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This is my latest Staffordshire inspired creature. I could only find one image of a pig to work from; pigs don't seem to have been as popular as spaniels or greyhounds. About forty hours later I am finally satisfied with it.
I'm finding I have to work a little differently to emulate the Staffordshire look.. I have never needle felted eyes before, however the eyes on the original were painted on with one brush stroke, so I used just a few fibres of black to reproduce this effect. And the hooves were a bit tricky. but it's a challenge which I enjoyed and another learning curve.
By:
Paintgranny,
on 6/23/2016
Blog:
Middle of Nowhere
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Tiny Polar Bear (sold)
I recently updated my website and for the first time (ever) catalogued all my designs by year and month. Nine years of almost non-stop needle felting. It took many days of hunting on various camera cards and through this blog and Flickr, but eventually I got there.
Looking through it was a bit of a wake up call and I was able to look at my work and realise not only that I've done a phenomenal amount of work, but also that I've not really moved on, stylistically. Although, to be fair, the last few years haven't exactly been the time for creative navel gazing.
I think it has a lot to do with the last few years of creating commercial patterns, which have to be easy to make, and doing so many workshops, ditto. So I've not really stretched myself.
I think making myriad cute toys has almost run it's course for me, after all, I've been doing them for nine years. So I've been finishing off several bits and pieces, including this set of tiny animals and bird dolls, which despite being small, take around six hours plus to make
As usual, I've bunged them on dear old Etsy. I'll be starting a shiny new website soon, for my new work.
I started a new and very 'grown up' line of work this summer, but it is under wraps until I have several pieces. Suffice to say, I am stretching myself at last.
While I'm cheerfully shoving things for sale under your noses, I may as well add that I've got some fabulous new workshops in the UK, for later in the year. I have two winter workshops in Hampstead, London at the Village Haberdashery - my first time in London! It's going to be the red eye train at crack of dawn for those two.
In other news, I've finally started painting properly again. But I'll spare you that for the time being.
It's been nearly four years since I last did any watercolour painting. Last time I looked, my trusty collection of tubes, which I'd collected over many years at some expense, were in a sorry state and many old friends had dried up. Unable to afford to replace them, I looked around for a cheap way to get going again.
And I found these nice little sets - Koh-I-Noor palettes. They are dry blocks, which I haven't used since college. I subsequently began using good quality wet tube paints, which I found better for large washes. Like my old college paints, they are a bit chalky. But this set of 36 colours cost very little, the pigments are reasonably bright and they stack oh-so conveniently. Thankfully my brushes had not deteriorated.
I bought a cheap A6 sketchbook, so that it didn't matter what went in it. And after much anxiety and procrastination (really) I did eventually get started. I knew it was going to be a bit rubbish, but I did get my painting brain ticking again.
Admittedly, it wasn't the best paper for washes, but it was less scary than stretching out a sheet of the HP Arches I usually use. And after all, it's just to get me going again.
So I painted one of my bunnies, miraculously remembered my old techniques and finished it off with a sense of relief. One down, many to go.
The bunnies didn't say anything. They just gazed with their little beady eyes.
They were obviously reserving judgement.
In revenge, I am selling them via my Etsy shop. So if you want your own silent bunny, they are £30/$ each, with free shipping anywhere. Yes, anywhere.
Ah, the slight awkwardness of work getting in the way of life and blogging. Work continues and not much else. Several days spent developing a new teaching, pattern and with that in mind, I have organised a new workshop for them, which is to be held on the 30th April at 'Make It' in Manchester which is already booking up after two days and only a few spaces left. You can book directly through the site here. The bunnies and I will be pleased to see you.
What else? Oh, putting together my first basic needle felt kit, which I should have done ages ago, considering how many times I've been asked for them. I looked at similar starter kits and in some cases was appalled at how little wool was offered, for the price charged. So I have tried to include as much as was physically and economically possible in mine, as well as a sponge mat, pack of decent needles and a wooden holder.
And at last, my February newsletter is out, with a free and simple pattern for making sweet little strawberries - these only take a small amount of wool, and a few hours (in my case) to make, depending on how wild you go with the decoration. There's also an article about a very odd and as yet unfinished piece of work...you can get the newsletter and pattern here - without even signing up. Apart from that, I appear to be surrounded by many small, unfinished things. Such is life.
Nothing going on, except a lot of planning, designing and unfinished work - here's a little something I have actually completed, with amber chips on a bronze wire. Yes, it's yet another hare. Well, it is nearly Spring!
By:
Paintgranny,
on 12/25/2015
Blog:
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Joe and I are enjoying our second Christmas together. Yet again it's simply a quiet time; a time of being thankful that we have a roof over our heads, food, logs for the fire and most importantly, each other. Whatever you do at this time of year - and especially if you are alone - we both send you the warmest of best wishes and hope for the future. Because there is always a better place, despite the long haul to get there.
Well, that's that out of the way and I seem to have my life back again. I don't usually do stalls, as it's an almost impossible (and expensive) thing to do when you don't drive and live in remote ruralsville. But this one was only a couple of miles away and Brian-next-door helped me get everything over, on a stormy day with gale force winds and driving rain.
Thankfully it was all under cover. This is the annual Christmas Fair held at Concord International College, at Acton Burnell. It was bigger than I expected - much bigger. My heart quailed, not for the first time, but I got stuck into setting up. I'd been planning this for weeks, so it was just a case of popping everything out.
There was a small emergency when I had to get Brian to pick me up again so that I could dash home and print off more price labels (which I thought I had, but patently hadn't). And also borrowed an extra table cloth from Jean, having scrounged some extra table space.
I even unearthed my old stock of cards, and sold quite a few.
In the end it all went well. My old retail skills kicked back in and I had a pleasant smile glued to my face. There was a large footfall of over 2,000 visitors, not including the college students. My stall was nice and busy and I sold enough gubbins to make it worthwhile. My new Paypal card reader worked and the three hours flew by.
I was inevitably asked about my prices for my own needle felt work. One couple directly asking me why it was priced 'so high'. Once upon a time, I might have shrunk under a stone, but now I've got more confidence. For a start, I answered (keeping my pleasant smile) the smallest thing on my tree took at least four hours to make. I am a published professional in my field, very well known, with over eight years of full time practise. And my work is collected, especially in America, where they really value good craftmanship. So the prices reflect my time, my skills and my name.
It's hard not to be British sometimes and undersell yourself. I now realise that I have to be my own walking, talking CV; there's no point in being overly modest. What I didn't add was that with the hours of work I put in on each and every piece, I am still working for less than the UK minimum wage which is £6.70 at present. So I am pricing as low as I can afford to, even if it seems 'high' because this is not my little hobby, but my livelihood.
But here's the thing - although I only sold one piece of my own work, the look of joy when so many people came up to my stall and admired the displays was immensely rewarding. I put on, as they say, a 'good show'. And sold a lot of kits and supplies on top of that. I have to admit, I treated myself to a celebratory bottle of cheap wine and a pizza on the way home when Brian drove me back. He refused petrol money point blank.
I also had many people asking me if I was holding a local workshop, which is now on the cards and spurred me into setting up a monthly newsletter, which will start in January. It will be solely about needle felting - workshops for next year, tips on working, my own work in progress, new kits - that kind of thing. So there is now a sign up page on my website, here. Of course, your details remain completely confidential. I've already had quite a few subscribers, so I'd better start planning the January edition...
So many thanks for all the kind and lovely comments on my last post. Joe and I were incredibly touched that people were happy for us. Now that I have a real purpose, I've thrown myself back into work with a vengeance, starting the New Year with two little hare brooches in a newish style.
It's good to be making again.
2014 ended with a gorgeous feature in 'Filtz Fun', a popular German felting magazine - they made it all look beautiful, I think the prettiest magazine article of mine I've seen. I do need to update my publicity picture though. 2015 is starting to fill up with workshops - at the moment I have five definite dates, starting in March with a bang at the p-Lush alpaca show in Coventry, where I will be using alpaca wool for the first time ever. The next day I am in Oxfordshire at my regular venue of Folly Fabrics, Smith's Restaurant in Manchester in April and back to the Buckingham Summer School for two full days in August. (Summer, hooray!) More info and contact details can be found on my website. More to be added, with luck.
Last year, the most terrible of my life, also saw one of my life ambitions fulfilled. With ghastly irony, the offer from Harper Collins to commission my first needle felt book came just two days after Andy died, in January 2013. What should have been a joyous occasion was like ashes in my mouth. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered any more.
Yet this book was part of my future survival; I was left rudderless and precariously positioned financially. Somehow the mortgage had to be paid, the electric bill, the water rates, the council tax and now it was all down to me. So having been given a deadline extension and much sympathy from my publishers, I began designing the first patterns in March.
Believe me, when you have lived through your worst nightmare, when you have howled into the snowy night for your love to come back to you, dreaming up cute toys seems like a monstrous irrelevance. And so the years of professional working kicked in and I immersed myself in making the best book I could, under the circumstances.
Somehow I found the strength to get this book finished by summer last year, despite having to take a break to organise Andy's woodland burial. I worked seven days a week, 8-10 hours a day. I often found myself crying as I sat alone in my studio, just me and my felting needle. But I did it. And in the end, I rediscovered my love of toys, as I surrounded myself with more and more of them.
Most of the designs were new.
Some were old favourites, like the Roly Poly robin, who I've made many, many times.
And I was able to include a good section on techniques, including how to sew in eyes and how I get that firm, smooth finish people are always asking me about.
I also wanted to produce a book which had more challenging patterns in - there are plenty of 'simple' needle felting books out there, and while I do have some very easy 'roll it up and stab' patterns, such as the Rainbow Mice, there are some more tricky designs for seasoned needle felters to get their teeth into. Over the space of four months, I produced a heck of a lot of creatures.
Although it is great to finally have my own needle felt book out, the person I wanted to do it for is no longer here. So these two lines are, for me, the most precious part of it.
"This book is dedicated to the life and dear memory of Andy Macauley, 1971 - 2013. My Forever Love."
I have three signed copies of my book to give away - if you'd like to have the chance to win one, leave a comment here so that I know who you are, and I'll do the draw next week, when I return from my workshop at Oxford Fibreworks. I'll also pay the shipping costs to wherever the winners are in the world. so all you have to do is enter and keep your fingers crossed!
If you don't want to leave it to chance, then it seems to be available in major book shops all over the place, as well as Amazon UK and Amazon.com. It's also available as a Kindle edition and iTunes. Harper books in the USA have also published it, so my American friends should have no problem in sourcing a copy. I do hope that people like it.
Off to do two workshops in Oxfordshire - one at The Fibreworks Oxford and another all day session at the dear old Queen's Head in Eynsham. Just managed to get a pattern finished for 'Crafty' magazine (coming out soon) and finish a couple of custom orders.
The elephant is very big (for needle felting) - 8 x 5½ inches. This sweetie is only a couple of inches tall, by comparison.
Not only that - I have some foxes and new style hares to sell, when I return - here's a little preview of one.
It has been one heck of a month. I think we've been walloped with so many life events this year - some good, others dreadful - that we are just reeling from it. However, there is always needle felting and I am so pleased that 'Mollie Makes' have used another of my patterns for their latest issue - a chicken brooch, easy and quick to make, with written and photographic instructions. It's in issue 21 which is in shops now, available to buy online here or as a digital download here.
It was also lovely to be in the same section as my online friend, Debs -
'Imagination of a Ladysnail' who has her sweet character brooches featured. We've followed each other's progress for years, and it's so nice to be celebrating a bit of success together. Deb's blog is
here.
Latest order to be finished; eight Christmas Cottages for one lucky person's tree. I'm all cottage'd out for the moment, but you can find the pattern in '
Mollie Makes Christmas' and make your own - I'd love to see pictures of the results.
I can't think why, but I have never made geese on wheels before
I might make one or two just for me, as these will be rolling off somewhere. Honk!
It seems like a long time ago when I made these little chaps - in our old cottage, back in the Spring before we moved. Cottages and houses really are the dominant theme this year.
And now at last, they are in the gorgeous new 'Mollie Makes' project series, published by Anova Books. I opened my latest mag to see this - and a lovely in-house photo of my little cottages.
The nice people at
Anova have offered a giveaway of a free copy to a lucky winner - just leave a comment on my blog here, and I'll draw all the names out of a hat on Wednesday morning October the 10th - so get your name down before then, and I'll send the winner's email address to the publishers. Open to the Whole World.
I've already got my copies - so many lovely things in there, I feel happy just looking at it.
Oh, and if you'd like a bonus entry, subscribe to Lovecraft/Anova
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I've got a few things going on at the moment, life-wise - and an ongoing order list for full sized toys. But it's nice to go AWOL sometimes and sneak a bit of playtime in.
So when I can, I've been making little things. Such as tiny houses - as we seem to be having a house oriented year.
Which *only* take 3-4 hours to make.
These 'Wee Housies' were going to be popped into my Etsy shop for £30 each.
But the entire village was snapped up before I could list them. Sorry!
Despite all the various shenanigans which we are putting ourselves through, work still goes on. The first thing I finished in Shropshire was a commission from one of my regular collectors who wanted a copy of 'Kitty Blue' from my book,
'Mrs Mouse's Cupcakes'.
She is not 100% the same as the original but as near as I could get her. I know which is which.
I'm doing a lot of repeat designs at the moment and sometimes I need to try a new design. I have wanted to make a red squirrel for ages.
Betsy sold at once and made her way to America where she is making my friend
Janet very happy, I believe.
I've also just finished several doglet orders - Claudette, who is a copy of one of the first doglets from my
Mollie Makes pattern. (as the originals are all sold now).
Also, a larger clown version of the Mollie Makes doglets, who has gone over the border to nearby Wales.
Henri, one of the original magazine doglets was snapped up by a
French lady who runs an online boutique shop. So he has gone to his spiritual home, accompanied by a specially commissioned girl-friend, Henriette.
She composed this sweet montage of the two 'H's' on her copy of the Mollie Makes issue, many thanks for letting me use this, Savine!
Although I can't really arrange full workshops at the moment, I had a special all day one-to-one session with a lovely needle felter,
Jackelien from Holland. No, she didn't come all that way just to see me, but I am flattered that she wanted to spend the day learning techniques from me in the middle of her family holiday. She bought Dutch treats in a pretty tin - I am now addicted to the liquorice chalk sweets. I've had to hide the bag from myself. The kilner jar is not full of sweets, but little wax shapes - it's an outdoor candle which I am hoping to light in our new back garden.
Apart from working on finishing off techniques and fine shaping, we made funny little houses. It was a really lovely day, we talked our heads off and by the end of it, I felt sure that I had made a new friend. (Her version of the day can be found on her blog
here - lots of pictures if you don't speak Dutch, including one of me which makes me realise I have to start running again!)
Talking of little houses, we are now hopeful that we may be properly settled soon - in the precarious world of house buying nothing is ever certain, but we are quietly hopeful.
Doglets ahoy! Issue 13 of Mollie Makes hits UK shop shelves today - I've had a fantastic response from subscribers so far (who got their copies last Saturday). I feel a bit greedy, as the lovely Mollie Makes team gave me a lot of pages - as soon as you open the cover the sweet story begins - and how beautifully they have presented my little dogs - I felt as if I was looking at someone else's work. 
...and in the contents...
...and six sumptuous double page spreads after that, with my step-by-step guide to making your own doglet - people, I sweated over that pattern, so it had better work! And yes, those are my fair hands demonstrating the steps.
The basic doglet design is an old favourite - I made my first in the third week of my discovering needle felting, over four years ago. He was called 'Petite Jaune' and he went over to live in Europe.
Soon after, I tweaked the design and made 'Custard', who went to live with the lovely
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Each one is a little treasure - you have such amazing talent Gretel. x Jo
I like the elephant's knees....and his (her?) smile. You have a great talent for capturing those little silly details that give it personality.
oh that hare is just adorable. All your creations look so sturdy too. When i had a go at it i made a nice pony but it bends a lot and im sure its falling apart.
More needling needed i guess
Gill x
Jeepers Gretel...you are a busy lady!
Congrats on the new magazine piece and on every one of these delightful new animals. Each of them has got that special GP look.
The larger elephant must have taken ages to make?
Best wishes on your travels. xo
Oh that little hare is sooo adorable. I am moving at the beginning of the year so think I'm going to invest in one of them :). I love your prints so much.
Beautiful pieces Gretel.
Love that elephant! The hare is lovely too - your work is really exquisite.
Thank you so much, Gretel! We all love our elephant who is now keeping Tom company in his office.
I love that hare, so lovely
Oh these are all so lovely!