Bee-cause I wanted to!

I had a real urge to make some bees. I wanted them to be at least based on the

Anatomy of real honey-bees but based around a pair of cool black and yellow socks... 

Using the filled-width of the socks, I made a full sized drawing to help make the patterns. Those lovely knee socks bee-came the abdomen!

I chose a dense-quality fur from my stash. I can get 8 bee abdomens from a single pair of long socks. Amazingly I had exactly enough black fur to complete all of them! Some thing's are just meant to bee. 

A completed torso, with pipe cleaner legs, looks like a tic!

The 21mm solid black eyes are the right size, but needed the yellow border to keep the bee looking friendly!

Now the wings sent me digging in my bag of lace and mesh fabric. This mesh gave a good effect, but the wings were floppy. So I sewed all the mesh to pieces of acetate, and i had just enough sheets of acetate to complete all 8 insects!

but the acetate and mesh creation still bends, so i added three folds - problem solved! And the folds look like veins too!

Finally the wings are attached with buttons, so they can be moved a little too. The first bee admires my prize flowers ... 

Wow, its totally true what they say about rabbits, isn't it?

Then there were four!

remember this frock?

no doubt you remember this amazing find!



I took it to kitty's house, along with a dear squishy soft toy version of her hamster, Ethel!



And we brought back these super girls ...



which my littlest girls LOVE! Thank you for a nice visit Kitty, the chocolate cookies are especially well remembered!

Five Tiny-Tuesday plush mice ...

what am I going to do with these?

british primitive goats ... WIP

i have been sewing some goats inspired by those that live on portland, dorset ...

"The Trial

The Portland Grazing Goat Trial aims to test the effectiveness of British primitive goats for controlling native and non-native scrub. The trial area covers East Weares and Penn’s Weare on the east coast of Portland. This is an area of exposed limestone cliffs, old quarries, boulders and thin soils which supports a mix of scrub and open rock and grassy areas. The scrub is steadily encroaching on the open areas and the trial aims to use the goats to control the spread of the shrub areas.

This project is funded by Natural England and is a community partnership between Island Volunteers for You (IVY), Kingston Maurward College, and the Portland Ranger Project.

Goat Welfare

The goats have free range over the Weares, but will be carefully monitored. They will get water from the food they eat and natural water supplies. There are good natural boundaries to stop the goats roaming. There is plenty of natural shelter available.

The goats will be checked regularly by IVY volunteers and Kingston Maurward College staff."

my goats will be at the beach hut, during artwey, in september and one goat at the brewers quay!

run, run as fast as you can ...

remember that little pink giraffe who was walking all the way to louisiana?
well she finally got there ... here are some new friends sent from cathy gaubert but who have since split up and taken refuse in unknown corners of the house!



cathy send some other goodies too which i hope to turn into cute things soon ... thanks for the trade cathy ... we got there!

three little chickens ...

the bigger chicken is my child friendly dining room doorstop - all these 1950's self-closing hinges would trap little people - and the two smaller softie chickens are presents...

i know that steve craves three chickens of his own, but for now, we just have chicken art ... and our pet rats of course!

back ....in the shop !

esther bunny and red wheeled rose are back on etsy

Merry Christ-Mouse ....

dont sneeze anyone ....
Originally uploaded by RaggyRat

a pyramid of mice entered into the softie awards ....
i am hoping so hard for a nominee ... then i can go mad nagging you to vote for me/us etc .... so these mice join the berries, just pop over to flickr to see more entries by all kinds of folk ....

sorry - i dont normally 'do' christmas so early, but i love challenges and competitions ....

Holiday softie awards ... my first entry ....

i missed this years softie awards - see sofies central linked over on the left ....
but i have entered the holiday softy awards....

meet the holly berry triplets!

go and see other entries in the holiday softie flickr group there are some spooky ones too ....