Current Projects

This is the book i am currently using to make the following projects. It is one of my bargains called The Best if Handmade The Australian Womans Weekly by Mary Coleman. ISBN number 1 86378110 2 for those that want to do a search for it. I will be making the dolls this year, i think they are just delightful.
But this is what i am currently making, a knitted circular shawl for my sister Helen who is expecting a baby.
As well as this bear, using my own fabrics that have meaning for me. A great way to practice both patchwork and my real love of toy making. Looking forward to showing you my versions of them when they are done.

Felix Case

Felix the rabbit was bought from Savers . With a new nose and larger eyes he was cleaned and came up like new. The bell he is wearing was from a Christmas present, Just the right size! and the bow was a strip of cloth drawn and coloured to look like tartan. They now live in the classroom. I had just the best fun making the theme for the books.
This is how the Felix case started life as. A $3 cardboard case from the $2 shop.
This is after. I covered it in red cotton fabric, coloured in some tartan pattern with pencils and crayons.
Using real leather from a pair of pants from Savers I made the straps and the corner patches. Unless you are Hercules i don't think they would be great as pants.

these are the two books i bought today
Puppet Planet and
Puppet Mania both by John Kennedy.
These two books have re awakened my interest in puppets!
I will do a book review once i have devoured them.

Book Search Help Needed

This is a special request. If any of you lovely bloggers that read this in Australia, have any of the Felix books they no longer want, or when you go opp shopping if you could look out for me any of these books i would be so grateful. I have done all the usual searches but cannot at this time pay for the huge sums needed for some of them. They are not for me but for a dear friend. Just send me an e-mail or reply directly to the blog, Thanks!

Reference Books

These are my favourite reference books.
Gray's Anatomy, by By Henry Gray F.R.S. I just love the illustrations. The Dolls Dressmaker by Venus A. Dodge, a fantastic way to understand shape and form. Anatomy of a Doll, Designing the Doll and Fantastic Figures all by Susanna Oroyan. These books in particular are brilliant reference books with designs and types of dolls from all over the world. It is like having a piece of all the creative people in your own home. and lastly but not least, Creative Cloth Doll Making by Patti Medaris Culea. I like this book because of the details of using colour for faces to give them depth. To see how other designers have used the same patterns and all their own ideas form. You can see the individuality in their designs come through.

The Perfect Match

This book called The Perfect Match by Wayne Anderson This is one of my favourite illustrators, I just love his drawings. This particular book is the inspiration for some felt dolls i am making, This is a wedding story and a flip book that can change to over 8,000 guests and at the back it has a poem and pictures of 14 honoured guests, and the perfect couple that when they come together they form a perfect heart, The Perfect Match.

I have been thinking about this for some time now, and next year a lot of our thoughts are on weddings. My nephew in February, my daughter in April, and my niece in September. Very very busy and so exciting.