Happy New Year to All
Just a few pictures to start off 2008 with – Charlotte has still got the needle felting bug, she hasn’t made any mohair bears since getting started, I am amazed that she still has all her fingers intact she gets sooooo near with that needle!! I sometimes can’t take my eyes off the process and watch her pricking and shaping for hours with little bits of wool that looks like fluff and turns them into these cute bears. Chip, Nutmeg and Gretchen are the latest 3, I think they are getting prettier with each one.
I have had a little go and am still so scared of the needle that I cant use both hands so there isn’t much shaping getting done, I would like to master it and am trying to devise something long to hold the piece well away from my hand and then prick with the other, I tried with pliers but it was just squashing the piece out of shape (much to Charlotte’s amusement, she is trying so hard with me) – there must be a way, I will find one soon!! But in the meantime I am happy to carry on making my usual mohair bears.
4 comments:
OMG Pauline! those are great! tell Charlotte I love them.
Okay, you..... there is no way you are going to really injure any fingers. Yes, you will stab a few here and there..but it is not that big a deal; trust me on this. At first I am sure I used to stab much harder and deeper than I needed to do, and I did bleed a bit every so often...but, you just wait a few minutes and then you carry on.
Now... I just poke merrily along. the big thing is just to go along having some fun but watching what you are stabbing(maybe the word stabbing is throwing you off... just "poke" gently in that case). When you are working on the faces...you probably even need to use a your other thumbnail as a guide....kind of sliding the tip of the needle down it... Don't lift it too far out of the wool...you need to keep the needle in a specific spot. You probably noticed when Charlotte is forming certain indents on a face or trying to get a certain shape...she will likely be doing that.
Also...to make the needle easier to hold...I put a chunk of Sculpy on the end of it... smoothed and shaped to how my fingers want to hold it. Large enough to make gripping it much easier. Bake it in the oven for a bit at a very low heat to set the sculpy.
Hi Vee, some good tips there, thank you so much, I won't give up (though I don't think i be sliding that needle down my thumbnail just yet ha ha ha). It really is clever to be able to make bears this way. Will post some pictures of progress soon. Charlotte is beaming from the compliment and sends big thank you.
Off to poke a bit more now
Pauline
hahahha.... ooooooh....I am waiting on tenter hooks over here...for a little fuzzy fella to show up.....can't wait to see one.
.... tap....tap....
oh, alright...I will be patient. don't want to rush you and do want you to continue to play. It is such fun. Once you make one..you won't want to stop. It is addictive.
Oh my gosh! I almost fainted when I saw that darling little bear in your hand! Amazing work!
Sandra Evertson
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