Sunday, February 1, 2015

Missing January



Oh my! Is it really February first?
Why did January go by so fast?
I think January and February is a nice time of the year.
Quiet after all the hubbub of the holidays; it’s a time to get the house back in order, 
a time to spend just being, and a time to get back into the studio. 
As usual for me the New Year brings a surge of good intentions to change everything, 
but I get over that within a couple of weeks after New Year’s Day!

 Life has a way of getting in the way of good intentions anyway. 
I did recover from the mashed finger; but then Pog had the flu, he shared it with me, 
and it seems repairs were needed on everything. 
We have had the furnace worked on, the washer and dryer fixed, a broken pipe fixed, 
new brakes on my car, the microwave died and a lot of other little things fixed. 
I thought trouble only came in threes but ours did not stop at three!

Still with all our troubles life is good, and I have been quietly getting back to work.
Through the feedback I get from the tours I had requests for smaller rabbits/hares,
 individual mice and smaller pumpkin heads.
 I like to work big and the larger critters show up well in exhibits 
but for individual sales the smaller ones do better, so that is what I have been working on. Reducing my larger patterns is not easy, working smaller is not easy 
and I wanted to make some changes so I have spent a lot of time reducing and redrawing.   
It took three sets of legs before I got exactly the right ones for this smaller hare. 


To make him stand balanced firmly on two legs, the center of gravity has to be just right 
and his paws needed to be flat. 
That is one of the reasons it took three sets of legs to come up with the solution. 
On the third set, I realized that I needed to make a sole for the bottom of the paw just as if I was making a sole for a shoe.
 I am now very pleased with how it looks, and he stands firmly with no wobble.

Tweed is the prototype, and I didn’t want to use my hand dyed wool fabric on a test, 
so he is rather plain but now that my pattern is worked out I have a few ideas 
I want to try on the next ones.
 Little Tweed Hare is ½ the size of the original Sir Seamus O’Hare.
 You can see the difference with this photo.


Seamus stands 30 inches tall and Tweed stands 16 inches.
When Pog saw the new hare his comment was “now lets see if he can multiply”.
You never know, but I have a feeling this little hare will!

I hope you are enjoying this quiet time of year 
but I know the weather has caused hardships for some of you.
 We have had very little snow here in the mountains, 
but it has been cold and very windy at times. 
Sadie and I have enjoyed our early morning coffee time next to the wood stove each morn.
 It’s the best time of day and especially when Pog is home from work to enjoy it with us.

I am not a sports fan but we do watch the Super Bowl.
Well I sort of watch, I usually get bored after half time and go do something else; 
but still we have pizza and snack foods for what we do watch. 
That and the commercials are the best part for me!

Happy February everyone – stay safe and warm!



9 comments:

  1. Love your bunnies. I don't think they are plain at all. The things I make are smaller too, & yes working small can be hard. I was blessed with little hands & I am very grateful. I am also short, sometimes that is not a blessing! Glad your finger is better. Mine is about as good as it's going to get. First knuckle on my middle finger is much bigger & I figure it's permanent. Not good to crush an arthritic knuckle!! Oh well, it could be worse. Enjoyed the post.

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  2. Hi Loiuse,
    My goodness, but you have certainly had your share of troubles!!! Glad things seem to be getting back to normal and hope that is the end of "bad news!"
    LOVE your bunnies!! I think working with smaller things is much harder too, but sadly it is hard to get what you should as others think it is less work!! They look wonderful together and I agree with Sherri, they aren't plain to me either!! Hope your family grows and that you do well with them!! Thanks for sharing your talent!!
    Enjoy the Super Bowl!!
    Warm Hugs~
    Julie

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  3. I am happy January is done and will be happier when we say good-bye to February. That brings us all the closer to S-P-R-I-N-G!!!
    Your bunnies are so sweet.
    We are in the midst of our biggest storm of the year. It's pretty, but I could do without.
    Hugs :)
    Lauren

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  4. Oh my, your Little Tweed Hare is just precious, Sir Seamus O'Hare is pretty handsome too, they both looks adorable. You must get a lot of satisfaction from your creations.

    I know working on small things is more tedious and not as easy as working on large things but you dis an outstanding job....

    Sorry about all the breakdown and having the flu and smashing your finger. I like your positive attitude. Nothing is getting you down.

    I just got my nail grow back from smashing my finger this last Fall and my knuckle on the left had is swollen and painful from arthritis too like Sherri... Wishing you speedy healing.

    I hope that February will go fast, I'm getting kind of tired of all the snow storms and the cold wind. We are having storm after storm and another one on the way.

    Stay warm and happy.
    Hugs,
    JB

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  5. Your buns are so charming and the vests and ties are of marvelous fabric. I too find myself wanting to make some smaller creatures, because I know they are more affordable AND because little things are so darn cut, but sewing small can be quite tiresome on the fingers. BUT really, big rabbits are the best!

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  6. love the hares!
    the clothes just make them so special!
    hope you are out of the spend / repair everything cycle.
    that happens to us too, no fum at all, no money left afterwards either!
    my good intentions so often don't get very far!
    blessings for a better month!

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  7. Happy February, I have enjoyed seeing your latest creations...you are such a talented lady with so many creative ideas... Lots of snow here in my neck of the woods and more to fall tomorrow...Hope to get a bit of organization accomplished...Thank you for stopping by my blog...Enjoy the week...Julie...

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  8. It sounds like you're maintaining a surprisingly good attitude in the face of all that drama in your lives! I guess bunnies can help! The design for the smaller hare is very effective--I'm impressed with your problem-solving skills in figuring out just how to get him to stand. Now that you have the prototype, I hope the rest go easier. Here's to a cozy and uneventful February!

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  9. As we've all been there with many problems to deal with, Oh my, but I wish they would be fewer and further between! Your bunnies are so adorable and I just want to snuggle up to them and they are far from plain. So cute.

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