This couple lived on a shelf in the living room when I was a child. My parents probably bought them in Germany in the 50’s.
Their sturdy, carved wooden bodies are about 5 inches tall. I love the way the embroidery is painted on.
by Robert Louis Stevenson
The first image in this Closeups series about music is from an embroidered scene I made for an illustration class assignment in 1974. I’d forgotten how much fun it is to fill in with a chain stitch! The lute player’s hairdo appeared years before Princess Leia’s coiled braids in the 1977 Star Wars movie.
The harpist is a detail from a lithograph I made in art school at RISD in 1977. (see other lithographs here) I transferred a xerox copy of a harp image onto the limestone surface.
detail from lithograph 1977
This fiddler is Laura Ingalls Wilder’s father, who appears along with his family on a CD cover I made for “A Little Music on the Prairie” in 1994. And yes, I did cut out the wooden violin, with the help of a jig saw. The tuning pegs are seed beads. See another closeup from this illustration here.
from “A Little Music on the Prairie” CD cover, 1994
Here’s Little Tommy Tucker, who sang for his supper, from my book of nursery rhymes, Pocketful of Posies. Autographed copies are available from my Etsy Shop.
detail from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010
This is one of Old King Cole’s fiddlers three , whose felt fiddle is about an inch long.
detail from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010
And the cat and the fiddle play on.
detail from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010
Last week, 2 new venues contacted me about bringing the Pocketful of Posies Traveling Exhibit to their area. It didn’t take long to work out the details, so, I’m happy to announce that the Mahopac Public Library in Mahopac, New York and Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mt. Vernon, Illinois have been added to the schedule.
detail from "Pocketful of Posies" 2010
I’ll be giving a talk in Mahopac and we’re still working on a plan for my visit to Cedarhurst. In the next month, all of the illustrations, except for “Molly My Sister and I” (it’s touring with the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show), will be packed and shipped to Muscatine, Iowa for a couple of months. Check the schedule for the exhibit dates and when I’ll be there for a doll making workshop and gallery talk. I already know that some my blog followers will be there for the workshop!
As mentioned in earlier posts, I’m arranging exhibits of the original artwork from Pocketful of Posies through 2013. If a suitable location is within reasonable driving distance from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, I will consider delivering the artwork. Of course, a “reasonable distance” changes according to where and when. Otherwise, the hosting venue is responsible for shipping costs. Because of these limitations, I have not yet been able to find many organizations outside of New England with the funding for the transportation of my artwork. But, more and more people are finding out about the book and the show, so I’m hoping to send the show far and wide, so as many people as possible can see the originals! Please contact me at weefolk@cape.com if you would like more information.
I recently went to a bead show in the Boston area and saw some of my favorite venders, like Funky Stuff (sorry, no website). They describe what they sell as an international selection of beads, jewelry, artifacts & oddities. I’ve bought interesting things from them over the past few years, including some bone beads and pendants. These bone filigree shapes show up in several illustrations from Pocketful of Posies.
They add an accent, without overwhelming the picture. This is a detail from the rhyme One, two, buckle my shoe.
detail from "Pocketful of Posies" 2010
And this is from The cock crows in the morn, to tell us to rise….
detail from "Pocketful of Posies" 2010
They had a strings of these bone beads hanging on the wall.
I used some 1 inch long bone tube beads in this clock from Hickory, Dickory Dock. The fabric covered rectangle is a belt buckle and the round clock is a curtain ring.
detail from "Pocketful of Posies" 2010
It’s tempting to buy all kinds of wonderful beads and objects, not really knowing how they will be used, if ever.
I bought these glass beads from a Czech couple who import from home. I’m always on the lookout for leaves, but don’t have any immediate plans for these. The polka dot red ones look like they would make a perfect necktie for some extroverted little character.
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!
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.
I just got off the phone with Lin Oliver from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. The first thing she said was, “Are you sitting or standing?” I was sitting at my kitchen table, ready to eat a spoonful of homemade Portuguese kale soup when she told me the news that Pocketful of Posies has won the Golden Kite Award! I can honestly say that this was a complete surprise.
What is so special is that my book was selected by a jury of my peers. For those of you who may not be familiar with SCBWI, it’s an organization that helps writers and illustrators prepare for and navigate the baffling business of children’s book publishing. I’ve been a member since my first book, The Way Home came out 20 years ago (see post here), but you don’t have to be a published author or artist to join. I’ve been invited to accept the award and give a class at their annual conference in Los Angeles this August. The idea is still sinking in as I write this post. My editor, Margaret Raymo at Houghton Mifflin doesn’t even know yet. Tomorrow will be a busy day, with fitting in calls before and after my 11:00am book signing at the Cape Cod Children’s Museum. Thank you for this honor!
I’ve been cleaning up and organizing my fabric stash, which includes some old familiar prints. My mother made a jumper out of this folksy blue fabric that my sister and I both wore.
I remember wearing a dress out of this red pattern in about 3rd grade. It was in the days when girls had to wear dresses to school. We would put shorts on underneath, so that we could climb the jungle jim!
This black fabric was a skirt.
We used a lot of Marimekko fabric in the 60’s. The memories are strong. It’s hard to choose what to keep and what to part with.
On the next two Thursdays, I’ll be signing copies of Pocketful of Posies at 2 locations in Massachusetts. I hope to meet some of you there!
"Little Miss Muffet" from Pocketful of Posies, 2010
On Thursday, February 24, at 11:00 am, I’ll be at the Cape Cod Children’s Museum in Mashpee, MA. 16 original illustrations from Pocketful of Posies (including Little Miss Muffet) are currently on display until March 31st. See other venues for the Traveling Exhibit here.
Also, I’ll talk about my work and bring some original illustrations to show on Thursday, March 3rd at 7:00 pm, at the Andover Bookstore in Andover, MA.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
I found this cute old valentine in my mother’s things. The pilot and her feline co-pilot are flying over my work table, which is covered with a new project I’ve been working on since the new year. I know its cruel to tease like this, but I wanted to show that I’ve been working. It’s a large piece and will probably take most of the winter to complete. I’m the type who needs to finish a project before showing any one. I’ve been taking pictures along the way, though. I find that I am lost in that magical creative space for long lengths of time and forget to step out of myself in order to take pictures, but I’m trying my best. This project is an ever-changing experiment, something I want to experience, without having to explain what’s happening during the process. That can come later. I’ll tell this much– there are rabbits involved!
SALLEY MAVOR 