Wherein Goosie gets some legs...

My crafting buddy Maggi made me do it.  Yup...she got here yesterday, took one look at my poor legless girl and said...haven't you got those legs on yet?  That better be the first thing you do today.

And, ....I did.  I felt bad the other day when Lin busted me ...and then yesterday ...well, I just got busy, poked some holes in there for insertion and laid on a bit of glue... stuck them in and voila.... done! They have been painted and sitting around for weeks now.  Ridiculous.

Man, it makes me crazy that I procrastinate like that. And, then ... it takes 10 minutes to do the job. Sheeesh .... just like when I was in school.  Remember waiting 'til the night before a big project was due? ... did you end up bleary eyed at about 1:00 a.m... still gluing and writing and doing? ...I did.

Ms. Goosie loved them.   It was 'happy feet, happy feet', all over the place after that...showing off her feet and legs... the DTBs (dining table birds)  approved.....

Then, just to be cheeky...she danced all over my wrapping cloth....I hope she wiped those big ol' brown feet.... it's all whites for heaven sakes...!

Wheeeeee !!!

Wheeeeeee !!

Yesterday I put on surgical scrubs, got out my various haemostats and surgical threads... laid out the patient's arms and ... er ...wings..... and got bloody...... on the first stitch actually.  Then, had to stop, lick the wool  (to get the blood off ) ..your own spit is the best way ...and almost the only thing that works really well.... but, your tongue gets kinda fuzzy.... plah... pluh.....

No wonder I hold my embroidery threads in a vice like death grip .... that's how I have to hold down a patient every time I attempt to stitch on arms, legs, heads, wings.. you name it.  I have to totally change tactics for embroidery stitches... learned that already.  Gentle pressure is all that is needed to make the various stitches look so much better.

With mohair and animals (and goosies) .... almost every stitch in tight or hard to get to areas takes pulling through with a needle grabbing hemostat.... oh, and a bit of cursing and occasional finger stabbing.

Finally... just as I was about to tie things off .... there was a flurry of wings and somehow she got airborne...

Wooohoooooooo ...........

Look at me! ................ I'm flying ..... and I can even see myself in that spoon.....

Watchout.!!!

Luckily she landed safely.... I tidied up my mess and she went over to talk to the DTBs  (dining table birds) ... they were still at it over an hour later.... I'm not even going to tell her when I paint her feet.  i'll just do it and then poke them in where they belong...I hope...

Housebound birds.....  they get a little stir crazy......

The new little goosie ..

The only other one I made was my copycat version of Gretel's needle felted Snowdrop.  But, Maggi found this cute pattern and we are using a fluffy feathery looking mohair for this little gal.

I got her beak on....for which we are using some lovely dark rust felt.  The instructions say to glue it on.  Pagh..... it was a bit of fiddling...but mine is stitched.  Not having glue on my mohair.  Besides... stitched will stay firmly in position.

She is a perky looking little thing isn't she?  That is a test eye..but, looks about right for size.

I managed to find some scraps of boiled wool I used eons ago for a bear I made in a class that was more to do with embroidered flowers on the bear than the bear itself.... just enough to make the wing pieces ... they look like gloves with fur around the wrists ..hahahha... well, they do right now.  Wait ..... it'll look much better when they are actually attached, I'm sure ...well, I hope they do !

Some days I love to work in chaos it seems.  It almost feels "cosy" if you know what I mean.  On others...I must tidy, tidy, tidy, before even beginning to look at a project.  Yeh, I know...oddball.  That's me.

I had boxes of ribbons and piles of fabric all over the place trying to choose a tiny bit for her cape and for a big ribbon on the neck/collar of her cape.  I always find pinks look almost red to the camera lens.  This one looks so much nicer in person.  A beautiful piece.  In person, this ribbon is a bright fuschia pink and lovely soft greens...with some threads of brighter greens ..... to go with the soft green of her cape.  It is part of a huge 2 metre chunk of lovely satin-one-side fabric I found in an Indian shop years ago... used on Madame Pompadour for ribbons and trim on her gown.

a dinosaur? ..

Why the mohair critters all look so strange before turning is a mystery.  My bear heads all look like alligators to me ...and this ...which is a little lady goosie.... looks like some prehistoric monster from the lost lagoon or something.... well, maybe if I squint real hard, it does resemble a chicken ..or a goose... sorta.

The dining room table has become my play table.... seeing as I still don't have my hobby room organized or the big table in there tidied and cleared of unpacked boxes of 'stuff'.  Time for a major purge.

A rather strange assortment of tools, odds and ends I know....but, that seems to be how it is continuing with me.  Just still not organized.  The hammer is waiting for somebody to us hanging pictures.... which are still leaning against walls or pieces of furniture.......

Those little balls of wool.... my sister found them at a fair in the fall and thought maybe I could use them for something.... they don't appear to be felted as much as just rolled together somehow ... very soft and lightly gathered...

Any suggestions? ...

5th Blogiversary ...

Here was my first post... probably none of you were around then.... and nobody actually commented for several posts of course...why would they?  they didn't know I was out here...or would that be 'in' here?... As a matter of fact, I actually asked them to step out into the light because I knew from the visitor thingy that people were around...they were just sneaking in and out and not saying anything. And, you know me... darn nosy.  I wanted to know who you were... and I wanted to hear somebody "say" something... lol.... two people actually said 

"hi" and I was a happy camper.  The rest is, as they say, history.....

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May 3 2007

So.... I bumbled around for a bit and now.... the glass is shiny. Look! you can see all the little guys on one of the shelves! The Bearister Bookcase is officially open for business. Okay...well, not really business, but you get it...peek in and check out my bears and dolls ....oh, and a ton of other stuff I might have on display from time to time.

Eventually there will be info, tips, techniques and tricks that I discover during my travels through other sites and from members of groups to which I belong.

Don't think I'll bother too much with the finer points today....it will suffice that I have a nice quiet template, (although I will jazz it up a bit some day too, and add lots of pics )... a heading and description...as a matter of fact, I think it's time for a nap.  That was just about enough for this Bumblebearie on top of almost 2 hours of physio for my ankle.

Better get some cheese on the lasagna first though.... ...oh, yeah... once we get going you will see that I also like to cook and bake... Hey!! I could have called it the Bearister Bakeshop ........where the dolls and bears could all sit around the kitchen table, dipping cookies in their tea while I stand at the stove baking more. Uhm...no...changed my mind.

I'll pour.... 

Shoo....

.. just one more, 'kay? 

Yeh..... see there?  I just knew it would get out of hand....... now they've OD'd on cookies ..... sigh.........

anyway... happy blogiversary to me...la la..la....

'Niff the cork Mom.... 

WOYWW(T)

Missed it.  The day that is.  Wednesday came and Wednesday went.... just like that! Snap... sooooo ....I added the T in brackets for Thursday...cute hey?  hahaha...oh, alright ...it's no big deal...but I kinda like it and thought I was being pretty humorous.

I haven't done much at all with anything crafty since last week.  All I managed to do is stitch into place a gusset on the head of my guy.

Here is the head with the 'gusset' in place.  That is the part on the top of the head that gives the head some width and some shape.  Different shaped gussets totally change the shape of the finished head.  However, they all look strange to me before they are stuffed.
Doesn't it look like a crocodile shape to you?  It does to me.  Always ...even when I make totally different shapes of gussets.

 Many of the other WOYWW participants will have much more to keep you intrigued.... check them out.... perhaps join in the fun...

Buttercup arrived..

... and, it took almost no time at all.  She is Canadian.... didn't have too far to come... and Shelly sent her Express... wow!.... it's always such fun to see things so soon after admiring them on a site.  Check out Gingermelon ....for a bunch of cute little bears, dolls and elephants too.

I used to have an elephant when I was just a tiny kid..... but, haven't had one since.... it's time.
And I promise I won't carry her around in such an unladylike position!

Here is my new little bear buddy, Buttercup.
She is softest pale yellow with yellow and pink tiny flowered fabric ears and body.  She has a little pink felty rose in her "hair" ..

Her little feet are velvety soft and one sports a miniature heart of the same fabric as her ears.  Around her neck... a silver charm... a heart in an envelope.  Every part of her is carefully thought out and I love her.

The TBs (table bears) engaged her in conversation the moment they saw her.  Scooter rode past regularly waving and trying to get her attention....

Oh, hai.....I'm over here...yooohoooo... on the scooter?.... maybe I should try my no feet manoeuvre  to get some attention.. but, then again...maybe not....

She's got a few inches on this bunch at 5 inches seated ...but, they said they will introduce her to the CBs (that would be the 'curio bears') tomorrow..... just for the heck of it....

Thanks so much for little Buttercup Shelly!

...more feet.....

S'cuse my fluffy bum ...... well, not mine..but, scruffy bunny's bum.....

His feet and legs are on... a bit of shading... but, not too much.  It shows more in real life than it does in a photo....  AND...he has a death grip on one of those chocolate eggs..... (I have to tell you that those eggs are not real because some of you sounded like perhaps you thought they were tasty ... lol) .... nope, just faux chocolate eggs.  However, even my sweetie reached for one last year when I had them on the table taking photos of bunnies and eggs...so... they are pretty real looking.  This year he glared at them and said.."oh...those eggs again.  Where's the real chocolate?"

Off I go for some brekky and to make a little pouch for some shot for his tummy.

Oh, that reminds me.... a few years ago when I was making a lot of the little guys, I decided to make little pouches for the weight I put inside of them.  If it was really tiny 'shot'...almost like seeds... I was worried that an occasional little seed would work its way out through the joining of a seam.  So, then, I was joking with my sister that we should start a little company and make up many bags or pouches and sell them.  But, what would we call our little venture.  Her responses were hilarious... my fav being "Shot in the Ass" .. or maybe it should be "Shot in the Arse"  ...we debated the "roodness" of it.  But, that WAS the general area where most of the pouches would eventually sit. Then there was "Lead Bellies"...but, we thought people would be put off by the word lead..even though it is actually steel...however, "Steel Bellies" didn't sound quite as fun..... although then we moved on to "Abs of Steel", or "Buns of Steel", which we ruminated upon, but thought there would be copywrite or legal issues.  All in all, we had a fun time of it at the expense of the little bears and bunnies while they looked at us with quizzical faces.  In the end, of course, we did nothing....I still stitch up a pouch and fill it with shot when I need one ... and still have a laugh at our silliness.

AND:::  Have to share this one.... hop on over to my other blog to see this recipe for Brussels Sprouts

danger !!...

this blog is seriously in danger of becoming a renovation page... so, the "bearister" decided she better post a few pics of days gone by ...to let you know that once upon a time there were things created here that had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with household demolition and refurbishing...























































































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