New range

I love felting my detailed sculptures. Some of them can take 1 - 2 weeks to make
But also sometimes it is nice to create sometine in a day or two

and I am seeing from the interest in my destash section that some people would like the chance to get some affordable art.
So my value range has been born. Like a scetch in wool these guys are less detailed - no feet, no paw pads, no open mouths, no days working on shading

But they do have a little personallity of their own
I hope you like - I will introduce them individually over the next few posts.

what price of winning

Westminster is the American Crufts.
Personally I am not against dog showing. People who love their dogs having a good day out and meeting other people and other dogs in the breed they love. But I am against breeding dogs to win shows.
Although I am sure there will be some great ethical breeders there are also those who are more interested in the hobby of showing than their individual pet dogs.
A bad example of this is the Sheltie winning best of breed at Westminster
Go check out this blog for more information - and hang around there and have a look at some of the other articles on there.
Basically this dogs sire is deaf and blind
Yup you read that right - he was deliberatly bred from a deaf blind dog.
What is worse is his father is not deaf and blind by accident, a freak of nature, the breeders knew there was a very good chance that some puppies from the mating would turn out to be deaf and blind.
That is because of the pretty merle coat. Without going too much into genetics here a dog gets the information for whether his coat will be solid or merle patterened from its parents. One from each. If both parents give the gene for a solid coat then the dog will have a solid coat. If One parent gives the gene for a solid coat and the other for a merle coat then the dog will have a merle coat.
So a solid coloured dog can only have two copies of the solid coloured gene. So they can only pass on a solid coloured gene
A merle coated dog will have one solid coloured gene and one merle gene. So they can pass on either a solid coloured gene or a merle gene

The problem arises when two merle dogs are bred together. From that breeding you can get solid coated dogs if each parent passes on a solid gene.
Merle dogs if one parent passes on a merle gene and the other a solid coat gene

But there is also a 25% chance that BOTH parents will pass on the merle gene
Then you have a double merle. This is often associated with eye abnormalitites and hearing problems - many of the puppies being born blind, deaf or both.

Breeders know the risks but still breed two merles together because it gives a higher chance of merle puppies
Many cull the double merles at birth



But it seems some go on to breed from their poor deaf blind dogs. Not only a few times, this double merle dog is one of the top sires in the breed!

Is the rosette worth the price?

Another collie

I do love my border collies
I couldnt resist making another one
This is one of my smallest - she is actually dolls house sized (although her head is a little big - for detail and cuteness)

Border collie

Going on with the cartoony theme I just had to make a border collie

One thing I have always struggled with is long hair on a sculpture. You can just felt fibers in making them free flowing, but when I try this it often looks messy.

So I took inspiration from ceramic sculptures and how they give the impression of hair.

All he needs now is a name - any ideas??

What to do when my fingers are to stabbed to felt

I have been felting away lots trying to hit my targets for the new year.
I am happy to announce that I have smashed my Jan target for two sales a week with 9 sales already! Fantastic! Some are trades and some were charity listings so I am not rich but its really good to know that I can manage that target.
A downside is my arm shoulder and back are a little sore and my finger is v stabbed.
So yesterday I though I would have a little go at drawing again
Please dont laugh

The Boxer I am almost happy with, its just a quick sketch so not too much detail
The left eye went wrong but overall not to unhappy


I should have stopped there but no I had to try again


The weaving collie just didnt work out at all :(





So I felted - just a little - tiny - a poodle about 1 inch tall

My new range - SPLAT

As I am stuck in with no pupils I have been trying to work hard at my plan of at least 2 sales a week average this year.

No idea if this is possible but you have to aim high!

So I have tried a totaly new range.

Splat

My needle felted bookmark range. - well I say range - only one so far but I will make some more.

I also did a little upcycling here too! Go me :D the 'body' of the splat was made out of an old fleece matt I had but that I had cut up for doggy coats as its so cold.

So this little guy is exactly the right size for a paperback book and you have his head and paws sticking out the front and tail and paws (with little paw pads) poking out the back.

I think I got a little carried away with the photoshoot with this one - he was just so fun to shoot :D

.

The walk for the Irish rescue doggies

Just back from the walk.
It was a really lovely day - after the weathermen telling us it was going to rain we had a totaly lovely time.

Mia had a little trouble at the start as we were on a narrow windy path where she didnt have much warning of dogs coming, but then after a couple of miles it opend out and she calmed down lots

When we set off walking we had about £700 pledged and that rose quite a bit by the end of the walk. Currently the total stands at just over £1000!!
Which is just fantastic
I will post the final result when we get it - of course we are still collecting - if you want to sponsor Mia and Ben please paypal me at pamduthie @ hotmail.com - even 50p will help the doggies lots

Here is the group after the walk - Mia is right on the end - but I never would have thought she could be so calm with so many dogs!!


I think about 6 of the dogs on the walk were Irish pound doggies, all happy in their new life and most training to be the agility stars of the future



The girl who organised it for us gave us theses cute certificates at the end


The bottom bit says (and beware - I was blubbing like a girl)

The reason

I would’ve died that day if not for you. I would’ve
given up on life if not for your kind eyes.
I would’ve used my teeth in fear
if not for your gentle hands. I would have left this life believing that all
humans don’t care
Believing there is no such thing as fur that isn’t matted,
skin that isn’t flea bitten,
Good food and enough of it, beds to sleep on,
someone to love me, to show me I deserve love just because I exist.
Your kind
eyes, your loving smile, your gentle hands Your big heart saved me…..
You
saved me from the terror of the pound. Soothing away the memories of my old
life.
You have taught me what it means to be loved. I have seen you do the
same for other dogs like me.
I have heard you ask yourself in times of
despair why you do it when there is no more money, no more room, no more
homes
You open your heart a little bigger, stretch the money a little
tighter, make just a little more room…
To save one more like me. I tell you
with the gratitude and love that shines in my eyes
In the best way I know how
Reminding you why you go on trying.
I am the reason. The dogs before me are
the reason as are the ones who come after.
Our lives would’ve been wasted,
our love never given
We would die if not for you

Sorry there are not more fotos of the walk but working a camera and keeping 2 dogs calm onlead just wasnt easy today

Border collies and a border terrier

My latest orders.
A border terrier - a breed I have never seen in the flesh yet so I had to guess a bit but I think it came out OK - they seem to be going a bit Disney at the moment :D

and a pack of Border collies. Usualy I do one dog at a time and have many fotos from many angles - this time I had 3 dogs to do from one foto
To try and keep the sizes similar this time I used pipe cleaner frames as my sizes can be a little random sometimes

Calvin and Hobbes (sort of) and other fuzzies

I have been v neglectful of blogging about my needle felting sculptures so I though it was about time I put some up

and hopefully I will have a little feature of please customers and their sculptures.

1st off I though I would use up some of my bright coloured wool and try for something totaly cartoonie, some of my faves
Calvin and Hobbes, its my 1st propper cartoon people and although not perfect I am pretty happy with how they turned out. (more about the little doggie later I hope)





and this little collie for a friend of my mums (he did look a little like a spanial in real life) I got the cutest little noses to use with them and I think it just finnished him off a treat.