Breena - The Makers Medley Challenge for May

Morning all you internet lovelies.

Last week was the May reveal for the Makers Medley Challenge (it's on the 16th of each month) and the challenge was Spring/Forests, which is lovely. I really love spring, as the weather warms and the blossoms appear everywhere, I can easily imagine little fairies everywhere too.

Award Winning, Yay me !!

Good Morning All,

Just had to share this with you I'm so chuffed to be able to tell you that I have won an award for my cloth dolls; the Great British Doll and Bear Cloth Doll Award 2015 to be exact.

So here a few pictures of the doll that bagged this little beauty for me, and I'm sure you'll agree she is beautiful to. You can find my current dolls for sale over on my Etsy page, there's a link in the side bar.

Hugs and Kisses

Ally

Needle Felting a Teddy - this is how I do mine.

Good Morning All

I know I haven't been in touch for awhile, but I did say I was going to stop just posting for the sake of it and only post when I had something to say. Well I have been busy while I've been away. I launched my dolls range which I guess would really have been something to say, but I've been saying it in lots of other places which you probably all read anyway, so I'm sure you know. If not then you best start following me in Facebook too. The dolls page is called Bees Knees Art Dolls and here's a link so no excuse. LINK.

Well it's doing really well, lots of interest and really nice comments, so I thought I'd do a giveaway to say thank you for all the people following me. And I thought a little needle felt ted would be good, and then I thought well what about Instagram and all the lovely people on there, so I thought I better do two.

Anyhow I made the first ted and posted up a picture to show people and I got asked how he was made, so I thought I pop up a few photos of the process I go though on here. This is not the be all or end all of needle felting and there are loads of other methods, this is just how I chose to make teddies.

 Firstly I take wool roving, a block of foam covered with hessian and some needle felting needle, I use 2 sizes a large to start and a smaller one as the felt starts to form.

 I pull of two pieces 1 small and the other around twice the size, for the head and body, and pull them around a bit. Then I start to poke, turning the piece very regularly so it doesn't just go flat,

 Once its a small round ball, I concentrate pokes in the center to start a muzzle area. Sorry about the colour felt, now I look back at these it's a bit close to the colour of the hessian.

 Then I do the same with the larger piece but make this into a tear drop shape.

Then come ears I take a real small amount of wool, you will be surprised at how small it needs to be, and felt it kinda flat, and round, with wispy bits hanging out the bottom (for attaching to head), just practice really.

Hold them in place on the head, one at a time, and needle felt into place, really poking well into the head so that the loose fibers from the ears go right into the head and hold firm.

 Next arms and legs, pull 4 bit apart, 2 slightly smaller and try to get the arms and legs about the same. Make the arms like sausages.

 Holding a leg piece a bit like a sausage shape, work on one side, trying to make it really look like a sausage by turning very regularly. Then when it starts to take shape turn it 90 degrees and work on the other end, the foot. this give you a nice sharp ankle area.

Don't worry that if the leg seems ridiculous big just keep felting and it will get smaller. 

 Keep an eye on proportions and try to make things even, again practice helps

Next take some embroidery floss and sew on a muzzle and mouth, hiding the fastenings under the muzzle area and loose threads through the head.

Eyebrows can be cute too.

I like to use watercolour pencils, the ones I use for dolls faces to add a little colour to paws and ears and sometimes their belly.

Then using strong thread I attach 2 black glass beads for eyes, threading the cotton through the head coming out the neck area and then down through the body to attach the head to the body too.

Arms and legs are attached by threading using the same method; thread through an arm, the body, the other arm, a bead and back again so the bear is sandwiched between 2 beads, pull hard and tie firmly, hiding threads inside the felt again.

So there you go, amazingly no fingers where harmed in the making of this blog, but remember if you fancy giving this ago the needles are sharp and barbed and hurt on the way in and way out, I have stabbed myself many time and eventually got better at missing me and hitting the felt, but be warned you will hurt yourself. On brighter note though you will end up with a cute little critter that is just yours and unique. And visit YouTube, there's load of really good tutorials out there.

But if you don't fancy trying then tune into my Facebook page or follow me in Instagram for chance to win one of mine, or even think about buying one from me. I will be getting some up in the shop now I realise the demand, originally they where made as accessories to the dolls, (who love them by the way and don't want to let them go.) or if you cant wait, order a custom-made one.

Well that's all from me for now. Next time it will be about the HSF 15 challenge blue, almost done sewing that up. So till next time.
Hugs and Kisses

Ally

Finishing touches

Good Morning Internet Lovelies

So this post will just be a round up of the rest of the wedding items, starting with the top half of my dress. I made it fully steel boned with a corset style back so that I didn't need to worry about underwear as it was supportive in itself.

a little cocktail hat

Good Morning all

You may have notice that there wasn't a post at the end of last week, well mini apologies, but in truth I'm not really sorry, you see the weather here was lovely and I chose to sit outside and so I needed to be able to do something portable, small and visible in the sun.  The screen on the laptop would not have been up to the task I'm afraid, so I went with sunshine and not blogging, it's not like this is a job, I am suppose to do it for fun, so what the hell.  And I had a lovely time sitting with my head in the shade and my legs up on a chair and in the sun.  Although the garden still has no grass and looks like a building site, I pretended and it was lovely. The dog loved it too and insisted on joining me on the chair, although she is not the right size for a lap dog anymore. I tried to get a photo with her looking at me but she insisted on turning round as soon as I clicked.
And here one of the things I did out there, a mini little veil for the cake topper we will have, told you I wanted to get all the things I could get done as early as possible to make sure there isn't a big rush at the last minute. It has 5 little roses made with bullion stitch. cute heh.

Well what should I have blogged about last week, it might have been about this lovely little hat that I made to go with my flowery dress for challenge 8 of the HSF, or might might have been some new steampunk creation, or about underwear, which would you have prefered? Well since I can't hear you, we will go with the hat and next time I will tell you all about how the 1910s corset is coming along or more steampunk stuff.

 I believe I am really lucky to live where I live, within a really short walking distance we have areas of green in which you can walk for ages without seeing a house, especially when the tree are full of leaves and a short walk the other way takes me to shops and pubs and a thriving community centre. Best of both worlds.

 And these areas are still in the middle of the suburbs of Birmingham.

Anyway all this greenery often inspires me and I love the colours, the pinky/purple hue of the grass, so with my flowery dress being the same colours, and my needing a hat to wear with it, I was off.

I'm afraid that I forgot to take any picture before this one, to show the embroidery in more detail, you think I'd be use to this blogging life style by now. But here it is pinned on to the buckram base.

And a close up of the embroidery.

I had to stabilise the material to start with as it is a thin stretchy lycra fabric, so I simply ironed on some interfacing and that's why the underneath is white. Here you can see the underneath, the buckham base with the millinery wire sewn around the edge and the lining material which I attached with spray on fusible adhesive (not very well as you can see its coming off at that point).

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 Once I had turned the fabric over the edge to the underside and sewn it down I attached a bit of bias binding to cover the raw edges, sewed on a comb and attached some feathers in matching colours.

And finally with the dress, you can see the trim on the dress which I used to make the hat. Well I think it looked quite sweet, and I wore it to a work's cocktail party with Dr J. which was a very nice affair with pimms and canapes.   

Well that will do for today. This Saturday coming is 'Tiffin in the Park', a steampunk fair, I have a stall at so I'm off to create.  I have to say I am enjoying my life.  I hope you are all happy too.

Hugs and Kisses

Ally