sometimes I get an idea

Sometimes an idea pops into my head and I follow it and then… stop. Idea- a fox in a kilt. Sounds like fun! After the kilt was made and on, I came to a crashing halt because I couldn’t figure out what should come next. I tried lots of things that didn’t work- a nice sweater made my fellow look like a preppy lady fox. A bulky sweater was just as off. A jacket? no. A wool vest? nope. I now had a nice pile of reject clothing that will find other foxes that suit them better. And I put him aside as I finished up the foxes for my window display. But, this week, he was back on the work table. I tried to shut of the critical/judging part of my brain and move forward with him. That is how this rather silly but takes-himself-oh-so-seriously fox came to life.

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He makes me think of a mountain man/fox, a hermit, or a wanderer. When I work on my characters, I ask them, Who are you? I am not really sure with this one.

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I will be putting this weeks foxes into my etsy shop today.

fox girl and bunny

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I know I’ve talked about my connection to fabrics before somewhere, but in case you forgot ;-)

I love using fabrics that hold memories for me. I still have lots of fabric from my mom. I have fabrics that were gifts. I have fabrics that I purchased while traveling. This sweet little girl fox is wearing 2 memories for me- her shawl and a Liberty print dress. The shawl fabric was acquired on my first trip to Minneapolis, recorded here on my blog. Wow, that was a long time ago! I bought the Liberty fabric in San Francisco on my first (and only) visit to Britex. I was spending some quality shopping time with Sonya. And while I was sewing, I was remembering my travels.

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and more foxes

And a new batch of foxes.  First are a few little girl foxes-

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I am still having fun with the foxes and I have piles of fabrics all over my studio that I’d love to match up with the perfect fox. Kind of a disaster really!

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pics from my patterns!

I love it when people send me photos of things they’ve made from my patterns so I am making an effort to remember to post them (with permission, of course). It is always interesting to see where people go creatively with my directions.

This amazing maker must have the luckiest 2 grandsons ever- she made them 5 fish each!

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And look at this fantastic tiny world, made by Cheryl Tempest Burton. The flowers are amazing!

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btw- my talk on social media went really well. I was nervous and wasn’t sure who would show up, what they’d want to know, and all the rest of the crazy-making that my head gets up to. In the end, people were interested and enthusiastic and I had fun!

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Winter School Girl fox

I couldn’t wait to make something out of this lovely wool blend boucle knit. Of course it is perfect for a fox sweater!

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It was pouring rain and very gloomy when I finished her up and there was no time to wait before she went into the window. I had to take photos in what were not ideal lighting conditions so these are the best I got.

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She has a tin bee pin on her backpack.

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Tomorrow I will post photos of the foxes in place in the window.

One more photo! Here she is, waiting for her turn to go into the window.

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the explorer fox

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I labeled him an explorer but he might just be a tourist. He has a Guidebook-

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and a map. Here he is in the window display, leading the walk of the foxes.

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I had to take these latest photos in very poor light because I knew they had to get into the window display. As a result, they are a bit fuzzy but that’s better than nothing, right?