost pinkish and some white... I liked that they had big enough holes to accept a needle.

Now... she is definitely a she....

The eye is just a test eye at the moment (they are various sized beads on pins and I love them ..use them all the time with the bears)  to give me an idea of placement ... and later in the day...I did get around to more stabbing on her beak....and got it a better shape and looking more how I want it....

She's coming right along.  Guess I'll move on to wings next....  and then ...those big feet.  They will definitely be a challenge.  Can you see the absolute sharp edge on them?  Not easy on wool.

Stay tuned.....

Now what?

Totally new pages for composing posts??? ...arrgghhh!  I hate change.  I like constancy and the ease with which I am used to doing things. Give me my old stuff back blogger.  Including that little golden pencil so that I can click on it to edit old postings.  I'm not all modern like I pretend.

Gee, thanks so much everybody for your good wishes and the commiseration.... it felt pretty darn good.  I do think I am on the road to recovery now.... I managed to stay vertical all day yesterday ... didn't feel the need to get horizontal til bed time ..which I think is a good thing.  I even went along with Mr. BV to check out the cabinet shop ... we are trying to get organized for a pretty big renovation.  Yes I know ...  those of you who have been reading this blog for awhile will be groaning...  because you know that we have been renovating for oooh..... uh.... OMGoodness is it 25 years?! aacckkk!!.... ourselves and also with contractors ... so... this, hopefully, will be the last big push and it will be done.  Once and for all the rest of my time.  Please.
I absolutely love the names of paint colours... Willow, Silver  Moss, Grey Slate.  Eventually it may not be one of these ...but, perhaps something similar... or I may do cream and go with greenish walls.... who knows?  It's all still up in the air....

We've had lovely snow white cabinets (for 15 years now) that we built ourselves...well, Mr. BV did most of it...I was the gopher, second pair of hands, hold this, hand me that  ..etc... hey sounds like more assisting ..hahah...always handy to have an ex dental assistant around the house.  So, this time we are going for some colour on them.  Then, more colour decisions...walls..... and if we change the kitchen...what about the rest of the house? ...see how it goes?  No such thing as a simple reno.  There just isn't.

Hey they still look great in a photo...ignore the backsplash... no tiles and crappy glue all over the drywall... but, it's time for a change for a few reasons.

So, with real interfering from various angles ... there was not much time to work on any stabbing of fluff for my "goosie" ...but, I did decide after stab number 4,952...that the beak just wasn't going to get any smaller ...and that it was about 2 sizes too large for her dainty little head.  So... back to grabbing some more beak fluff...a smaller hunk this time... don'tcha just love the scientific terminology? ... sounds like the old days at the dental office...   "Hand me a little blob of cement will ya Veronica?"  .... and now I have a beak that I think is a better size.  We'll see when I finish working on the end of the head where the beak will attach.  Want to get it just right.

And...I did stab a bit of the dark green stuff in order to get a collar started.  Actually just stabbed a bit to see if I could get a long flat thin bit sort of made up... then I guess I will attach it to the neck and try to figure out how Gretel makes it look like it is not actually attached... but, just put on like a collar would attach.  She has a great knack... have you checked out her felting?  Get over there and do so.  Immediately.   Oh, and...prepare to be blown away.

WOYWW

Found this tiny needle felted mousie (and the panda head too; he wonders.. can he have a nose please? ) during the whirlwind week of desk tidying.  Sort of 'forgot' where I put her too in the wildness of it all.  Oh, man....somehow I must get more organized.  And then...must give away some of the stuff I just never get around to using.  We know we won't be able to ever do the many and varied crafty things we want to try...but, we keep on trying ...don't we? ..

But, this week, I am definitely looking in all the bags and boxes and containers to  make sure exactly what I do have. ...and there she was. Half finished. .... well, more than half actually...but, I do wonder what I was using for that dainty pink of her toesies.... hmmm.... maybe I'll come across some of whatever it was if I continue to tidy. I know it was not wool...I have never had any pink wool. I'm sure of that. Nobody will want a mousie with only one or 2 toes...must find it....

She doesn't look much different from my little felted bears... although, if turned sideways...she does have a bit of a longer and point-ier snout.... and those are just test eyes and a test nose.... on pins. To check for size and placement.  She is just all pinned together and her little flower pinned on too...

And, they are not even on my workdesk.  They are hanging out on the dining room table...so I don't forget about them.  They want action.  And, they want it now.  Good for them.  So tiny and yet so insistent...ahhahha.... kind of remind me of me.
Karen stopped by and asked if they were felted.... and I thought I should just pop back to say...yes..they are.  See that little bit of purplish fluff at the front of the foam block they are sitting on?... that is how she began.  Needle felting is bits of wool that have been stabbed ...many hundreds and thousands of times with a barbed needle...til you get them into the shapes you want.  Then I join the limbs and head to the body with upholstery thread.  The eyes are black onyx beads and the noses will be embroidered with Perle cotton.  The pink bits...I'm not sure...hahha...but, I think they were tufts of rayon pulled from some pieces of fluffy rayon fabric... and then needled in.  I have discovered that all sorts of things felt up alright..

Aha.  She found him a nose.  Too tiny.  Makes him look more like a racoon....but, it'll keep them happy for now.

I have no idea how it can possibly be Wednesday again...already.  This is craziness.  Another week shot.  Warp speed.  Sigh...

Check out all the other ladies and their workdesks at Janet's on a Wednesday...

a dreary day with a fun parcel!!

Today it's rainy, blustery and only +9C.... plus, I'm damn cranky because I wrecked myself on Saturday night and am suffering.  Reached into a woodbox for a few sticks of wood to toss onto the fire we were sitting around at the neighbour's and ouch!! wrecked my ribs somehow.  A searing jolt of pain on the right side.  Not to be put off..I repositioned my body and leaned in again on the other side ...ouch! ...what an idiot!  Now..both  sides are in pain.  The doctor doesn't think I'm fractured or broken and didn't think we needed to bother with x-rays and unnecessary radiation ... but, with osteoporosis... one does wonder.... and, so, we just wait... all you can do with ribs.  But...the waiting is not fun, nor is it painfree.  She did give me some anti-inflammatories..with some pain killer in them ...but... it hardly touches the pain..especially if I have to cough, sneeze or hiccup.  Oh, man...last night I choked a bit on a pepper flake...and yiked and youched all around the kitchen while coughing really hard. So, today it's worse than it was ... *&^%$#!

So.... I'm just hanging out with my ice packs...my cuppa tea and I did manage to get some bars granola  together..but, finally just gave up on anything else..when all of a sudden the doorbell was dinging and it was the postman.
Couldn't figure it out...because I wasn't expecting anything.....but, don'tcha love snail mail?? ...or even better...snail parcels?  They still haven't figured out a way to send those via the cyberwaves. And thank goodness.  Because I love parcels.  And, I especially loved getting THIS parcel!

A needle felted bear from a new needle felting friend in Poland.  Isn't he great?  What a sweet little worried expression he has on his face.

Frikkles was the first to get over to the chair and welcome him.....Frikkles is the largest guy I have felted and still looks a bit small compared to the new guy ...who is only 4 inches (3 seated) ...  .....

Posie may be small, but she is very brave and pretty cheeky too....she went straight over to say hi.... she thinks he's pretty cute, I can tell, because that's her "coy" look she is giving him.........

"He-who-has-no-name-yet" was also on the welcome committee .... and they all tried to reassure the new guy.  But...he still looks a tad worried.
I'm sure he'll be fine once he settles into the curio cabinet and gets used to all of the regulars who hang out in there.

Thank you agaFil.... my new needle felting buddy... I wish you lived closer so we could visit and do some wool stabbing together......

Check out her Flickr site to see her other little creations.....

oh, look..... I checked back an hour later to see how my new little man was settling and lo and behold...there he was telling them all the story of how he flew here from so many miles away.... awww..... perfect...and from this angle he doesn't look too worried anymore...

...the "new guy"...

Finally ... I'm getting motivated to do some little things.  Part of the reason is...I have a couple of deadlines. Aackk!!  That's me.  The world's best procrastinator.

I pulled out my bag of variegated New Zealand Romney and tore off some pinkish/purple.... trying to get the most purple strands.  If you ever try some felting..don't cut it... it leaves too many blunt ends to stick out all over the place ...it makes it easier to needle if you just tear it off...

Got to try out my new pen shaped needle holder suggested by Paint Granny....  it's a totally different feeling than how I used to do it..but, it worked fine.  I used to put a blog (hahahha.... a blog..hahaha...I meant a blob...got blogs on the brain !) of polymer clay on each of the needles for a handle... and I think there was a bit more fine control because my fingers were closer to the end of the needle...but...this will be better for my hand over the long haul.  I'm also trying to remember not to have a death grip on the pen or the piece of fluff I am holding onto with the other hand.

Here's how the little guys begin.... nothing but a bit of fluff...

Here is the head and a little body about the right size... I say right size...but there is no right size... it is whatever we feel like doing.  No wonder I love bear and doll making... there are no rules.  I make 'em up as I go.

Here... head is stuck on with a needle...and test eyes inserted ...

Do I want little eyes? ...

Or...do I want big eyes?

Posie looks perplexed... she can't make up her mind either....hahahhaha....

The finished little girl is Posie... you have seen her before if you've been coming here awhile. I call her a felted bear...but, she was felted up from strands of fluffy rayon plucked out of a chunk of rayon fabric instead of wool.  A bit difficult to stab ... almost felt sticky when the needle would go into it... and it got more and more difficult to stab it into it.... but, she turned out really cute.

OKay then....arms and legs.....

Sheaffer's Annual Birthday Bash and Auction was held Saturday .... under beautiful sunny skies!  Check out the write up on his blog and also check out some of the pics.  I was a bit envious of the weather.... and of course, wish I could have been there just to pet donkeys.. oh, and....to eat carrot cake!!
But... it is many miles away ...opposite end of this country actually.... so... not feasible.

They made $4,000 by day's end, and were ecstatic! What a lot of effort and hard work was done by a lot of people to pull it off .... now Sheila can continue on with her efforts to rescue abandoned and abused donkeys...oh, and whatever other creatures have found their way to her small acreage over the years.  She has been heard to mutter that if a purple aardvark showed up it would have a home at her place!

Remember little Sage and Otis?  This was the event for which they were made and sent.  They worked hard for the cause too and managed to fetch $60 and $65 respectively.  I am thrilled they did well.  Thanks to all of you who sent me bids to accompany them on their trek to Ontario .... and.... I'm sorry you were all outbid .... ... but, by the same token, happy that they did so well.

Otis and Sage .....with Scruffy.... cousin of Tuffy who was in last year's auction.  Next year.... I should try for three bears.... oh..hahah....and maybe a Goldilocks...

not much snow...

....but....lots of wind!

so... no photos of my poor daffs bending under the weight..although I bet they got whacked flat with the wind.  It's rotten out there...so I didn't bother to go out and climb up to peer over the top of the patio wall.  They are on the other side.  Maybe later...the sun is trying to poke through....but, the wind is still about 60 kph.  It's been wild all night and half a day now... some slushy snow...and frozen water in spots.  Wear a helmet if you go out Yvonne!  (She fell two days ago and whacked her head) ... ouch.  Knowing what I know about concussions.... and my poor sister's plight after her fall all those years ago ... I worry about us all.  It's dangerous out there people!

So, hanging out inside is the order of the day.  And...for some reason I managed to get a decent night's sleep, so I'm getting a few things done.  Got up at 6:30... unheard of for me.  I'm more the 8 to 9 o'clock person... cuz I don't get to sleep before 2 a.m. most nights...even if I go to bed at 10:00 ...which is more frustrating than I can tell you.  Well, more frustrating than I can tell without some very colourful language!

I've been working on this little guy...

I've had his eyes in and out several times.... just couldn't get them looking quite the way I wanted...

Close...but, not quite.....

Finally.... today.... 3rd time lucky....

Otis  ..... 

Otis and Frikkles ....