Family Trees: more ornaments

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Salley Mavor

Before we leave on our trip, I want to show more pictures of my Pocketful of Posies tree. The basic instructions for making dolls similar to these are in my how-to book Felt Wee Folk. To see these ornaments in person, visit the Family Trees event at the Concord Museum, which will continue until January 1st, 2013. Time is limited, so I’m just going to post pictures. Can you guess which nursery rhymes are depicted in the individual ornaments?

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“Posies” at the Sturgis Library in Barnstable

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Salley Mavor

This has been a big week for bubble wrap! I drove mounds of bubble wrapped artwork in my Subaru to Plymouth for the Fairy Christmas on Thursday and then 25 more pieces to the Sturgis Library in Barnstable, Massachusetts (Cape Cod) yesterday. Both locations are about 25 miles from where I live, but in opposite directions. The Sturgis Library was constructed in 1644 for the Reverend John Lothrop, founder of Barnstable. The house, which forms the original part of the Library is the oldest building housing a public library in the United States. If you’re interested in this kind of historical stuff, read about it here.

My framed original illustrations from Pocketful of Posies are hung between the book stacks and displayed in 3 glass cases throughout the library.

The artwork will be in the library until Dec. 29th, 2012. I hope that some of you will get a chance to visit the library during December!

Fairy Christmas in Plymouth

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Salley Mavor

from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

Yesterday, I dropped off artwork at the Hedge House Museum in Plymouth, MA, for their Fairy Christmas celebration. Two originals from Pocketful of Posies and Birds of Beebe Woods will be on display during the 2 weekend event (Dec. 1,2,7,8,9, noon to 7pm). I kicked myself because I forgot my camera! First of all, the museum has a spectacular location, with a view of Plymouth Harbor and the 1809 house is full of antique charm. Plymouth Antiquarian Society Director Donna Curtin has gone all out for this affair, with fairy houses, precious woodland scenes and fairy decorations all over the historic mansion. There’s even a special Crystal Throne Room set up for the Fairy Queen to receive visitors. I heartily recommend this event to anyone who is open to enchantment, young or old. It’s all done in a genuine, beautiful way, so leave plenty of time to take in all of the detail.

detail from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

Birds of Beebe Woods, fabric relief, 2012

Family Trees: Humpty Dumpty

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Salley Mavor

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall…in a Christmas tree? This was one of the first ornaments I made for the 2012 Family Trees event at the Concord Museum. It’s also one of the few that I remembered to photograph during the process. The tree is covered with decorations based on my picture book Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. This sketch of Humpty Dumpty is originally about 1 inch tall.

While working on it, I figured out how to make a wooden shelf for the wall to sit on. Everything is covered in stitched felt, including the wood shelf, wall and the teardrop shaped wire frame. I bought an egg sized wooden egg at a craft store, painted it, and dressed the round body in embroidered striped felt “pants”. A white belt made of antique trim finished off the waste band.

I drilled holes for the arms and legs and wrapped the wire hands and pipe cleaner limbs with embroidery floss. A bow tie seemed appropriate for this dandy!

I sewed some wee felt shoes onto his feet, which have chain-stitched soles.

I’ve had the little brown metal bowler for ages and decided it would be a perfect hat for Humpty. White glue holds it aloft his pointy head. The stone wall is appliqued felt sewn around a block of wood.

Humpty Dumpty waves cheerfully from his stone perch, unaware of his impending fall! See all of the posts about the Pocketful of Posies tree here.

Family Trees: setting up the tree

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Salley Mavor

This is what the Pocketful of Posies tree looked like in my studio before it was taken all apart and transported to its next destination, the Family Trees exhibit at the Concord Museum in Concord MA. See blog posts about making the Posies book here.

On Monday, I drove up to Concord, through morning rush hour traffic on Rt. 128 with my Subaru full of artificial tree limbs and Pocketful of Posies felt ornaments. By the time I arrived at the Concord Museum, dozens of volunteers were already setting up their trees for the Family Trees exhibit. There will be over 30 decorated trees throughout the museum, all based on classic and new children’s books. The museum describes itself as the gateway to Concord’s remarkable revolutionary history. I was led through a maze of narrow, winding hallways, past the Emerson Room and the Thoreau Room, to my assigned location, the blue room.

I got right to work, assembling the tree and hanging the larger parts, including the thread spool garlands and felt-covered wire book title. A volunteer was nice enough to take my picture during the process. Below is a page from my sketch book from last spring, when I started jotting down ideas for the tree. I wanted to make vignettes, that would act as hanging stages for the different nursery rhymes.

I hung dolls and felt purses that I had made years earlier, too. Some were sample projects from my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk. I also scattered yellow painted wooden stars around the tree. Many other tree decorators came by to see what I was doing. They couldn’t believe that I had made everything by hand. One woman asked, “Are you crazy?” To tell the truth, I think working this way prevents me from going crazy.

I really like the way the tree looks in the blue room with the antique furnishings and bright museum lighting. It also has a security fence, so I don’t have to worry about ornaments walking away.

If you live in the Boston area, go see this exhibit! It opened on Nov. 21st and will run through January 1, 2013. All ages will enjoy a visit to Family Trees this holiday season (it’s held every year). If you want to see more about the tree on my blog, stay tuned, because I’ll be writing several posts, with close-ups of the individual ornaments.

Open Studio Nov. 18th

Posted on November 10, 2012 by Salley Mavor

Everyone is invited to come to my studio in Falmouth, MA (Cape Cod) on Sunday, November 18th, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Every few years, I like to open my studio to the public when there’s something special to show, usually when a big project is complete. That way people in my area can get a preview before my work is delivered elsewhere. I’m almost finished making decorations for a tree based on my book Pocketful of Posies, which will be included in Family Trees: A Celebration of Children’s Literature at the Concord Museum, Concord, MA. Several friends have asked if they can see the tree before I bring it to Concord, so I spontaneously decided to invite the world over, too. The picture above was taken a week ago and I’ve made more decorations since then, so by the 18th, the tree will be full of dolls and strung with garlands made of thread spools!

Oh, my, what have I done? This means I have a week to finish the tree and clean up the studio! Not too much fixing up, though–it will still look like a busy work place. Birds of Beebe Woods will be in the studio, too, before it is delivered to the Plymouth Antiquarian Society’s Hedge House Museum for their Fairy Christmas celebration. By the way, the Pocketful of Posies traveling exhibit will be there next summer.

fairy house tour (part 2)

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Salley Mavor

The fairy house tour around the grounds of the Florence Griswold Museum continues with photos of some of my favorite structures. Out of 33 very different styles, I found the naturalistic interpretations more believable as fairy dwellings. These tended to blend in with the landscape and mostly used materials found in nature. Please note: This fairy house exhibit is closed, with the next scheduled for 2014.

Other Fairy House News
(added May 30, 2015)
The Fairy Houses of Highfield Hall outdoor exhibit will be held from June 28th to August 31, 2015 at Highfield Hall in Falmouth, MA. In addition to curating the exhibit, Salley Mavor has made a fairy family of 5, which is being raffled (3 tickets for $5.00). Tickets may be purchased online or at Highfield Hall, where the fairy family is on display. The raffle drawing will be August 30, 2015. The prize will be sent to the winner anywhere in the world! Good luck!

A house with a teapot doorway.

This tree had several entrances.

These cottages perched on the roots look like guest houses for sprites.

A cozy picnic spot.

A wee painter’s shack.

Dew Drop Villas and a muscle shell windmill conclude the tour.

fairy house tour (part 1)

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Salley Mavor

Last week, I drove with my husband and a friend to Old Lyme, Connecticut, to see the eagerly anticipated Wee Faerie Village on the grounds of the Florence Griswold Museum. It was the last opportunity to see the display, because this year’s exhibit closed yesterday. I’m told that they coordinate the building of a new village every other year, so the next event should be in the fall of 2014.

Even with cloudy skies and cool temperatures, we enjoyed strolling around the property, following the numbered mushroom signs. Over thirty fairy dwellings were created by artists from the area, including my favorite, Nevergreen Caverns, made by the museum’s education director, David D.J. Rau.

Three hollow logs are stacked on a larger stump, with each space furnished with fairy comforts.

I found the burned wood markings charming…

as well as the mushroom roofed balconies.

It was well worth the visit! I will show more pictures of other houses in my next post.

3 shows, 3 prizes

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Salley Mavor

Three of my fabric relief pieces are currently in three different shows in La Conner, WA, Framingham, MA and Falmouth, MA. I’m happy to say that they’ve all been recognized in some way. I tell myself that art isn’t competitive and that prizes don’t matter, but it sure feels good when one’s work is noticed in a special way. Thank you jurors and voters! It just so happens that all three pieces are available as posters in my Etsy Shop.

This is the first time I’ve entered a quilt show because without 3 layers and a hanging sleeve, my work doesn’t usually qualify. But, the La Conner Quilt Festival made me feel welcome. The quilt show structure (and culture) still feels alien, though, with its myriad of categories and prizes. I’m not complaining — it’s wonderful to slip into the “fiber art – not quilted” category.

Self Portrait: a personal history of fashion received 2nd place in the Masters Fiber Art – not quilted category, in the 2012 Quilt Festival, La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum, La Conner, WA. The show is this weekend, Oct. 5 – 7, 2012.

Rabbitat (see film here) was awarded Second Prize for its inclusion in the Danforth Museum of Art’s Annual Juried Exhibition of Children’s Book Illustration Picture This!. The show will be at the Danforth Museum (Framingham, MA) until November 4, 2012.

And I just heard that Birds of Beebe Woods was voted “Most Favorite Artwork” by attendees at the Beebe Woods Exhibit opening last friday night. That’s nice! The show will be at Highfield Hall in Falmouth, MA (Cape Cod) until Nov. 16, 2012.

Birds of Beebe Woods: wren

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Salley Mavor

Last Friday, both floors of Highfield Hall were packed with people celebrating the opening of the Beebe Woods themed exhibits. The event joined the arts with the cause of preserving open space in Falmouth. Along with the art displayed throughout, there was a sound-scape piece and local poets read their poems about Beebe Woods. The curator, Annie Dean did a wonderful job of encouraging individuals as well as bringing together the different groups in town.

I learned so much about the birds of our region, while researching my contribution to the show, Birds of Beebe Woods (pictured above). I wanted to show birds of varying sizes, and the wren was one on the small side. They have such a characteristic stance, with their tail pointing upwards at a sharp right angle. I printed out tons of photos and illustrations of wrens and tried to copy their markings and feather patterns correctly.

UPDATE: Printed reproductions of the Birds of Beebe Woods are available in posters, puzzles, cards and notebooks in my Etsy Shop.

Find out more about the Birds of Beebe Woods fabric relief here.

After attaching the feet, I found that the bird could stand on its own.

wren_titled To keep up with new posts, please subscribe to this blog. 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.