3 Little Birds…

are at my doorstep. Actually, it's turning into a veritable flock around here! For awhile now I've been thinking about how to make a simple resist for chickadees -- and with just the right amount of internal pressure to put pesky procrastination on notice (e.g. the holiday shipping deadlines bearing down), I put my noodle on it last week and got the job done. While pleased with the resulting felted "feathered" friends, I am most satisfied with the elegant plastic resist design which solidified after a few definitely-not-so-elegant iterations (three, to be precise). Like many makers, I find the design phase (including making the prototypes) to be the most rewarding part of the creative process... and would much prefer having a team of little elves do the production of the actual inventory. But how can I complain when I get to fill any downtime with making suff -- it's like being a kid again. Note: The gift chickadees flew the coop, and these six stayed behind. If you would like to adopt one, go to the gallery in Fountain Hills to pick out your fave! Happy holidays to all!

The Rabbits are Multiplying!

Two new rabbits join the fluffle this week (the grey rabbits with blue and gold polka dots depicted above). The grey base fiber is a Shetland wool roving from Outback Fibers. This wool takes a bit more muscle to felt than the brown mixed breed fiber (R.H. Lindsay), but the color is gorgeous and worth the effort. Rabbit sculpture specs: Exterior: Wet-felted wool; Interior: Local Pima cotton, silk, and river stones. 28" (h; to top of ear) x 7"-7.5" (w).

What's Inside Rabbit?

I'm often asked what I use to stuff my soft sculptures and why they are heavier than expected. Well, years ago I was gifted with a huge "marketing sample" of processed Pima cotton from a gin in Yuma, Arizona. While the fibers were too short for a novice spinner like me to spin, I saved this generous gift knowing that it would be useful some day. For the past few years, I've been able to use this lovely cotton to stuff all of my wool sculptures. To weight my Rabbit sculptures, so they sit up tall and have a nice heft, I use a hand-sewn silk bag of small river stones. After inserting the bag of stones inside the sculpture, I stitch the bottom closed with wool thread, and sew on a label. My hope is that buyers appreciate all the handwork and the natural materials used in each piece.

The Fall :: Felted Wall Sculpture

© 2010 Kim Buchheit. Wall sculpture; wool, wire mesh, wood frame; ~32" (h)
I showed this work at a felting show in Tucson last year, but had intended it to be a part of a triptych. My hope is to create 2 more identical pieces and hang them vertically — but I dread having to make 200 more wool dreadlocks (okay, cheap pun). The title, The Fall, suggests waterfalls, hair pieces, and the fall of man (hah!).