I primarily use something I call "google" eyes. (Spell check is telling me google is spelled wrong ???) Anyway, I have used a couple of sources for these eyes. They are white glass with a black pupil. I love the expressions I am able to achieve with them and the look has kind of become my signature. The problem is because they are hand blown glass it's really hard to get a matching pair. The pupil can be almost anywhere on the white glass and the thickness of the white glass varies. I prefer the pupil off to one side and maybe covering about a third of the white. When ordering 10 pair there is a wide variation in the eyes I receive as you can see from the photos. The 13 mm came with the pupil covering most of the white. I have used them but the expression is totally different.
Orders from 2 sources have recently been sent back. I requested the off center pupil and even sent a drawing and photos of what I wanted. Still, they sent eyes with a small pupil in the very center. There are already many odd eyes in my eye box.
All bear artists know the expression is very, very important. I would love to find a source with more consistent quality.
Work this week was on a little purple elephant. The mohair was left over from a previously dyed piece(used to make a larger elephant). I drew up the pattern, cut out the mohair and sat in front of the tv stitching. She is very close to the idea in my head. I think I will widen the center head. Also, no little flowers on the end of the feet. They were a bugger to sew. On something this small, I will just sew across the bottom. Now to find another small piece of mohair waiting to become.....something.
We moved into this neighborhood just 9 months ago. Our previous home was semi rural so there were never any trick or treaters. Since we are now in a very large subdivision I'm hoping to have some. Our street is relatively quiet, with very few children that actually live on the street. We have met most of our neighbors but, while friendly, there isn't much interaction. Just a friendly hello and wave if we happen to be outside at the same time. Today, I pulled my container of Halloween decorations and while setting them out on the front porch I noticed...no one else on the street has any decorations out. Hmmmm...does that mean they don't encourage the treat or treaters? I think I'll get Bill the ask the neighbor next door. They occasionally talk over the fence.Meanwhile, I have set out a couple of my previous fall creations. I made Knobby the Autumn Gnome a few years ago when I first started needle felting. He was to be a teddy bear but insisted he was not a bear.One of my favorites is Frankenweiner. His mohair fur was dyed with lime Kool-aid. Hope this neighborhood is more festive at Christmas!
This is my latest creation "Trusty". The week before last I was suffering from creative block. I found myself standing in front of my stash of mohair trying to decide what to do. Not sure what changed but suddenly I have more ideas than I have time for. Maybe it's that going to the gym 3 times a week is finally starting to pay off. The numbers on the scale are going down! So Trusty was finished and photographed today. I also cut out the previously pineapple yellow mohair. I decided to use the grape Kool-aid and it is now a pretty reddish brown. A quick trip to the fabric store(Bill was waiting in the car) for some fall fabric and I also found a cute cupcake print fabric. Now what kind of bear with that go with?? ; )
