more Rabbitat

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Salley Mavor

For the past 4 months, I’ve been working on Rabbitat, a large (24″ x 30″) fabric relief piece. It started as a simple driftwood house, then I added a rabbit topiary and over time it grew into a lush rabbit habitat. I’m not showing much yet, just peeks now and then, because I want to show it later, when it’s finished. Here are some detailed shots of some rabbit characters.

A team of local filmmakers are gathering material for a short 5 min. film (see film here) about my work and specifically this piece. You can see an earlier post about Rabbitat here.

We want to show a time-lapse of Rabbitat being put together, so filmmaker Daniel Cojanu locked the camera and tripod in place with duct tape. He took a series of photos, one for each bush, tree, rabbit, or felt background piece that I added, until it was all put together.

Here are some parts laid out and ready to be set in place for the time-lapse photo shoot. Now that we’re finished with that, I can sew everything to the stretched upholstery fabric background and Rabbitat will be complete!

We want music in the film, so I asked local musicians Jan, Tom and Lisa to play some traditional Irish and Scottish tunes. We chose bouncy, rabbit-like music for them to play. I’ve known Jan since childhood and she is incredibly talented on the recorder, pennywhistle and concertina.

Elise and Daniel recorded them in my studio and what a treat to hear them play! Making this film has been so much fun and I can’t wait to see what they put together. We’re planning on having the film ready to show this summer at the Woods Hole Public Library. They’ve been kind enough to organize a reception to celebrate my Golden Kite Award for Pocketful of Posies on July 10th, from 5 to 7pm. Original illustrations will be displayed during the event and I’ll give a short talk. I hope that some of you can come. I’ll also figure out a way for everyone to see the film online. Stay tuned!

little standing animals

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Salley Mavor

Update (June 2014): Things have changed in the 3 years since this post was published. After emphatically stating I wouldn’t write another how-to book, I surprised myself this past year by working on Felt Wee Folk: New Adventures, which will be released by C&T in the spring of 2015. Read posts about it here. These animals will not be included in the new book, but there will be lots of other fun dolls to make.

I made this group of animals about 10 years ago, when I was gathering ideas for my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk. They didn’t make the book’s cast, so the little critters have been waiting behind the curtain ever since. I’ve pretty much decided not to write another instructional book (read ahead for more on that), so they can come out on stage, now.

They are made with wooden forms that have a simple dowel on the bottom, with a turned ball on the top. You can find the wood shapes here. At about 2 inches tall and similar to finger puppets, these can stand up by themselves. The small wooden bead “paws” are a choking hazard, so they shouldn’t be added if a young child plays with them.

They look a bit like Halloween trick or treaters in felt costumes, with their hoods and painted faces.

It’s so wonderful to hear from readers who have enjoyed making the dolls and other projects in Felt Wee Folk and many have urged me to write another instructional book. The publisher is willing, too. So why can’t I say yes? I am clearly ambivalent, because I had a great experience working with C&T Publishing. It’s just that I’ve moved on to other things and don’t feel the same push to get it out of my system, like I did 10 years ago. It’s not that I don’t have any ideas for new projects, they’re just more complicated and personal. I’m resisting the pull to work on another book because I want to spend time exploring new ways of working, to experiment and grow as an artist. Just the process of formulating my thoughts for this post has helped me understand why I’ve been dragging my feet.

The trouble is, I know what it takes to produce an instructional book and I also know that I’m not up to it. It’s writing out those pesky directions that has me stumped. When I approached C&T with my proposal for Felt Wee Folk. I had a strong desire to share my ideas, enough to force myself through the quagmire of analysis and explanation. I’ve always had a problem with describing how to make what I do, even back in the days when I designed projects for Better Homes and Gardens. I know that I can do it, but I can’t bring myself to jump down that rabbit hole. I want to give myself over to the mysterious process of creating something without later having to give a detailed description of how I made it.

So, I’ll be sharing projects and ideas from time to time, but without patterns and instructions. Hopefully, my readers will feel inspired enough to want to try a hand at figuring out how to make something of their own!

Rabbitat filming session

Posted on February 26, 2011 by Salley Mavor

There’s been lots of activity in the studio since the valentine pilot gave an aerial tease of the new piece I’m currently working on. It now has a name, thanks to my husband Rob, who called it Rabbitat after I told him I was making a habitat for rabbits. This is not an illustration for a book, but a stand alone fabric relief picture. I’m still sewing parts of the scene, like this lilac bush.

I’m also working with some local filmmakers, the husband and wife team of Daniel Cojanu and Elise Hugus. I’ve hired them to make a 3 to 5 minute film about my artwork, with Rabbitat as the subject. Here they are, filming and recording the interview portion in my studio. See the finished film here.

The film will show my process of working, with a voice over of me explaining and describing what I do. It won’t really be a how-to, but more of a glimpse into what I think about art and the creative process. Here I am, setting up a shot with Daniel.

Not everything is sewn in place yet, so we played with the dolls. Here’s Daniel filming one of the rabbit characters.

We had fun twirling the rabbit around on the tripod, while the camera rolled. Daniel and Elise will come back and film some more when I’m finished making Rabitat. I hope to have the film finished in a few months, so I can show it on this blog and when I give presentations about my work. Until, then, I’ll give little glances of Rabbitat, but save the details for when the film is completed and ready to show.

Jakob and the ring around a roses book

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Salley Mavor

Last week I heard from a mother whose 2-year-old son has latched onto his copy of my new book something fierce. I’ve heard a lot of compliments from grownups, but the account of this little boy and the “ring around a roses book” made me feel tingly inside, like the whole project was worth it. His mother, Kitty Flynn writes, “At 26 months, Jakob can recite most of the rhymes from Pocketful of Posies. Not surprising, since he went on a Pocketful binge for a few weeks. That’s the only book he wanted to look at, the only book he wanted read to him.

detail from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

“Baa Baa, Black Sheep” was the first one he regaled us with. (there were about 3 days straight when that’s pretty much all he said. Over and over. Really, Really fast).

Next was “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” delivered in his own cadence: “up above the world SO high/ Like a diamond in THE SKY.”

detail from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

I’ve lost track of how many he knows. We hear them when he wakes, we hear him them when he’s falling asleep. We read the book during meals, he brings it with him for diaper changes (TMI? Sorry).

from “Pocketful of Posies”

I’ve found him a couple of times sitting quietly (you have no idea how bizarre it is to see him sitting quietly) looking intently at the book. He’ll look up and say, “Reading a book. This a good page.” And I have no doubt that the lightning fast recitations are being soaked up by his 13 month old sister, who is just beginning to say words. I want you to know that your collection has made a real and lasting impression on one language-loving little boy and his family. So, if anyone asks, why do we need another nursery rhyme book, just tell them to come talk to me.”

detail from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

Jakob and his family live in the Boston area, so they are planning on visiting the Pocketful of Posies original art exhibit at the Danforth Museum in Framingham. I wish I could be there to see his reaction!

Book supply update: Pocketful of Posies has been selling so well that the publisher and all book distributors have sold out of the first printing. The new print run isn’t scheduled to arrive from Hong Kong until mid-January, so whatever supplies bookstores and online retailers have in stock is it for now. When I first heard about this, I thought about the Cabbage Patch doll craze in the 80’s and imagined customers fighting in stores for their copy of “Posies”! Luckily, my local bookstore, Eight Cousins, planned ahead and stocked up. There are some autographed copies still available at 508.548.5548.

To keep up with new posts, please subscribe to this blog (top right column on the home page). Your contact info will not be sold or shared. If you’d like to see more frequent photos tracking the projects in my studio, please follow me on Facebook and/or Instagram

Inspiration: Molas

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Salley Mavor

detail of fish mola

Molas are made by the Kuna women from the San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama. The geometric designs originated with body painting, then later the patterns were woven in cotton. About 150 years ago, the designs started being sewn using cloth bought from the European settlers of Panama.

Rabbit and Rooster with Umbrella Mola

detail of rooster with umbrella Mola

The Kuna women hand-sew mola panels for their blouses, using the technique of reverse appliqué. Here are some molas from my mother’s collection, which are more pictorial than some. The rooster holding an umbrella under his wing is quite an image! I like the way each picture is built up with lines of color, using layer upon layer of contrasting cloth, to make such dynamic works of art.

: Detail of Rabbit Mola

Fish Mola

Detail of Fish Mola

Pocketful of borders: Little Boy Blue

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Salley Mavor

Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn; the sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn.

Here is the original fabric relief illustration for the rhyme, Little Boy Blue, from my book, Pocketful of Posies. The embroidered piece is first mounted on a foam core board for the photographer. Afterward, I stitch a felt border, remount, and frame each piece, making it ready to hang.

illustration of “Little Boy Blue”

I tried out some different shades of upholstery fabric for the background and selected this warm brown with a vine pattern. Then I cut the border sections out of wool felt.

I used variegated pima cotton to edge the pieces with blanket stitch. Later, I added chain stitched curly cues with variegated embroidery floss.

Sheep are so fun to make, with their curly fleece. Yes, these are all french knots, but they are spaced out a bit, compared to the dense knots in the lambs from my Mary Had a Little Lamb book. (see lambs here)

The haystack is padded with wool stuffing and the texture is stitched with tapestry wool, with real pieces of straw sewn in, too.

Little Boy Blue’s hat is made from thread wrapped wire and his horn is a cactus thorn.

This original illustration was one of 50 pieces of artwork from the book in the touring exhibit, Pocketful of Posies from 2010 to 2015.

Note: See other posts from the Pocketful of Borders series here.

Pocketful of Borders: Bow, wow, wow

Posted on October 24, 2010 by Salley Mavor

Last summer, in the rush to finish making borders for the Pocketful of Posies Traveling Exhibit, I forgot to take pictures while I was working on the border for this illustration. It’s for the rhymes, Diddlety, diddlety, dumpty, the cat ran up the plum tree… and Bow, wow, wow! Whose dog art thou? Original artwork from my book Pocketful of Posies will be on display until Oct 31st at Highfield Hall in Falmouth, Mass. and then the show will open on Nov. 13th at the Danforth Museum in Framingham, Mass. See future locations here.

: illustration from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

Here are some early layouts of the page, showing the progression of the design. Originally, there were three children, with the Diddlety rhyme positioned in upper left corner. I incorporated an island to make the tree and characters grounded, instead of floating around in red space. The mound was also big enough to hold the Bow, wow, wow rhyme.

Time went by, maybe a year or more before I started working on this page. I looked at the design with new eyes and was unhappy with the type placement. So, I redid the layout, enlarged the tree and repositioned the Diddlety rhyme on top.

The tree was inspired by some wrought iron gates I saw, with graceful interwoven branches. I added bead leaves and glass pear-shaped beads. Here are some details of the finished border.

Note: See other posts from the Pocketful of Borders series here.

Needle Nonsense

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Salley Mavor

This rebus was a fun project I did for Threads Magazine about 10 years ago. I wrote the verses and made the figures and props which were photographed and shown in the magazine’s Closures section.

Pocketful of Borders: Pussy Cat, where have you been?

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Salley Mavor

from “Pocketful of Posies”

Update: This post was written in 2010, so the events and dates mentioned are long past.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be showing pictures I took this past summer. They will show the process of adding borders to the original illustrations from my book Pocketful of Posies. All of the originals are currently on display in Falmouth, Mass. until Oct. 31st, 2010 and then they’ll move to the Boston area for the rest of the year. See the traveling exhibit schedule with future locations on this page. This is the illustration for the rhyme Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been? The original was made at 90%, so it was enlarged just a little for the book. I don’t know why, but some characters and designs are easier for me to make on a smaller scale. Since I’m aiming for the work to be reproduced, it can be blown up to the necessary size, as long as the proportions are correct. I picked out an orange upholstery fabric for the back ground and some lavender felt for the border. I then blanket stitched around the border pieces with variegated pima cotton. The bottom corners were chain stitched with the date and my initials, while the top corners had doodles. The corners need warming up, so I outlined the edge with some golden wool crewel yarn. I added some loopy chain stitching to the side pieces… and sewed it all together. To see a closeup of the cat, see this post. To see other posts in the Pocketful of Borders series, click here.

Autographed copies of the book are available in my Etsy Shop here.

To keep up with new posts, subscribe to this blog (top right column on the home page). Your contact info will not be sold or shared. If you’d like to see more frequent photos tracking the projects in my studio, please follow me on Facebook and/or Instagram.

Pocketful of Borders: Little piggies & back jacket

Posted on September 11, 2010 by Salley Mavor

This is a quick update on the border project for the illustrations from Pocketful of Posies. I’m working on the last one now, so if everything goes as planned, we will be readyto hang the show next Monday! My husband has been helping by putting the artwork into the frames he made. To see the show schedule, go to the Traveling Exhibit Page here. These pictures are from This Little Piggy and the back book jacket.