365/2013 - Day 233

they are in!

Patti Witte (the new Art House Store Manager) asked me if I would make some Tookies and Tooklets to sell in the store.  I said, "Sure!"   Today I delivered 6 Tookies (finger puppets) and 4 Tooklets (dolls). 

It would be cool if I could see these on a fairly steady basis.  They would be a nice lower price point item for the store and I could make a little bit of pocket money. 

Patti making the UPC labels for my little guys.

Just hangin' around, lookin' for customers.

The fanciest Tooky I have ever made.

One of my early Tooklets.

I like this display situation for now.

 Tookies are $5 and Tooklets are $10.

Stop by the Northville Art House Store sometime -- regular hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 1-5 p.m.  Call (248) 344-0497 for information.

365/2013 - Day 229

starting a new spikey guy

But I want this one to be smaller than the first two spikey guys.  I am also trying to put the spikes and other embellishments on before I get the body partly sewn this time.  It is obviously much easier to work with while it is flat.  I am using a thin sewing needle today and it is hard to do much more work on this guy today -- my wrists and fingers are beginning to hurt...I want to keep sewing, but I have to stop for tonight.

I forgot to take the early steps pics...I am sewing flat this time and will add shape as I go along.  It is hard to see in these photos, but the material is the color-changing t-shirts stuff that my sister gave me.  This shirt is a light green that turns yellow when it gets warm.  I am sewing on the "wrong" side of the fabric for a little different look.

And this is as far as I got tonight, my hands are complaining...thin sewing needle.

Also today...

Patti at the Northville Art House Store asked if I would make some Tookies to have as a lower price point item.  She liked both the Tookies but hadn't seen any Tooklets...she liked them both when I made some samples and showed her.  I think I came up with a way to display them.

I think this thing is meant for holding photos or xmas cards.  I put a colored paper clip through the Tookies and Tooklets and in person they look pretty cool -- we'll see how Patti feels about it.

These are some of the Tooklets I came up with...

Add caption

and some of the new-style Tookies

365/2013 - Day 226

I almost can't believe it

The 100 Tookies finger puppets that I have been working on/trying to package are ready to ship to Art-o-mat!!!

There are 50 black Tookies that basically look like this (but each has its own personality):

 
And there are 50 "variety" Tookies:  solid blue, blue/blue stripe, black/white stripe, camouflage print:

And of course I just this moment realized that while I did remember to add a note inside the top box, I totally forgot to make a placard or take a photo for the artists page for the website.  I will have to see what I shot while I was making these guys...and I can send the placards in an envelope separately -- but GEEZ -- is there anything else that could trip me up with this particular batch of Tookies?  Wasn't all that photo program trouble enough?  (That is still going on, btw...but I have sort of learned how to get around it.)

365/2013 - Day 223

and now, a few Tookies

Today I have been making a few Tookies to be sold at the Northville Art House Store along with the Tooklets.  I am making these on spec for now, we'll see how many/which ones Patti will want for the store. 

Patti found a ceramic hand and was thinking she might put the hand in a basket and display the Tookies on it (and around the hand IN the basket), but the fingers are too bent over.  I remembered I have one of those wooden articulated artist's hands, but they have sharp little poke-y pegs on the hand part that people could nick themselves on...also the articulated knuckles catch on the inside of the finger puppets...and I have see firsthand that people tend to try them on repeatedly and that is just not going to work.  Oh -- also the wooden hand's fingers only go back and forth, not sideways and they are too close together for the puppets.

I also remembered this wire holder -- I think it is meant for xmas cards or photographs to be displayed -- but it holds the Tookies pretty well.  Again, the problem will be that the spiral-y wire will catch on the inside of the puppets.  The Tookies could hang by teensy safety pins or those teensy clothes pins off of the wire branches...that might also discourage people from trying them on.  We'll think of something.

I like these Tookies a lot...they can be slightly more elaborate and/or larger than the ones for Art-o-mat because they don't have to fit inside of a box for vending.  I can let the horns get really wacky on these.

Tonight I am going to try to get more Tookies packaged for Art-o-mat.  I would love to ship them tomorrow while Sue and I are together and out and about.

365/2013 - Day 220

sewing again

Patti (the new manager of the Northville Art House Store) asked me if I would make some Tookies to sell in the Store.  Today we had a meeting and I showed her the sorts of things I had available to work with.  I also showed Patti an early version of a Tooklet with a pocket on his back.  Patti told me the date she'd ideally like to have them by and I told her I'd go ahead and make some and see if she likes any of them.

When I started going through my materials tonight I found that I have a couple of Tooklets in progress.  Tonight I fooled around with one and I like how it is going so far.

An in-progress Tooklet and a spike that will serve as a tail.

Adding an arm (after smooshing the head down a bit).

Not done yet, but I like him so far.

I like his tail!

365/2013 - Day 193

gah -- not done yet!

I thought I was going to be able to finish these last ten Tookies by tonight but I still need to do the side seams and bottom edges.

finger puppets 91-100 (of 100) still need a little work

365/2013 - Day 190

a little of this, a little of that

This has been a day of running around doing errands with my sister and having a fun lunch (THE best bar burgers in the world) at The Starting Gate Saloon in Northville (and playing Keno for the first and only time) (well, Sue has played before) and then coming home for some recovery time and then working on things in spurts.

This morning before Sue got here I finished cleaning up the front part of the dry studio...I guess I am calling it Studio A (for now).

ta-daaaaaaaa  (one more time)

Much later while dinner was cooking I finished up the black/white striped finger puppets.  

almost there...finger puppets 81-90 (of 100)

And then much later tonight -- actually just a little while ago -- I decided to try to darken in the outline of the puppeteer creature in the large collage.  I am not sure exactly what he is yet, and he might turn out not to be a puppeteer, but for now he is.

before -- intentionally dark photo -- it is sort of easier to see the guys in this photo

after -- I just tried to add a little bit of darker paper to get an outline of the new creature

365/2013 - Day 183

whew -- made it before my deadline!

Today I managed to do the ears/horns on nineteen blue finger puppets for my Art-o-mat series "Tookies".  I already had one of the blue Tookies completed.  I don't know what came over me, but I pushed myself to do all of them today/tonight.

It might not seem like it by looking a this photo, but that is a LOT of hand sewing for one day!

365/2013 - Day 182

Tookies 51-60

I finished up the camouflage variegated print finger puppets.  They are 51-60 (of 100) in this current batch of Tookies for Art-o-mat.

Also today -- I took one more step in the process of the thing I am super excited about.  I am still not going to give any details, but I should hear more next week...after the holiday.

365/2013 - Day 181

more gallery sitting

Today I kept Joanne company for the very very last day of West of Center and the beginning of artist art pick up.  I also got to spend a little time with Kurt.  We talked with more friendly people who dropped by the Northville Art House to see the show and to see what the Art House is about.

Joanne Bandoni is the person who has been the coordinator of West of Center for the last 4 years -- another fabulous show under her belt!

During slow times I worked on Tookies.

this is what I started with today

this is what I finished up with -- they just need the soft bottom edges...I can probably do those tonight

365/2013 - Day 179

gallery sitting day one

This is the weekend of Arts & Acts in Northville!  There is so much to do at the festival -- fine art, live music, children's activities, theater, poetry & short stories event, film festival, beer tent, food, and...and... 

A Summer Carnival is going on at Northville Downs at the same time as Arts and Acts.

It is also the final weekend to view the 2013 West of Center All-Media Contemporary Art Exhibit at the Northville Art House.  As an Art House volunteer (and Exhibit Committee member) I signed up to take a couple of shifts at the festival and I chose to do the gallery sitting on Friday and Saturday. 

I brought my sewing case with me and worked on Tookies finger puppets.  I had the privilege of talking with some folks who came to see the show.  One group was a couple of adults and two kids.  They were all very into the artwork but the kids really enjoyed looking at my Tookies.  And the littlest girl stayed in front of my table watching me...I mean right at the table.  I ended up offering the two kids a finger puppet each -- they seemed to really enjoy them.

This is my view of the gallery from my spot in the far corner...working on Tookies.

I completed the ears/horns on 5 camouflage print finger puppets -- and these are the 2 completed colorful Tookies I have left (of the 4 I had ready).

But I saved the best part for last...

Today I met the new manager of the Art House Store.  Her name is Patti Witte (pronounced "witty") and she is just great!  I was semi-concerned about who could fill Carla's shoes...Carla is such a major part of the Northville Art House and the Art House Store.  Patti is totally different from Carla -- and no one can replace Carla -- but I think Patti is the perfect choice to take on this multi-tasking/combination jobs position.

Introducing our new Art House Store Manager -- Patti Witte!

365/2013 - Day 175

all black finger puppets or an assortment?

I think I will go with an assortment for the second 50 Tookies.

These are the ones I liked best after experimenting with the assorted gloves that I have left.  I have enough to do 10 blue/blue stripe guys, 10 black/white stripe guys, 20 solid blue guys, and 10 camouflage/variegated guys.

365/2013 - Day 174

decisions...decisions...

Today I finished finger puppets 41-50 (of 100) for my Art-o-mat series called "Tookies".  Now I need to decide if I want to make another 50 black ones (like the first 50) or make an assorted 50.  Hmmm... I guess I will experiment tonight and see how the more colorful gloves look in this style.  Also -- this afternoon I discovered I need to order 100 pre-glued boxes/cellophane from Artists in Cellophane...I don't have enough for this series.  Oh well, I am not totally ready to do the boxes and inserts yet anyway.

Holding these ten finger puppets upside down to see the soft edges -- it's like a bouquet of them.

Tookies 41-50 (of 100).

The first 50 are done!

NOW...to do some experimenting tonight and see how the more colorful gloves look in this style.  At least I have enough black fingers to complete the set of 100.

365/2013 - Day 171

not much for today

I was pretty distracted with other stuff today, so I didn't get much done as far as making something or working on the Tookies goes.

This is 8 total partially done with the ears/horns in this batch of ten finger puppets.

365/2013 - Day 167

Tookies production continues

Back on track with the Tookies production -- I completed ten finger puppets today.  Numbers 21-30 are all the way done!

my two favorites from this batch of ten

365/2013 - Day 166

experimenting with the felted flower

Remember the wonderful time we had at Second Thursday this month with Jan showing us a couple of felting techniques?  Today I wanted to experiment with stitching on one of my flowers.

Jan told us that the felt has "memory" and that if we put a rubber band around the wet felt it would hold that shape later.

And it did!

This inside of my flower -- the colors are a little off in this lighting...better ones later on in this post.

I have lots and lots of colors of embroidery thread.  I'm not trying to say that I am good at embroidery, but I do have fun playing with the thread and colors and stitching.  This is how you learn, right...early projects and practice, practice, practice!

This part is pretty well felted together...only a few tiny spots are not totally connected...

...but I wanted to have the illusion that the stitches are holding it on -- plus the color of the thread matches the fiber so well.

I have only just started on this flower -- I want to do a lot of embellishing with threads and fibers and maybe some tiny beads.  This is closer to the true colors.

The inside -- truer colors version.

Close up detail of truer colors version.

Today's Tookies progress:  I finished the horns/ears on the two finger puppets from last night that didn't make the blog posting deadline.