Part 3 in the Frosty Morning series is about making these curious looking rounded structures. Part 1 showed how I made the tree trunks and Part 2 gave a close look at how I formed and wrapped the wire tree branches, from the inside out.
This year, I’m working on a group of seasonal landscapes that capture the wonder and magic of the natural world, both real and imagined. Frosty Morning, Mossy Glen and Harvest Time are available as jigsaw puzzles and note cards in my shop here.
From the start, I knew that the scene would include little characters who needed places to take shelter from the cold. So, I constructed cozy homes for them, like a wee folk housing development nestled in the trees.
Each shelter was custom made to fit between tree limbs. I first cut out pieces of wool felt in the basic shapes. Then, I cut out rounded doorways and trimmed them to conform to the surrounding branches.
To give the shelters a nest-like appearance, I stitched a random cross-hatched pattern onto the felt, using fingering weight Merino wool from Flying Finn Yarns.
As I worked, the spiral around the doorway grew larger, creating a shallow entrance, with an overhanging rim. On top, I added a bit of snow cover with white metallic thread and clear glass beads.
Each shelter was made to be different in shape and color.
This one was built to fit under a piece of driftwood.
In the back, I added layers of felt to make the walls puff out a bit.
Sometimes I drill little holes in wood to sew it in place, but in this case I glued the wood to the back layer of felt.
At this point, I wasn’t sure who would be moving into the neighborhood, but there was much more to finish before they started showing up, anyway
Stay tuned for Part 4 in the Frosty Morning series, which will zero in on the stone wall and its surroundings.
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SALLEY MAVOR 
Cozy,neat, and warm for your dear creatures! 💕maria
Very interesting.. Is it leather? What else must be in your little head?!!!
Oh my goodness, I absolutely love your work 😍