(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!!

(at the workbench) - very little

It is true ....  little things are very sweet ....

  this week, as the rabbits overrun my workbench,  some wee babies have just been born ....

 I wasn't sure how small the wee ones would be, but as it turns out the baby bunnies are smaller than a pine cone

and still even smaller than a clothes pin ...

 Here are their parents Mr. Long Ears and Mama Hears a Sound (just in case you haven't had a chance to meet them), they are so very happy to at last have the little ones near by ...

the bunnies are they haven't open their wide eyes.... but they will (and I hope you'll be able to visit with them again soon!)

And a little note:  This Saturday I will be returning to my process feature sharing traditions of woodworking,  toy making, and of old and perhaps forgotten crafting techniques.  If you have time,  please come visit again.

(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) - 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....

(glimpses) - corners of the workbench

How lush and green it is outside ....
a rainy and joyful weekend ... I am clearing the workbench for tomorrow's work .

 ... here are some glimpses of projects now in progress .... that I look forward to sharing in the coming week....








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Hope you are enjoying a beautiful weekend where ever you are.

(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.

at the worbench: At Play (Of Course!)

Even toys need to play ...

There is so much to love about toymaking (and toys!)

I think toys -at the very heart- live quite a busy life even while they are at rest. So many stories have been written just about this - a toy's hidden, private life- for a reason.

I am amazed how even when making the simplest toy, a little plaything can be so expressive and possess their own irrepressible, quirky nature.

 I'd like to introduce you to some of my newest friends: roaring picture book lions . Big-hearted, wooden lions with movable, little heads.


I could some how imagine these little lions stepping out of a child's storybook just so they could be in the the palm of your hand to purr, tell their secrets (and roar!) to their hearts content.

Wishing you a bit of whimsy and childhood joy today! : )

 

about a little bird

March has been such a very nice month ...a few things have resolved .... and how good it is to be moving ever closer to Spring!

 I received word about a week ago that my little folky bird was sitting on the March new stand!
 





Quail with a heart is a happy but shy bird by nature and was the first in my fanciful flock series -a collection of folk art push toys. She is  letter Q in an A to Z directory in this month's issue (March 2010 )  of Pregnancy & Newborn (pnmag.com).  Thank you so much P&N!!

at the workbench - Months Gone By

september ...

october....november .... december

 

 at work ... a mountain of friendly faced toys, wood scraps, shavings and saw dust ... coming to the end of this year's work at the bench... then some short days at rest with twinkling lights and silent nights.

Thank you for sharing in a beautiful and busy year and wishing you a lovely New Year!!

(at the workbench) - if wood saw could saw wood

... a woodworker of old would often make the tools that were needed for his work... here in process is what I am for now calling a flame-backed dovetail saw. This classic hand tool is handcrafted with traditional woodworking techniques (such as tongue and groove joinery and hand pegged joints)



This traditional wooden backsaw - or really a saw made from wood- is for folks of all ages who love tools, woodworking, carpentry and are full of imagination for what a "wood saw" can actually do.



This prototype is still awaiting the final finishing... but watch soon for these heirloom "Wood Saws"to be available at Prettydreamer or feel free to contact me about pre-ordering details.

(at the workbench) - folk flowered pinwheels

Sometimes ideas are persistent - a bit like young children .












My new Folk Flowered Pinwheels and Summer Quilted Pinwheels just happened to be this way.

As much as I like visiting my local lumber mill or the hardware store, I do love a visit to the fabric store. Aisles and aisles of such pretty colors, prints and patterns - little by little, a beautiful yard or so of this or that fabric comes home with me. They sit neatly stacked -looking so inviting- and waiting for project of their very own.

I never took home economics in school. Sewing becomes a needed skill when an idea or project is in process. In the end a sewing machine might not be so different from a bandsaw!

I love that with simple materials, an enduring classic plaything can be remade. These pinwheels are eco-friendly, wind-powered, stitched and quilted, modern folk flowered, calico fabrics, fun.


Who doesn't love seeing a twirling , spinning pinwheel on beautiful summery day.

a little introduction to prettydreamer

Perhaps there's still a part of you (that five year old or that eight year old child self) that managed to stay with you through all the years ... well to me, that is the inspiration of Prettydreamer - that open-eyed, eager, curious, precious little being.

Toymaking is a way of giving life to the cherished plaything. Kind of an honorable old profession that brought with it a great excitement as birthdays and holidays do for children. Somehow, I hold an image of far away days of workshops and kitchen tables in many close and distant lands where love and imagination crafted and shaped a wonderful plaything. I remember a a special little red and spotted-white strawberry spinning top I had... though a little thing, I thought it might be one of the neatest things I ever saw and missed it when it went lost.

Now taking this a step further, to take a thought or idea (and all it's little nuances) and with hand, tools, materials, color and intuition to form something you can touch -especially something with its own life such as wood and fiber - wow!

For me, whether making a toy for a child (or the child in us) or something for all that just captures the heart, that is the desire of Prettydreamer!

Thank you for visiting!