« July 2011 | Main | September 2011 »
Keep your eyes on the shop in September! There are a lot of new sock pups that I'll be posting in the next couple of weeks.
And here's a little something I've been working on, and may be the first of a new line of puppy plush. Meet "Mongrel"! He is 6 1/2" high, jointed and made from imported Schulte mohair. He's weighted with steel shot, too--so he has a great "puppy weight". Just a scruffy, chubby little mutt.
In addition to making Original Sock Dogs, I occasionally try making a bear or two. It helps me learn new tricks and keeps me entertained, I suppose. Here are two of my latest bruins. "Rupert" is a 16" plush, disc-jointed bear and "Dumpling" is a 6" mohair fella with a disc-jointed head and thread-jointed arms and legs (they were too small to use discs).
RUPERT--from a pattern by Cat Maessen
I had fun scissor-sculpting this guy's face. Can you tell?
DUMPLING--my own design
There's a lot of trial and error when making bears, and the only way to really learn is to make a bunch and really screw up a few of them. My office is full of misfit bears. It's pitiful. But I think I am starting to get the hang of it--I'm pretty happy with Dumpling, even though he differs from the original design I put down on paper. Since plushies are sewn inside-out, you never really know what you have until it's all over. Kind of exciting, in a masochistic way!
I thought I'd share couple of new custom orders I just finished. The first is Sully, a Pit Bull mix and a certified therapy dog!
Sully's mom wanted him to have an open mouth with a tongue hanging out. After lots of experimentation, I've figured out the best way to get that tongue in there and make the stitches invisible. Its kind of a "duh" thing now that I've figured it out, but anyway...
And here's Charlie, a little guy who enjoys boating and admiring his moms' artwork.
I have a couple of new pups I'll be adding to the shop soon. One is a very cool black and neon colored argyle dog and the other has a teal and gray argyle pattern.
