Six Pack of Dollies

What’s finer than a Maureen Mills, Sweet Meadows Doll? Six of them, of course! Here is a new pattern, "A Six Pack of Primitive Dolls". Pattern includes instructions to make all of the dolls as shown as well as their clothing and the fruit or items that they hold. These are big dolls, measuring approx. 29 inches long. You can make just their fruit, etc. for ornies or bowl fillers are they are also oversized. Maureen’s new printed or pattern for these adorable dollies is now available from her directly: order@sweetmeadowsfarm.com

God Bless America

Mr. Pumpkin Man

Today I would like to feature a new pattern by my friend, Kim Kohler of Veenas Mercantile. Kim is a licensed artist for Bethany Lowe. Her creative designs run the gamut from dolls to rabbits to some of the most unusual characters. I just received a stencil rabbit from Kim along with a gift of a stencil brush. She assures me that I can stencil. I’m not so sure. Kim’s newest pattern is an adorable pumpkin person called Mr. Pumpkin, very cute and very prim. For more information on Pumpkin Man and Kim’s other creations go to her web site: www.veenasmercantile.net http://veenasmercantile.net/halloween.html

I just spent an amazing week teaching a performing arts workshop at Baylake Pines School in Virginia Beach, VA. We sang, danced, performed skits and had our hands in paper mache and paint every day. I still have clay and paint in my hair, but who cares? we had so much fun. Here are the children.

God Bless our Troops

God Bless our Troops On this day that we pay respect to our men and woman who gave all to protect our country, I would like to pay a tribute to my beloved Dad, Robert K. Byard, United States Navy • Pearl Harbor 1944 • World War II • Korea • Arlington National Cemetery 1996

Long May She Wave

Our American Flag takes on a more special meaning this Memorial Day weekend when we honor our American men and women who died while fighting to protect our Flag, her people and the shores of the United States of America. The image of the Marines raining the flag at Iwo Jima has a special place in my heart. God Bless America.

Summer Fun Celebration

I belong to an Etsy group of really talented guys and dolls, called Old Farmhouse Gathering. (We are neither old nor farmers, for the most part but talented none the less.) Many of the group have joined into a summer celebration by selling their summer time items. If you are interested, go to the Etsy site and in the search box, type in SFCOFG. (For those of you initially challenged as I am, the letters stand for Summer Fun Celebration Old Farmhouse Gathering.) I have three items in the celebration for sale: a Beach Bear, a Ducky and a Rabbit.

Artist Friend, Nancy Malay of Victorian Whimsies

My feature artist today is Nancy Malay of Victorian Whimsies. Nancy creates the most adorable snowmen, Santas and little animals from clay. They all sparkle with magical glitter. Nancy has been featured in and the cover of about 3 dozen well-known national magazines. She has been chosen by Early American Life Magazine as one of the top artists in America. She is a licensed artist for Midwest. My friend, Nancy Malay has so many talents but her best feature is her kindness. Nancy is always the first one to congratulate you for an achievement or offer you a helping hand. She is proud of being a wife, mother and grandmother. I start each holiday decorating project by pulling out some of Nancy’s creations. Some, I actually keep up all year. Her newest exciting news is that she will be teaching an on-line class to make the adorable birds pictured here. Go to www.artfulgathering.com for more information on her class. Nancy’s creations can be viewed on her website: www.nancymalay.com

NO TRESPASSING

I introduce today’s artist with this very amusing No Soliciting sign. Pam Ludwig has long been one of my favorite artists as you can witness with her signs all over my house. My son just scolded me for still having two of Pam’s Christmas signs up. I was mobbed at a recent quilt show as so many folks wanted to buy my Shopping sign. I couldn’t part with it. Pam and her husband Chuck create their signs in their shop in the foothills of the Ozarks in Arkansas. You can see more of Pam’s work in her Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/goldieloowoodworks Warning, you will have to wait awhile for your sign as Pam is very popular.

Artist Friend David Everett , Chicken Lips

David Everett of Chicken Lips says: “Chicken Lips is all about putting a smile on your face!” I think that David’s creations do more than make you smile; they will make you laugh out loud. Today I am putting the spotlight on my friend David. Most of his outrageous characters have big smiles with huge teeth. He magically transforms clay like no one else that I have ever seen. I own several of David’s original designs. Go to David’s site for a delightful visit with his smiling odd ball characters. www.chickenlips.biz/ David will be teaching an on-line clay sculpturing class in June for Artful Gathers. Sign- ups began this morning and I am first on the list. www.artfulgatheringfest.ning.com/

Artist Friend Sharon Stevens, Mustard Seed Originals

Today I am featuring another friend of mine, Sharon Stevens of Mustard Seed Originals. Her creations can patterns can be found on her web site and Etsy Shop, www.etsy.com,/shop/mustardseed I saw the attached picture of Sharon’s creations many years ago and clipped it out. I knew that I wanted to see more of this talented gals work. Fast forward to today. I own three of Sharon’s dolls and just ordered a fourth this morning. I, also, own two of her patterns. You can call Sharon’s style primitive but she truly takes prim to a new level.

My Friend, Monica Spicer, Again

My friend, Monica Spicer, has done it again. She has a brand new Teddy Bear and clothes pattern for sale beginning today. Here is Rosie. I love her and think that you will, too. For more information or to purchase Rosie’s pattern, please visit Monica’s Etsy shop called Mons Treasures.

Artist Bear Friend, Monica Spicer

I have been close friends with a beautiful woman for about 14 years. We share patterns, ideas and family news. We have cried and laughed together and are very close friends. We have never met in person. Yes, we are true internet friends. We email often and talk on the phone when we can get our time zones straight. Monica is a famous artist in Australia and also well known in other countries. Monica’s patterns are professional and very easy to follow. Her Teddy Bears are really fabulous. I am the proud owner of several of Monica’s bears and own all her patterns, as well. Please visit her website to see her patterns and creations. You will enjoy the visit. www.monicasattictreasures.com.au/

Another Doll for Sale by Robin Seeber

Robin’s web sale was so much fun and successful, as well. You still have a chance to buy a doll or two from Robin, including the one pictured here. I love this doll and think that it would be so cute next to a bowl of daisies or sunflowers. www.outsidetheboxprimitives.com

Artist Friend, Robin Seeber, Ouside the Box Primitives

Today’s feature artist is my friend, Robin Seeber. Robin is an artist of many talents. As her website title is Out of the Box, her creations run from primitive to steampunk to adorable to over the top new and Avant Guard. Bethany Lowe recognized her talents and now Robin is a signed artist for Bethany. I am the proud owner of several of Robins’ reproductions and quite a few of her originals, as well. Robin is also a professional photographer and is selling her reprints as beautiful note cards. To add to all of Robin’s talent, she is a Registered Nurse and my go-to person with all my ailments. Folks will have a rare opportunity to buy 4 of Robin’s original creations today on her web site at 9:00 Eastern Daylight Time. Please be there: www.outsidetheboxprimitives.com

Creative Friend Maureen Mills

Today’s Feature Artist Friend is Maureen Mills. This gal is not only talented but prolific when it comes to designing patterns. It seems to me that she has a new pattern to share every day. Maureen’s creations run from critters of all kinds to the most adorable cloth dolls in many sizes. Her newest pattern is called A Balanced Diet is a Cookie in Each Hand. Even the title gives me a giggle. To purchase the pattern and to see Maureen’s other patterns, visit: www.sweetmeadowsfarm.blogspot.com

Creative Friend Pam Gracia

Today I would like to begin sharing information on my many creative friends. I am so proud to be associated with a great group of artists. First I would like to feature my friend, Pam Gracia, who is Soft in the Head. No really, that is the name of her soft sculpture creations. Don’t you love the name? You will love her fabulous designs even more. I am the proud owner of several of Pam’s creations. Pam sells her patterns and creations on her website: www.softinthehead.com

Another Day, Another Idea

As a morning person, my creative time is in the early hours of the day. This morning when I awoke, I had my primitive rag doll on my mind. The doll pattern is one that I created years ago with my friend, Mary Myers, a well know primitive artist. Folks are intimidated when they have to paint on a face so I thought, why not print the actual doll on cloth and invite folks to do the face with magic markers? I tried it and it worked. From here: to Here: So the full pattern is now available with the printed face both on cloth and paper for practice. The printed pattern with printed bodies is $12.(Free shipping in US. More elsewhere.) email me at cbhindmarsh@cox.net

New On-Line Teddy Bear Making Class

I love to make Teddy Bears and Hares. More than that, I love to teach people to make the cuties. I teach several live classes a year but I have discovered the fun of taking and teaching on-line classes. I have joined a E-craft web site which is called simply enough, www.ecraftclasses.com There you can take so many interesting craft classes. I am offering a very comprehensive Teddy Bear making class. It contains the full pattern for bear and jacket, 100 color pictures and pages of instruction and more. The class is expensive at $25 but it contains the patterns and the PDF which you can save to your computer and make lots of bears. Go to the site and find my name, Connie Hindmarsh, for more information. If you would like to purchase a full Schulte mohair kit too, let me know and I will sell you one at a discount.

I Guess No One is Reading my blog

I have long suspected that no one reads my blog. Now I am sure of it. Yesterday, I offered a free Teddy Bear pattern to anyone who emailed me for one. Not a single reply. Oh well, the offer stands. My excited news for the day is that my young granddaughter taught me to use the camera on my smart phone. I've had the phone since the first day it came out way over a year ago. It's nice to learn how to use it. Here's the picture that I took of the new family English Bull Dog Puppy, Meatball.

Free Teddy Bear Pattern

I hope that you have enjoyed my Teddy Bear Sculpturing post. I will be happy to email you the entire pattern as a gift from me. cbhindmarsh@cox.net

Want to Sculpture a Teddy Bear Head?

Sculpturing a bear’s head give’s it dimension and so much personality. This tutorial comes from my 100 page Making a Teddy Bear Tutorial which is available on my Etsy site. We begin after the nose is embroidered and the ears are attached to the head. For now, ignore the thread coming out of the neck. THE EYES HAVE IT Use 2 matching pins to mark placement of your eyes. Experiment with location by moving the pins until you are happy with the placement.For this bear, I have placed the pins on the seam of the gusset. Be sure that the pins are equidistant from the nose. Thread the really long doll needle with heavy upholstery thread doubled and knotted at the end.Insert the needle through the neck opening, going through the Polyfil. Come out behind one of the ears. Insert your needle close to where you are & come out at the eye opposite of the ear. Remove the pin, pull the needle through. -Insert needle where you are; come out at the other eye. Remove the pin. -Insert the needle where you are now, taking a small stitch next to the thread. Go right through the head and come out at the other eye. Pull the thread all the way through but not tightly. -You are going to repeat the previous step. Insert the needle, taking a small stitch and go right through the head again. Go back and forth about 3-4 times. -When you go back and forth through the head, you are anchoring the thread to make sure that the thread will stay put when you give it a strong pull in the next step. -Pull the thread tightly. You now have a bridge in the nose & 2 sunken eyes. Insert your needle next to the closest eye indention and come out behind the opposite ear. Put those matching pins back in the indentions to mark where you will insert the eyes The next step will be painful to you but I promise will not hurt the Teddy. He can’t see yet.Using an awl, make a tiny hole on each eye indentation. OUCH! Insert the needle from behind the ear and come out at the eye hole at the opposite side of the head. (We will be criss crossing from behind each ear to the opposite eyes.) Be sure that you come out at the hole and not even a thread closer. -Put the eye loop on the needle and pull the eye through on the thread. -Check your eye hole to make sure that it is big enough for the loop to fit through but not so big that the entire eye will pull through. The eye is dangling on the thread. -Insert the needle back into the same hole and return the needle and thread back to behind the ear. -Pull the eye so that the loop of the eye is in the hole. Pull tightly to be sure that the eye is firmly in the hole. -- - -Take a stitch behind the ear to anchor the thread and keep the eye from slipping out. -Now repeat the same process for inserting the second eye. Knot off and cut the upholstery thread when, you are done. eyebrows 1 -Hey Connie, what about the embroidery thread hanging out of my neck?” That’s a good question. How about adding some eyebrows? -Place 2 pins over each eye to mark placement of brows. -You choose the brow size. Be sure that they are both the same length. -Put a needle on the embroidery thread is still coming out of the neck. -Insert your needle up through the head and make one stitch for the first brow. Go back into the head to the second eye. -Take a stitch for the second brow. Remove the pins. Come down to the neck. Knot and cut your thread Done! How about a bow?

OUT OF THE BAG AT LAST

Hello World.

Today at 1:00

The Primitive Folk Art Trinkets and Treasures Marketplace or PFATT updates at 1:00 Eastern Daylight Time today. I posted the wrong time yesterday. Here is another hint to what I will be selling. Be sure and check out all of the artists' creations. www.pfattmarketplace.com

Catching Up

The Primitive Folk Art Tinkers and Treasures Marketplace or PFATT updates tomorrow at noon eastern daylight time. The marketplace features original works by very talented artists. I am so proud to be a part of this group. Here is a hint to what I will be selling tomorrow at www.pfattmarketplace.com Be sure and check out all the artist’s work.