Royal Baby Fever: Duke, Duchess and Prince George Wool Dolls

Royal Baby Fever has really hit me. Where the world seemed to spend all of their energy on waiting for the Royal Baby to arrive, I have had a lot more fun since he arrived. After over ten years of collecting paper and memorabilia, coins and stamps and things like that having to do with the reign of King George VI, having a new little prince named George is FUN! I've ordered the New Zealand postage stamps (should arrive next week!) and even a Royal Trust "Royal Baby Loving Cup" for my hutch (to join all the KGVI china). I've spent any free moment in the evenings that I could get working on a Prince George scrapbook. What is it Elizabeth says: Enjoy it now while he's a baby, and you can imagine him as any type of prince that you like. As you can tell, Royal Baby Fever hasn't hit her as hard as it has me! ;)

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as Minikin Wool Dolls --- including Prince George!

Not to forget any chance of enjoying this little Prince, we decided to make a set of Minikin dolls that looks like Prince William and Princess Catherine when they stepped out of the Lindo Wing at St. Mary's in London to show off their new baby to the waiting public --- via hundreds of media cameras and reporters. They really dressed for the occasion in baby blue, carrying Prince George wrapped in a merino wool shawl. It seemed like the perfect "makings" for a set of Minikins. Elizabeth made Duchess Kate's custom-made Jenny Packham polka dot dress out of blue wool/rayon felt --- and hand-sewed every dot on it! Prince William even has metallic thread to make the studs on his belt.

Baby Prince George of Cambridge is the "crowning" touch (bad pun, I know!) to this set --- in my opinion. He's my favorite part. I needle felted him out of merino wool. Actually, the real shawl that little George was wrapped in was made by G.H. Hurt & Son, a Nottingham-based company --- and it was made of merino wool!

We've just listed these in our Etsy store as a custom order, which means that we "make them to order" in about three weeks. If anyone reading this post is interested in ordering their own Royal Family dolls, please contact me through the e-mail address at the top of the right-hand column here on my blog. The Baby George Minikin is actually felted individually and is not sewn onto the Princess Catherine doll. If you'd like your little George in the arms of Prince William, well, we could do that, too! We could also make the Duke and Duchess in the outfits they wore in the first official pictures of Prince George.

The First Official Picture of Prince George

So, I hope that everybody is enjoying the Royal Baby --- and a peek at our newest wool felt dolls! The pictures don't really do them justice, though. You need to see them and hold them to get the real feeling. :) More later.

Capt. Hastings (played by Hugh Fraser) as a Needle-Felted Doll

Just in time to go to the State Fair, my newest needle-felted wool doll (or sculpture, which seems to be the more technical term!) is finished. This is actually the 21st one that I have finished! This doll is based on Agatha Christie's character Captain Arthur Hastings as portrayed by Hugh Fraser in the Poirot TV show. After having made three little Poirot dolls, I thought it was high time that Capt. Hastings got his chance. Hastings (as played by Hugh Fraser, that is) is my favorite Christie character. Besides, I've always wanted to make one of these wool dolls with a hand in their pocket --- so, this was the perfect chance.

This doll is based on Hastings' outfit in one of the first-season episodes, The Adventure of the Clapham Cook. Although, he is usually wearing this type of outfit in most shows. The back of the jacket even has the belt and pleats --- as do his pants! In contrast to Hercule Poirot, Captain Hastings never wears a "suit". Always the belted jacket with large pockets (usually of some kind of tweed). This is often worn with a knit vest, though he does appear in buttoned vests on occasion. Where Poirot wears the stiff "turned-up" collar and bow tie, Hastings always has the turned-down collar and necktie.

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS.

This doll took 59 hours to complete. He stands 10" tall and weighs 2-3/4 ounces. He was felted with .40 and .42 gauge felting needles and is made of Merino and Cotswold roving. His hair is 100% wool doll hair.

So, Captain Hastings will soon be on his way to the State Fair. After that, he will most likely end up in our Etsy store. I'm planning on taking another doll down to work on while we're at Gramma and Grampa's. Figure I could have another doll finished sometime in September --- we'll see! Elizabeth is anxious for me to make an Elrond doll for her (in his costume as seen in the first part of The Hobbit), but I think I'll wait until late Fall to start that one. That way I'll have the Winter to work on him! More later.

Seeing the Poirot Dolls in Their New Home

The two needle-felted dolls of Poirot have arrived safely at their new home. And they are not lonely! They were a special order that I've been working on for several months. In the meantime, their owner had also ordered nine Poirot Minikin dolls and his four friends from our Etsy store. She was kind enough to send a picture of her whole Poirot collection in its display cabinet --- and give me permission to post it here!



So, the Poirots are happily displayed. She even has an autographed picture of David Suchet as Poirot. Elizabeth and I have had so much fun working on all of these dolls. We've always been "fans" of certain performers in the true sense of the word: fanatic. I've got multiple Nelson Eddy scrapbooks. One is so big that you have to lay it on the floor to even begin to open it. Elizabeth has been so crazy about Deanna Durbin for years that she's got pictures, scrapbooks, binders, boxes and who-knows-what with Deanna's picture on/in them. We like to think that we're carrying on in the style of the true fans of the 1930s and '40s. Well, we didn't think that many people like that still existed. People these days like something or someone for a fleeting moment, but as soon as they turn the movie off or the show is finished --- poof! Everything is forgotten.

Well, we have voted this Poirot fan one of the all-time greatest fans. She certainly has to be David Suchet's #1 fan! It has been so fun to see someone enjoy something like this. She has also inspired us with all kinds of ideas as to different outfits to put on the little dolls and making the Poirot's little friends. It's been very fun to be able to share this with someone who is enjoying these dolls as much (and maybe even more!) than we have. A lot of effort and time and emotion goes into making these little dolls. We've had some Etsy orders for custom dolls where the buyer just "bought and paid" for the doll. No contact at all. Those experiences have left us rather flat, as there is a lot tied up into making each of these. So, working on this collection has really made up for other experiences. This whole collection is certainly something that we'll always remember!

Group Pictures with the New Poirot Dolls

Here are some "group pictures" showing some of my other needle felted dolls or sculptures standing with the new Hercule Poirot dolls. It's very hard to get pictures of them together as many of the dolls vary in size --- not to mention that some of them are sitting down. So, I posed them on the piano. It shows the scale of the different dolls, anyway!



First, here is Mom's Poirot doll standing with the two new ones. This makes three large Poirot dolls that I've felted, and it's amazing how each one has its own personality. In fact, I had so much fun making them that I've decided to start a Captain Hastings doll today! Captain Hastings is my very favorite character from the Agatha Christie books (particularly as portrayed by Hugh Fraser in the TV shows), so it's only fair to make a doll of him as well. :)



Next, here is a group shot that shows some of the more recent dolls (minus all of the gnomes). You can see that the Poirot shows have played a rather active part in my felting inspiration. The two dolls in center are based on the Meissen figurines and Victory Ball costumes as seen in the episode, The Affair at the Victory Ball. As of now, I'm planning on Captain Hastings next and, hopefully, Elrond after that . . . but things are always subject to change!

It's been absolutely freezing here all day yesterday and again today. We're actually having to heat the house again. Sad thing is, I have to go out and mow the lawn (I'm not a fan of cold and windy weather!). The good thing is that the sun is shining a bit, so maybe it won't be too bad. ;) More later.

Hercule Poirot Dolls: Two More Needle Felted Sculptures

I can't believe it, but I have now made twenty needle-felted wool dolls (or "sculptures")! These dolls have quite a story, too. Two and a half years ago, I made a smaller felted Poirot doll as a surprise Christmas present for Mom and posted the story here on my blog. It has been quite popular, and I've received quite a few comments and e-mails asking if I would make another Poirot doll.



One thing that you have to know about me is --- I don't duplicate any of my original handwork. I didn't always have strong feelings about this, but after a few trials of duplication (mostly because Elizabeth just had to have "the same" something) I soon learned better. When working with something handmade and without a pattern, it is impossible to make an exact duplicate. It never looks just the same and the person on the receiving end is always disappointed.

So, I stubbornly refused to make another Poirot. Then --- it happened. I got a really nice e-mail from a lady in another country who wanted to know if I would make a Poirot doll for her. I sent back a long e-mail explaining my reasons for not duplicating. And the fact that felting is really just my hobby. Well, she sent back a nice chatty reply, told me that she totally understood, but would I please keep her in mind if I ever felt like making another Poirot?



Elizabeth is a great sister. She and I talk about a lot of things, and on this occasion E. did a lot of talking. In fact, she talked me into agreeing to make one more Poirot. Not only that, but she actually talked me into making two more Poirots --- that way we could always list the other in our Etsy store. So, I sent an e-mail back to the nice lady saying I would be glad to make one. I even explained that I was planning on making two, so she could have a choice of outfits and colors. What I hadn't figured on was her writing back and saying that she would like both of them --- one wearing the classic light grey suit and the other in his cream-colored "Travel" suit. Wow!

So, for the last several months I have been working on two little Poirot dolls. Finally, yesterday evening, I put the finishing touches on them. Making one of a character at a time is great, but making two of the same was a bit challenging. It kept them at a similar shape and size, but it also felt like I was always making mistakes, since I had to keep "recreating" the same pieces all along the way. In the end, it really did pay off, though, as the finished dolls are an absolutely adorable pair!



Each doll weighs two ounces. They were made with .40 and .42 gauge felting needles and took approximately 110 hours to make as a pair. The doll in the light grey suit stands 8-1/2" tall and the doll in the "Travel" suit stands 8-1/4" tall. Dad made their canes out of wood and used metal beads for handles. The doll in the grey suit has a real sterling silver "stud" on his shirt, and the doll in the "Travel" suit has a fly-swatter made (also by Dad) of Buck Tail and Quill. The watch chains and fobs were made by Elizabeth and are made from real jewelry chain and a "dangle-y" jewelry piece for the fob. The lapel pins are made of some unidentified silver jewelry thing, and the flowers are felted. The doll in the light grey has a light pink rose the color of the "Hercule Poirot" rose as seen in the David Suchet TV episode How Does Your Garden Grow?.

Now that they are finished and sitting here, I am so happy that Elizabeth talked me into making them. They will be leaving for their home in a private collection in the next few days. Mom and Elizabeth are going to be sorry to see them go. Mom's just a teeny weeny bit jealous, as these two Poirots are infinitely superior to her doll. :) It is too bad that I won't be able to enter one of them in the State Fair this Summer, so the Mark Fain doll will just have to go alone! These Poirots certainly are cute, and they are even better in person than they are in photos.



If you'd like to see more photos of the dolls, you can see their photo albums by CLICKING HERE. So, I have made twenty dolls now --- and even duplicated a character. Poirot certainly lends himself to felt. I'm planning on taking some new "group shots" of some of the dolls tomorrow, so I'll post more later.

Detectives Here, Detectives There . . .

Well, we have finally finished all of the little Minikin dolls from the big special order that we've been working on for the past several weeks. Boy, was this fun! The order was for ten dolls (to accompany the customer's first Minikin of Hercule Poirot) --- all themed after characters from various detective shows. Four of the dolls were Poirot's Friends, but six of them were other characters from other shows. Take a look at them. Aren't they cute?!

Doll Set: Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Charlie Chan, Miss Marple, Nero Wolfe & Archie Duncan

In fact, we have had more people contact us about detectives than any other topic, so we're planning on changing the feel of the Etsy store to reflect the "mystery" theme. For the time being, we plan on making all of the Minikin dolls based on various detectives (and their friends). That means that Elizabeth and I are going to get busy today working on some more Poirot dolls and his friends. We're planning on offering all of these (and more!) for sale in our Etsy store --- and by special order.

Front Row: Poirot and Friends Doll Set

(Capt. Hastings, Mrs. Oliver, Miss Lemon, Inspector Japp & Poirot)

The picture above shows the complete special order of dolls. Holmes and Watson are my personal favorites, though Miss Marple is awfully cute. With this many different characters, we had a lot of fun with all of the variety in outfits and colors. We'd never heard of Nero Wolfe, but his lemon yellow shirt, striped tie and yellow hanky were cool! I'll be posting individual pictures of the dolls over the next week on our store blog, so check them out by CLICKING HERE.

We had a fun weekend (quite busy), so I'll be posting pictures and news from that as soon as I can get them ready. Gotta get felting now! More later.

Needle Felting: What It Is & How to Do It

I've been needle-felting for a little over three years now. In that time, a lot of people have asked Elizabeth and me what needle-felting is and how it is done. Well, most people actually get a blank look on their faces and say, "What's that?" This entry is as concise an explanation as I can make --- along with some "how-to" pictures to supply a visual explanation.
 

There are two kinds of needle felting: "Applique" and "In-the-Round". Almost all of the felting that I do is "in-the-round", though some applique techniques apply when making clothing for dolls or any flat pieces. Either way, you need wool roving. Roving . . . it's one of my favorite things. Lots of colors are handy (part of my collection is shown below), but you'll only need one to start practicing.

 

Needle-felting is accomplished by poking barbed/notched needles into wool roving (or other fibers like llama, alpaca, etc.). As the small barbs are pushed into the wool it "tangles" the roving and felts the wool. The more you poke the roving, the firmer the felt and finished product. It is a rather new art, since felting in the round only started in the 1980s. Methods and techniques are very individual, and no two pieces are ever quite the same.

TOOLS: Needles, Needle Holder & Felting Mat

There are all kinds of tools and methods when it comes to needle felting, but these are my favorites. I use the Clover felting mat (large size) and pen tool. These are very easy to find, being available at large craft stores like JoAnne Fabrics, Hobby Lobby --- and even on Amazon.com. The felting mat has a plastic base and long nylon bristles (giving it the look of a fancy brush). These are made to the height of the felting needles when used in a Clover pen or applique tool. That way, you never break a needle by hitting the base.

The pen tool is a very nifty thing. Lots of felters simply hold onto the top of the needle and felt that way, but I am more comfortable with a larger grip for the hand. The pen tool can hold one to three needles, so it can be used for "In-the-Round" or applique.

 

Clover also sells their own brand of felting needles, but I don't recommend them. I used them for about a year, but the amount of breakage is incredible. The needles are very thin and flimsy, so they don't last very well. For the past two years, I have been buying needles in bulk packs of fifty from Fine Fiber Press. They sell on Etsy and through their own website. They offer a variety of needles at a fair price --- and the quality is excellent. I don't break many needles at all and they last through a lot of felting before the notches wear off.

Picking the size of your felting needle can seem a bit daunting, but a lot of it comes down to personal preference. I would recommend a sample pack, then you can try different sizes and see what works best for you. Needles range in gauge from 32 (coarse) to 42 (ultra-fine). The larger/coarser the needle, the faster it will felt. Unfortunately, there is always a drawback to speed. The larger needles also leave visible puncture marks in your felt. Because of this, I only us size 40 and 42 needles. It takes a bit longer to achieve a firm felt, but I find that the "pock mark" effect of puncture holes is not visible (or rarely visible) in the finished product. When I started felting, I was using a 36 needle, and that leaves very visible marks.

FELTING APPLIQUE STYLE: Large Flat Pieces or Flat Accents

Applique felting is fun, easy and the results are rather quick. In fact, I've taken one picture to show a piece of flat felt (made from wool roving). All you do is place the desired amount and general size of roving on your mat. Insert all three needles into the pen tool and "felt" away. Don't be afraid to push your needles down into the roving --- you don't want to "prick" the wool with only the first 1/8" of your needle. Use all those barbs and you'll have nice, firm felt at the end. Once you've got the hang of this, you'll find the you can achieve some good speed while stabbing the needles down into the wool. Felt until the wool looks firm and smooth, then pull it off of the mat. You'll see that the underside is now very wooly with all of the fiber that you've pushed down from the top. Lay that furry side up on the mat and felt it down. Continue felting each side in this manner until the felt has the consistency suitable for your project. This same technique would apply to any large, flat piece (such as felting a design on a scarf or hat), however, I don't have much experience with this kind of felting --- so, I would suggest finding another online article for more info on that!
 

FELTING "IN-THE-ROUND": Dolls, Animals and 3D Work

Felting in the round is a lot of fun. You start with a pile of wool roving and end up with a doll (or animal) that has character and personality. There are no "right ways" and "wrong ways" when it comes to felting in the round. Every person will develop their own techniques and tricks, so if you have an idea that makes your work easier --- go for it! 

I only ever use one needle to felt an object in the round. I have two pen tools, one loaded with a size 40 needle and the other with a size 42 needle. This saves time when wishing to switch between sizes during a project. Sometimes, if you are making a large round object (such and a head), then I will use three needles in the pen tool to felt a long piece which is then rolled into a sort of ball shape. Back to one needle and I work on turning this rough-felted ball into a smooth oval shape for the head. This is a time-saving measure, but I'm sure that each person comes up with their own methods for that. :) 

To achieve a three dimensional shape, you must turn the wool on the mat as you are felting. Never felt in one area or side too long, because the wool will flatten out and you will end up with a flat piece before very long. The biggest challenge in 3D felting is keeping each side of your sculpture symmetrical. All I can say is --- practice makes perfect. I am working on my twentieth needle-felted doll, and I still concentrate on symmetry. The series of pictures below shows the basic technique for felting in the round (feel free to click on the pictures to enlarge them). I just made a small ball-shaped piece, but there is no difference whether you make a ball, a foot, a leg or a head. For details like noses and knees, you can add small pieces of wool onto the main piece as you go, but making the basic shape is always the same.

 

This should give you a rough idea of how needle-felting works. It's a great hobby and art that is relaxing and fun. Possibilities are endless and you can develop your own method as you learn and invent "tricks of the trade". Have fun and thanks for stopping by!

Felt Minikin Dolls of Hercule Poirot's Friends

If anybody has been wondering what we've been doing all week . . .
We've been making miniature dolls of Poirot's friends as portrayed in some of the David Suchet TV shows. These were actually made as a special order, so they won't even appear in the Etsy shop! We did manage to make two Miss Lemon dolls, so one of those is listed.

Poirot Doll & Friends: Captain Hastings, Mrs. Oliver, Hercule Poirot, Miss Lemon & Inspector Japp

Here we have (from left to right in the picture): Captain Hastings as played by Hugh Fraser. He is Poirot's trusty "associate" and my personal favorite! Hastings is always "into" some new hobby or sport --- usually photography, racing cars and golf. Our little Minikin Hastings doll sports his pair of Plus Fours. That way, he is ready to hit the green during any lull in the case.

Mrs. Ariadne Oliver as played by Zoe Wanamaker. She is Poirot's friend and a fellow "detective". She is a prolific author of mystery books, so she's quite experienced in the world of crime. Her character is sort of an autobiographical spoof of Agatha Christie herself. This outfit is from the show, Mrs. McGinty's Dead. This is the only episode that we watch that features Mrs. Oliver, but she's Mom's favorite character.

Hercule Poirot as played by David Suchet. I've already posted entries talking about this little Minikin. We've made Poirot in multiple outfits and sold some. He is very excited to be joined by all of his pals!

Dolls: Captain Hastings, Mrs. Oliver, Miss Lemon & Inspector Japp

Miss Lemon as played by Pauline Moran. She is Poirot's very capable secretary and appeared in most of the short episodes. She is altogether fabulous, and her clothes are always a picture. Our little Minikin is wearing her light blue dress with white jacket. This is my favorite outfit of Miss Lemon's, and it appears in multiple stories of the short episodes. This particular doll is based on Miss Lemon as seen in The Case of the Missing Will.

Last (but not least!) is the renowned Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard. Poirot shows wouldn't be the same without Japp. He is the first doll that we've made in a trench coat, and the results are so cute! I even needle-felted a hat for him.

The Wonder of Wool

Wool is amazing. It's that simple. I've loved it as long as I can remember, and it's put me in the way of some friendly ridicule from my dear family. Elizabeth has always kidded me that my kids will just be dying to go to her house, because she won't make them wear wool sweaters all the time and sleep under wool blankets.Even the scratchiness of wool clothes (e.g. sweaters, skirts and jackets) has never bothered me --- to the amazement of Mom and Elizabeth. I just love wool. It's liquid repellent if you happen to be playing in the snow or out in the rain, and it dries almost immediately.



It's no wonder that making wool felt dolls and learning how to needle felt dolls seemed like such a fun hobby. I'm finally convincing the family of the great value of wool, and opening this Etsy shop and working on little wool felt dolls has certainly helped. Mom and Elizabeth have pretty much gone off the "deep end" when it comes to studying, selecting and using wool felt. What blends are the best? Where is the best place to buy it? How many colors are available? What's the best cut to buy? Is it better as yardage or by the square? Those are the type of things that they've spent a lot of time on these days.

All this to say, we've discovered some great uses for wool over the years, and I thought that it would be a pretty fun post to show some of the things that this amazing fiber can be used for.

Felted Dolls, of course. My favorite wool thing has to be a doll. I love everything about them. Making them, holding them and admiring them. They are just wonderful all around.



Clothing (i.e. Coats, Hats, Sweaters, Socks, etc.). There is nothing better than wearing wool. A Winter coat, a sweater. You name it, and I love wearing it. My favorite thing has to be knitted wool socks. Not only do they keep your feet warm and toasty, but they are truly beautiful things to behold. I have three pairs of striped socks that I've gotten at some of the fiber shows, but I'd love to have a pair of knitted Scandinavian-design knee socks. In fact, this is a picture of a particular pair (available in this shop on Etsy) that I really admire. Wow! I couldn't imagine much better than that.



Felt Play Food. This is our newest discovery, and Elizabeth and I have pretty much gone nuts over it. Apparently, this has been all the rage for some years as part of the Waldorf school technique. Somehow, we had never heard of it --- until this week. I even parted with my "Christmas money" and bought a set of patterns (guess where??? --- from this shop on Etsy!) to make complete felt meals. A French Toast breakfast. Pizza and fried mozzarella. Sandwiches and hamburgers. Fruit salad. Ice cream. You name it . . . practically. Take a look at these pictures and tell me that it doesn't look almost real!



Felted Animals. Mom laughs at me for "favoriting"  felted animal sales on Etsy. She doesn't understand why someone who makes felted dolls all the time would bother staring (multiple times, that is) at pictures of felted animals that other people are selling. Well, I LOVE making dolls. People. That doesn't mean that I enjoy felting animals --- but I do admire them. Below are two pictures of felted animals that I really love. The first is a Barn Swallow, and if you've been reading my blog in any of the past Summers, then you know that is my all-time favorite bird. It is available from this shop on Etsy.  The second picture is a Scottish Fold kitten (see it on Etsy here). Do you get cuter than that? How I would love to have a felted kitten of my cat, Samwise. This pose is perfect. In fact, I've been saving some of Sammy's fur (which felts beautifully) for years and want to make a felted kitten of him. I just haven't gotten up the courage to try it.



Baby Diaper Covers & Children's Clothes. A few weeks ago, Mom found out about wool diaper covers. That's a fabulous alternative to plastic or rubber. I'm a big fan of cloth diapers, but it drives me crazy that you "have" to put the plastic or rubber cover on. Well, I guess it is only us Americans that suffer from that delusion! Europeans have been using knitted wool diaper covers forever, and it's just fabulous. After reading a lot about them and looking at all kinds, I decided that my favorite is the Disana brand. They are German-based and 100% wool. No elastic. No ties. No buttons. No snaps. Just plain knitted wool. Not only do they make the cutest diaper covers, but they also have a line of children's clothes made of wool. Take a look at the boiled wool "cover-all" suit. I mean, that looks like the old-fashioned, precious baby suit for Winter. And it can come in a variety of colors. So, I'm sold on wool baby clothes, too --- from the diaper on up!



These are just some of the wonderful things that can be done with wool. This post would go on forever if I listed everything that I love, but these are some standouts. So, it gives you an idea of what really speaks to me. If you haven't tried loving wool, then I sure recommend it. This said, I should be upstairs making a little wool doll to list on Etsy. :) More later.

Bass Player, Mark Fain, as a Needle-Felted Doll

Finally! I've finished and photographed my latest needle-felted doll. I've been working on this one since the Fall, but I wasn't very dedicated for a few months there. Too busy working on Minikins, I guess. The doll has been finished for about 2-1/2 weeks, now, but it's taken some time to make the guitar.

This doll is based on Mark Fain, a well-known Bass player for Bluegrass and Country music (played with Ricky Scaggs for years). He just happens to be the Bass player on Buddy's latest CDs --- which is what gave me the idea for the doll. It started when Elizabeth and I went down to Gat3 Studio with Buddy and Kay in June. Buddy was recording his CD, Noah Believed, and we spent two days at the studio, while the recording was going on. The first day is when all the background musicians came in to record the tracks. Mark was the first one to arrive, and Elizabeth and I were convinced -- almost from the first glance -- that he would make a fabulous needle-felted doll. Throughout the rest of the day, we watched him and took mental notes of details that would transfer well to the doll (e.g., his orange wrist watch and endless supply of chewing gum). Once home and ready to begin work on the doll, I printed out some of the pictures which Kay had taken during the session.

(See More Pictures by CLICKING HERE.)

He really turned out like I wanted, and it was really enjoyable to felt the pink shirt. I just love brown and pink wool! Photos above show the doll and the real Mark. The doll sits 8-1/2 inches tall and weighs 2-3/4 ounces without his guitar. He was felted with .40 and .42 gauge needles and took approx. 59 hours to make.

The guitar is a miniature replica of the one that Mark played while recording Buddy's CD. Dad made it from Basswood, and Elizabeth painted it (using a pearl coating to give it the shiny look). Dad used glass beads, straight pins, fly-fishing sinkers and delicate wire to make the knobs, buttons and strings. Aren't Elizabeth and Dad a great team?! The finished guitar weighs one ounce. Be sure to check out more pics of the doll by viewing the photo album.

Hercule Poirot as a Miniature Doll for 'Etsy'

A couple of years ago I needle felted a Hercule Poirot doll as a gift for Mom (see blog entry here). Elizabeth and I had a lot of fun making him, since the Poirot TV shows with David Suchet are family favorites. Apparently, a lot of other people like Agatha Christie's little Belgian Detective, too, as I've gotten a lot of e-mails and comments on this doll over the years.

I haven't ventured to make another needle felted doll of him, but Elizabeth and I spent a while coming up with patterns to make a miniature version --- standing just 4 inches tall. Getting into the swing for Etsy, we've been working on making all different characters of these miniature dolls, but Poirot has certainly been the most fun. The dolls (which we've decided to call "Minikins") are made with a wire armature that's wrapped in cotton floss. The clothes are made of Wool/Rayon felt (all from patterns that we've designed ourselves) and the heads --- including the infamous mustache --- are needle-felted.




We've decided to make the Poirot doll in several of his outfits (as seen in the TV shows). Four are completed with another two to come. Today marks their debut on Etsy, so we're very excited! We're thinking about making Captain Hastings, Miss Lemon, Inspector Japp and Mrs. Oliver, too --- but that's for the future.

If you'd like to check out the dolls on Etsy, just CLICK HERE to see our shop.

(Edit @ 7:30PM: How exciting! All of the little Poirot dolls sold in the first two hours, so be sure to look in the "Sold" items in the Etsy shop. We'll be making some more and listing them as soon as possible, as well as accepting custom orders. Feel free to contact us through the shop if you are interested in your own mini Poirot.)

We're really hoping to be able to make a bunch more of these little dolls. Poirot is just such a perfect subject. I'm way behind on my blogging as all of our time these days is spent working on making dolls for the shop. It's just too much fun!
More later.

We've opened an Etsy Store: The Fogleberry Shoppe

Mom and I have talked about it and talked about it some more. We finally decided to open an Etsy store yesterday afternoon. The main thing that we wanted to list there were the felted dolls (called "Fogleberries"), so the name of the store is The Fogleberry Shoppe. We listed the four Fogleberries last night, and I've got plans for making a few more to put in there.

Elizabeth and I are also planning on making some small wired dolls (of the four inch or less variety) with felt clothes and needle felted heads. We've made quite a few dolls like this, including a WWII sailor, a little Jeanette MacDonald, a William Wilberforce and a set of the "nine" from The Fellowship of the Ring --- see this entry for photo. While those dolls won't be for sale, it's more of this type that we've got in mind. That should give us some more things to offer, more easily made (not three to four months a piece) and at a low price.

Mom and I had to make a banner for the store, so we spent an hour or so on that. Here is the finished result:



This has given Elizabeth and me the idea to make a "Fogleberries" page for our website. So, that's on the agenda. I'm coming right along with the next doll --- the little guitar player. My family cast a unanimous vote that he should not be a gnome. They agreed that he should look like a modern little man, so that's what he's going to be. He's actually going to look pretty sleek when finished. I modified his shoes last night (removing those little "gnome" buckles, etc.), and we've found quite a cool "seat" for him. Pictures to come as soon as he's finished --- hopefully, before Christmas. Be sure to check out the Etsy store!

The 'Fogleberries' are finally for sale!

After two and a half years of working, I've finished seventeen needle-felted dolls. Some of them have been given away, and the Rainbow's End gnomes are all Elizabeth's, but that still leaves some of them sitting around. Selling them seems like a great way to make a little spending money (especially since I have an expensive set of stamp books that I'd like to own), and we've been talking about putting them on an online auction of some kind for about a year and a half.

Well, Mom and I finally did it yesterday. We put our noses to the grindstone and got to work, and as of last night, four of the felted dolls are for sale on eBay. Mom wanted a "name" for them, so we hashed out all kinds of options --- finally deciding on "Fogleberry". So, if you just search for "Fogleberries" on eBay, you'll find them. The pictures below show the four dolls that are listed.



It took a lot of work to take all of the pictures for each doll. They are not the easiest thing to photograph (being natural fiber), but the end results look just like the little dolls. I had all kinds of lamps out and a good portion of the front room turned topsy-turvy. I was pretty pleased with the end result, though. Elizabeth and I are planning on making a "Fogleberry" page on our website in the next week!
More later.

Carmen Miranda is Back from the Fair!

Today was the day. The State Fair ended last night, so we were allowed to pick up the entries today (or tomorrow, if we’d wanted to)! Yahoo. I’ve really been missing Carmen Miranda, since she had only been finished one day before I had to part with her. It was worth it though, after all — look at that beautiful purple prize that she came home with. :)



The weather is very warm today, but very beautiful. Blue sky with just some little fluffy couds strewn about. We don’t have that kind of weather very often. In fact, there were such bad storms here all morning yesterday that we actually couldn’t go to church. They cleared up by about 1:30pm though. I spent a while working on fun stuff in Photoshop.

It’s been a year or so since I had a chance to really do something other than cropping, adjusting levels and saving pictures. Not bad, but a bit dull. That banner for Tony Martin started the urge. I got to use some fun tools and effects, so that really gave me a fun couple of hours. I’ve been working on cleaning some Dan Duryea photos up for my scrapbook. We can’t really print photos these days. It’s just too hot and humid, so the ink separates and spreads. No problem, it gives me time to fix a bunch up and then I’ll have a lot to work on all Winter. More later.

State Fair Results and Another Bookstore

The State Fair opened yesterday, and the weather was quite decent. Being such good conditions, we decided to go down and see the entries and the results of the judging. Being the first day, if you entered the fairgrounds before 3:00pm the ticket price was only $3.00. Not a bad day to decide to go, I guess! There was an absolutely huge harvester outside the Creative Arts building, so Mom took our picture in front of it for scale.



The Carmen Miranda doll got 1st place in needle felting and Best of Show for felting! That made me very happy. She's the best doll that I've ever made. :) The Indian Brave got second place, so he's very happy, too. We get to pick them up the day after the fair closes, which is a week and a half from now, I think.



We looked at all of the other Creative Arts entries in the building. The amount of them seemed lower than last year, but there were several very cool items that I just loved. First, cupcakes displayed in corn-on-the-cob plates. They were frosted in yellow with yellow and white jelly beans covering the tops in rows. This gave the impression that they were an ear of corn. The picture was completed by sticking the little corn holders into the cupcakes at the edge. Wow! That is one of the cutest ideas that I've ever seen. Got to copy that one some time.

The other stand-out to me was a large, hand-pieced quilt. Every square was a different tree branch loaded with fruit. There were oranges, limes, pears, bananas and even a pineapple! Definitely cool!



We finished up at the fair by about 11:45am, so we continued way out to Springfield (that's a bit of a trek) to a store called Bookhaven. Before entering that marvelous place, we stopped at Pizza Hut. Can't look through books while you're hungry, can you?! The bookstore is owned by the same person as the one that we visited in Columbus last weekend, though this is her main store. Wow! We all voted it the nicest used bookstore that we've ever been to. We spent hours in there, and were able to find some nice things.

We went down the highway a couple exits and looked at some more books at a very over-priced antique mall, but we were all pretty tired. The trip home took a while, but it had been a pretty fun day! More later.