nimbleknot

Mohair Fun!

I unpacked my Intercal box and took a deep breath.

I drew my own pattern so it would fit on a 12x12 piece of mohair. As most of y'all know, mohair can be quite pricey. I decided to do a small bear so it would fit on a square foot of mohair. I had to rework the pattern a couple times to get it on there but it finally fit. I bought pre-crimped eyes as I had heard the horror stories of glass eyes breaking when pulled through the head. I thought I would spend a couple bucks more and get the best eyes.

I have to tell you I really dragged my feet on this bear. Since this was a new venture and I was teaching myself how to make this bear with help from everybody at Teddy Talk, I had a lot of anxiety about it. I had this idea in my head about how I wanted this bear to turn out and I was on uncharted territory. After about a week, I turned out this little guy...

Everything about this bear was a learning curve for me. I stopped at ever juncture and referenced each particular skill at Teddy Talk or a book I have about repairing old teddies. And while I learned a LOT, I have a lot more to learn. I didn't skimp or cheat on this bear. I followed the proper rules and etiquette for making a good quality, jointed teddy bear. Even if I had to unstuff the head three times, I wanted it done right.

Even photographing this bear was different than shooting my felted bears. There is so much more depth to this bear, who I named "BooBoo." But it's really hard to see in the photo. I took the photo in evening sun after a rainstorm and will not do that next time.

I used a technique for sewing in the eyes that I really liked. However, after a couple days of looking at her I decided I didn't care for the space between the eyes. It was a bit too wide.

When I pushed on the eye, it came loose! ACK!!! So I pulled on the other eye and it did the same darn thing! What tha? So I researched another technique and used a different thread and re-seated both eyes closer together and much deeper in the head. Which of course I don't have a photo. But it looks much better and gave more character to BooBoo.

I am already drawing a new pattern to fit on a bigger hunk of mohair. I want to make changes to my bear as there are some things I don't like. But we all have to start somewhere. I really enjoyed making a jointed, stuffed, mohair bear and have plans to make many more. I spent an hour and a half last night combing the mohair inventory at Intercal. It's like walking into a candy store! Yum! MOHAIR IN ALL COLORS!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, I listed Mama Margarita on ebay. She will be offered for sale through this Friday. Click on my ebay link in the upper left to take a peek.

Mama

For me it all starts with the fabric. I get inspired by the ensemble and palette. The way the colors work together and bounce off each other. I start with one print and base everything else around it. I really love the colors of this little 5.75 x 6.5 inch quilt. The colors of this fabric really screamed "baby" to me. I purposely cut the fabric randomly and sew it to look crooked. But it is machine stitched and quilted.

So this is the baby I created. It's not a girl or boy, just a little baby bear with a baby bear hat. The wee baby is 2.25 inches tall and turned out quite nice. Of course baby needed a little friend. So I busted out my 11 pounds of polymer clay and made this little bluebird out of a smidge of clay. I plopped it right inside the cute little basket I was saving.

Of course baby bear needs his/her mommy. So that's just what I did with my stash of lime wool. I created Margarita.

Margarita is a lovely shade of lime. She has a cotton dress complete with an apron. I had to get my beading in somewhere so I adorned the bottom edge of her apron. You probably know by now I love to bead. It adds that little sparkle to any creation.

It all came together on the rocking chair. Mama Margarita and her baby...to commemorate Mother's Day on May 13th. I hope y'all like this one. I'd been thinking of it for awhile and thought it would be perfect to have it ready for Mother's Day. The set is for sale on my etsy site. Just click on the link in the upper left corner.

I would also like to thank my husband for shooting my photos. He does this after a long day at work and will re-shoot anything I want. If I say, "Ehh, something doesn't look right." He happily says, "Let's do it again, we want it to look good."

Bloo Betty

Betty Bloo is available on etsy, just click on the link in the upper left. SOLD-Thank You!

I had to make a bear to go with my lollipops. I went with a blue theme this time and I really like it. I gave Betty a woolfelt collar and added beads. I swear, beading is so difficult with my hand situation, it's tough tying knots. I used to use invisible thread but it was ridiculously painful so I switched to embroidery thread. I like the results better anyhow.

Here is a rear view of Betty.

And don't forget, if you want me to make you a bear with your favorite colors, just shoot me an email. I really do make other bears besides cupcake bears so don't hesitate to ask.

And another thing, I really love gingham. BUT it has to be 100% cotton, which is the clencher because it's super hard to find. If you see PINK gingham fabric somewhere, please let me know.

The Old Gang

Happy Friday y'all! That's what we say in Texas...y'all. Although I was not born here, I've been here 14 years. After that length of time, you adopt and appreciate certain words. I was born and raised in Californian and we would say "you guys" instead of "ya'll." It just makes sense, saves time and syllables to use "y'all." Plus I got a new pair of cowboy boots for my birthday, so I feel kind of Texan at times.

I am working on a couple commission bears right now. Yes, I do commissions! You can email me if you are interested. I didn't want to post the work in progress for fear of spoiling the surprise. But I am almost done and will get that photo up as soon as it's finished. I decided to at least show a photo of my older work from a few years ago. The style is completely different on the bears. I used a button joint on the little one, which is cute on that style of bear. But I like string jointing since it cuts down on the bulk when I dress my bears. They are sitting on a cake plate, which is another thing I collect. I love cake plates, pedestals and domes. I have been collecting them for several years now. Old and new, round and square. Love cake, love my plates!

One thing I want to do it get out my polymer clay and make some cute accessories for my bears. I spent about a year making characters which was a hoot. But now after looking at the gorgeous miniatures for dollhouses on various blogs (no, I haven't abandoned my WIP dollhouse), I am thinking I need to combine my love of bears, tiny-ness and polymer clay! One thing I need to research is a new varnish for sealing the clay. I don't care for my current one and if anybody has a suggestion I would love to know what you use.

Thank you to everyone who posts comments on my blog. I try to answer and follow-up on as many as I can. It's certainly not for lack of desire but rather my silly schedule. I wish I could take more photos of my work like a lot of you bloggers. Some of the blogs I see are incredibly gorgeous and I hope to be like you someday! Have a great weekend...I've got a lot of poking ahead of me!

Easter Ellen

Well, here she is....Easter Ellen on her wet felted egg. I finished her up today in between making my son's 5th birthday cake and doing five loads of laundry. Yea, somebody has to the laundry or we end up willing the clothes to wash themselves. It doesn't work. Anyway, I wasn't in love with the first egg I made for Ellen, the dots seemed too small...or something. So I made another egg. This time I used my Corriedale and Merino wools for a denser felt. I made the dots more random and somehow it made the whole thing come together a little better.

I really really love these tin jello molds. I shop at this antique store that I cannot walk into unless I have a minumum of 3 hours to kill. It's huge and is jammed packed with treasures. Fortunately, nobody in my family likes antique stores. So when I announce I am going there they say, "Gooooood, you go and have a great time." I can't say that makes me sad. But I did find these little cups and will have to go back when they are all gone.

Here is another view of Ellen. I love this little fabric. I bought a sliver of it from JoAnn's where they have a fantastic selection of tiny prints. Unfortuntely the store is now closed because they moved to one of those MEGA stores closer to town. I have not been there to check it out. Hopefully they retained most of their staff because they were some of the nicest ladies around.

I braided some chartreuse Merino wool and slightly wet-felted it. I let it dry and unbraided it, giving it a wavy look similar to Easter grass. I also tried something new...some tulle under a dress. Gives it a dressier feel. I think the next bear needs to have a fantastic dress...a princess perhaps. Ellen will be listed on ebay by Sunday.

I thought this was supposed to be easy?

Well...I cannot tell you how many hours I have worked on this blog and it's been incredibly frustrating. I thought it was going to be a snap. But since my background is print, not web, most of the terminology is new to me. That being said, my ideas for my "big fancy blog" is coming a LOT slower than I anticipated. Like I still cannot understand why I still have a header for PHOTO ALBUM but my photo albums are listed in the right column with the correct headers? (Whoa! I figured it out five hours later!) So believe me when I say..."I am really creative, this page is no indication of my talents, really!" Maybe I shouldn't stay up until 2am trying to figure this out. Maybe I should do it in the morning with a clear head. At least I was able to get this finished...or shall I say, give her a makeover. I ditched Violet's pillow. Didn't seem to reflect the detailed and miniature work I like to do. So, Violet now has a friend. I haven't named her yet. But she will be on ebay shortly...