(at the workbench) - rabbits!

of course there have to be rabbits considering the time of year and all ....and so many!

i've cut them from a very nice cherry board.... 

and here they all patiently wait to have their ear trimmed and carved before they bodies are rounded and shaped.... 

and after more sanding, burnishing and finishing,  they will all become very, happy mr long ears rabbits... 

ps.: the forest papas have been coming along and soon will be making a visit as well... i think the first of the papas are looking quiet sharp!

(at the workbench) - from here to there

still figuring out where everything goes …with lots of decision of what would work best…so it's likely the sorting, shifting and rearranging will continue for sometime to come …

at least these favorite tools never seem to far from reach… they literally live on my workbench no matter what projects are working their way through …


in one shoebox, I find my little girl and unfinished doll I was making with her little curls…




only my little girl is some ten or so years older  (and the project adrift in its lonely box for four years or more) …tell me I'm not the only one to find still another long lost project !

 in the workshop, I've started preparing windswept candleholder gift sets with a sample of my beeswax polish to take to an event I'll be at in a couple of weeks …

as well as getting sets of my waldorf candleholders together similarly in boxed gift sets of seven

as well as single holders in lots of different colors (sorry no pictures today of the other colors, but hope you can imagine them all nestled together) …. it's back to work for  me now …

(at the workbench) - more about sticks and stones

the seemingly uneventful life of rock, is not as quiet as it seems
as day by day, under the force of pressure, somehow its craggy surface becomes smooth as glass ...

and then what if the borders of a wood frame could be shaped by time in this same way,
with corners being worn away bit by bit until they were chiseled into their own crystalline form of stone...

echoing a crystal's edge and structure to form jewel border ...





these waldorf picture/postcard frames are a few of the projects I've been working on these last couple of weeks. Thanks so much for visiting! Wishing you a wonderful weekend! 

*Please be sure to also visit lovely Donni at The Magic Onion for this weeks's Nature Table. 

(glimpses) - no small change

how is it that one place ends and another starts ...all those  days that had become years but they've disappeared suddenly with a new door

and those open fields, little woods and mountains have turned 

into little streams and bridges, bricks and mortar

not so little changes still have us looking back even as we settle into  happy new places we could never quite have forseen ...

(process) - all the lovely horses

There are many folk arts I love. From the earliest of times, every day hands have found a way to share the beauty that is found in their natural world .... the plants that bloomed became the colors of the cloth, the petals of the flower the embroidered stitch. In these Saturday process features, I hope to share this fascination with the tools and hands that have brought the love for beauty to life.





Aren't they lovely little horses  ... have a wonderful weekend!!

(process) - overshot

From the earliest of times, everyday hands have found a way to share the beauty that is found in their natural world .... the plants that bloomed became the colors of the cloth, the petals of the flower the embroidered stitch.


In these Saturday process features, I hope to share this fascination with the tools and hands that have brought the love for beauty to life.




 My good friend Marie is a wonderful writer of modern fairy tales and equally wonderful weaver. When I last had the chance to visit her studio, I was given an overview of the weaving technique called overshot. For me as non-weaver and even to the weaver, the process of overshot brings much excitement. Somehow out of the plain background of the overall weave,  patterns and motifs emerge as if by magic.

This week Marie shared a link for the Thistle Hill Weavers  that caught my eye. I admit that I am both amazed and awed by the weaving process. The work of the Thistle Hill Weavers certainly has me feeling this way.

For more than 20 years, Thistle Hill Weavers, the Studio of Rabbit Goody, has been weaving luxurious custom fabrics, carpet, and trim for designers, home owners, museums, and the film industry specializing in creating accurate historic reproductions, working from surviving examples, documented patterns, and period weavers' drafts. And how wonderful to find while visiting the Thistle Hill Weavers website, there where a few historical process videos to see while touring their studios and looms. I don't think I could have ever imagined a loom of these proportions.

Thank you so much for visiting and hope you enjoy this weeks glimpse into the past and present!

(process) - a block of wood

There are many folk arts I greatly admire. From the earliest of times, everyday hands have found a way to share the beauty that is found in their natural world .... the plants that bloomed became the colors of the cloth, the petals of the flower the embroidered stitch. In these Saturday process features, I hope to share this fascination with the tools and hands that have brought the love for beauty to life.

I came across a few process videos recently that speak of what a simple block of wood can become. Today I show one from India. I have always wondered how the beautifully printed coverlets and fabrics I have seen while wandering in and out of  little shops were made.

How interesting to learn the past is not too distant. The techniques are much the same as they might have been in older times. The simple hand tools as well have have not lost their edge and do just as well as their modern day counterpart in the skillful artist's hands. You night even notice some repeated devices made of simple string and a stick to aid the artist at his work. Here is another way that a bit of string and wood have helped power hand tools before the use of electricity. You can also sometimes find my own process or work in progress through the wip features. 

Thank you so much for visiting ... hope you have a wonderful weekend!

(process)- lttle wooden man

Today's process shares a traditional wooden toy from Japan called a Daruma-Otoshi ; it is an ancient game still played today. I had fun looking through several short clips to find these. The first is in much slowed down motion, while the second clip is in normal time (though hard to believe).

Come visit again during the week, I 'll share a tutorial on making a variation.
Have a great weekend!

(process) - with branch and treadle

Sometimes we grow use to something in its modern form, but all things have a humbler and simpler beginning...



The tool being used here is called a "pole lathe" . It is made of simple parts ... a branch, a long string or strap, simple wooden foot treadle and a stand. It  is used to turn any number of wooden things ... from bowls and spindles to certainly toys...

The video I included was the shortest of this process. For a look at the more complete process of turning a wooden bowl on foot-powered pole lathe take a peek here.  And if you are wondering how a pole lathe might compare to a modern machine lathe, here is a comparison.

(process) - from lands long ago

I have been wanting to add a weekly process feature to "Whither Will I Wander" for a long time ... sharing traditions of woodworking,  toy making, and of old and perhaps forgotten artistry .

Hope you enjoy today's post sharing a still living history of the the handmade wooden toy in three far away workshops....

(process) - a lttle turning

How to go about making something?

Every project that comes to mind needs a path to see it through. Sometimes the process is intuitive, while other times the skill level and tools on hand determine the approach. Process can always be so interesting.

Here is a little video (all in German-but no worries,it speaks for itself). Watch until the end to make sure you see what the artisan is making - you might be surprised.



Do you have any unexpected processes in your work that you like to share, I would love to hear ... please leave a comment.