"B" for bumblebee

The fun challenge by Yaroslava Troynich
to make an (existing) animal
in any creative way you can think of
had the letter "B" for July.

There were MANY animals to choose from
but for me the choice was easy this time :
the  BUMBLEBEE

Bumblebees live in colonies, gathering food and raising the young.
The queen, that hibernates underground during winter,
starts eating and makes a new nest in early spring.
Females have pollen baskets on the hind legs.
Their long hairy tongue is very useful to reach the nectar
that is hidden deep down in tube-like flowers.
They have a stinger, that does not detach after use,
but they hardly ever sting when they visit flowers
(but DON'T disturb their nest !!!)
Sadly the numbers of these insects too
are decreasing
which is bad for nature, and for us !

I love my garden and I'm always glad to see many insects,
especially the big teddy-bear-like bumblebees !

Years ago I made some wet felted bugs,
but of course I looked at many pictures before starting
this new insect.

The body wasn't a real problem,
but because bumblebees have these sturdy hairy legs
I chose to make them out of felt as well
(instead of the wire that I used for the bugs . . .)

And I can tell you :
that was a really fiddly business !!!

The wings, bumblebees have four,
were made on the machine, free motion stitching on polyester sheer.

Thanks Yara,
it was fun again !

wild marathon

I was in time !
I know it's now already July
but two days before the end of the challenge
I finished it :
Yara's  BIBABO Wild Marathon.

June was a special month (again)
because there was not only a letter
"V"
but it had to be something of the floral part of life :
a flower, a tree, lichen or even a fungus !
And, like always,
executed in any creative way you come up with !
(though I love to make something with wet felting)

Venusschoentje
(Lady's slipper, Cypripedium calceolus)

Orchids are very rare in temperate regions
and ask specific circumstances to grow.
I remember that I saw one of these flowers as a child
on holiday in the Alps, it was stunning.
And I always remembered !!!

It took some serious thinking how to make it.

The way we made stems in a "VKG" workshop by Saar Snoek
was just what I needed for this.
I also used some pre-felt for the dark leaves

It's always fun, when everything comes together just fine !

This was "June"
on to number three for July
. . . . .

happy New Year ! (1 - 1 - '24)

Yesterday,
just in time, I finished the challenge
for Yara's Bibabo wild marathon

The letter was the "X" for December
a pretty tough one !
The creative challenge is that you make
a real living animal that starts with the chosen letter.
I waited for a long time
also because there was lots that needed doing
but in the end I checked the web page of the game.
there Yara always gives suggestions of the possibilities>
When I saw the "Xantus' Hummingbird" on her list
I knew definitely what to make !
(see the my insta-page for some extra information)
After looking at lots of pictures I made a start
with the slightly altered pattern we normally use for finger puppets.

So meet Xerxes !

Daughter's first bigger tattoo is a hummingbird !

So today I went to wish her a happy New Year at her home
(instead of the other way round : because of her broken ankle !)
and brought her the little birdie 
as a good start !

last day of September, and tomorrow . . .

Tomorrow
there will be a new start of my

PINKTOBER - challenge !

Many of you already know what this means :
a wonderful little textile gem
which you can buy
and ALL the money you pay for that goes to

PINK  RIBBON

for more research into new treatment ánd aftercare
for breast cancer patients.

This year again I will make my (felted) 
Textile Jewels
but . . .
my hands are not very good lately :
rheumatic arthritis
inhibits the mobility of them.
For now all is going reasonably well
and I hope I can continue my challenge the whole month !
(hmmm . . .  next year we'll see)

*

But this last September day
was just the last possibility to post
my animal for the letter "I" of this month for the
#bibabowildmarathon
No felting again this time but a bird made of
a tiny balloon, wire, paper and glue.

IBIS

last august day . . .

Oh my,
only so many hours in a day
and so many plans
(that will surely not all fit into the hours !)

The little waist (or shoulder) bag
is finished now.

Stitching the bird is still underway

hmmmmm, will there be enough time ? 
(doubt it)

*

BUT for the August-challenge of Yaroslave Troynich
I made a bit of time free
just to make a little sketch this time !
We had the letter
"R"
and had to make a hybrid this time :
choose not one but two animals
and merge them
into ONE !!!

I used Dutch words this time :
RUPS , RATELSLANG

(caterpillar and rattlesnake)

Meet Richard Ratelrups !

the letter "N"

 This letter was the one in July for an animal one had to make for the
#bibabowildmarathon

Again a challenge for Yaroslava Troynich

 I chose the  NUDIBRANCH

Well, let me be completely honest :

I  DON'T  like slugs
in my garden,
but these ones live in the sea !

But when you have to pick one (living) animal 
that starts with a certain letter
then the choice is limited !  (and it must be executable)

Nudibranch means literally "naked gill"

Sea slugs (there are more than three thousand known species !)
don't have gills, like fish, but they breath
through the bulges and tentacles on their back.

They have tiny eyes on their backs too

but they get around mainly by feel and smell.
They pick up chemical clues from the water about
food, other nudibranchs or predators.

Many nudibranchs have the most fantastic shapes and colours,

to warn off that they might not be safe to eaten.
 

I started with a piece of old (failed) bag

that I roughed up with a cat brush,

a thin body and a thin strip and many "tentacles"

Because the blue (old) piece was thick

and already felted it didn't shrink very much.

A fun project !

wordless Wednesday

solstice and more

 The   l o n g e s t   day already in this year,
where did the first half go ?
At least we had SUMMER for the last two weeks !
Some heavy shower yesterday :
much needed in the garden
(and the rest of nature !!!)
I didn't make any special solstice stitching this time
hmmmm, maybe later ?

Yesterday our youngest grandson
came "around the back" with a friend from school

(just before the big shower came )

The STITCH CLUB "white-work" workshop
wasn't really for me :
because of the colour (or rather lack of it !)
and the straight lines, but I tried in the same curtain fabric
with lots of fun "threads" . . .

I liked making texture with the stuff to wrap presents !

For this month's challenge for the
#bibabowildmarathon 
the letter "O" came out of the raffle !
There were many many animals to choose from :

Otter, Ocelot, Okapi, Octopus, Ostrich, Orangutan,
and also Ooievaar and Olifant (in Dutch !)
But I chose :
ORYX

a beautiful antelope from the dry parts of east Africa.
( endangered . . . like so MANY other animals )

I made a finger puppet so I had to work small.

Making the pattern of the colours wasn't easy !

Meet Oliver the Oryx !

It was all wet felted in one piece,
just the horns, which can be more than a meter in real life,
were separately and attached in the end

Another fun project completed !

May

 First of Mai already
(though the day is still very young)

MAY,
means a new letter of the alphabet
in the "#bibabowildmarathom"
A challenge to make an animal in a month
(in any creative technique)
which name starts with the chosen letter,
a fun game invented by Yaroslava Troynich !

Though I'm still struggling with the previous "Q" for March,
the "C" for April resulted in a CAT for me.
I didn't make a felted cat but took half of the painting
that I'm making (and which is nearly finished)

(hmmmm, I hope only half a cat is still a CAT . . .)

So MAY
is also the time for my first Art- market :

in two weeks :

Saturday 13
in Amerongen !

De Grietmarkt

MAY
is my garden exploding in greens and whites and blues !!!

The Bluebell feast about to begin !!!