tomorrow - only a day away

Ooops! I've been running a little late and have only half of what I would like to have finished ready, so I'm thinking the best thing to do is to postpone the update until tomorrow 3PM EST. Same bat time, same bat channel. Sorry about the folks; hope you understand.

Sally the snail, seen above, will be part of tomorrow's update.

so turn around, stick it out!

I often get asked how do I get the mieces & co. to stand on their own. First, you have to fiddle with their legs a bit. Gently press down on the tips of their feet, and push the legs apart a tiny bit, slowly, so as to balance the weight of the body. This means that they will lean forward slightly. As I told Matt & Stacie the other day, they should look like they're farting. Yeah, I know. Keepin' it clASSy, as always. But seriously, just be patient with it and move in tiny increments, and you can get them to stand on their own. They do stand perfectly when propped against an object, but should you want it to stand freely, well, now you know. And knowing is half the battle, as they say.

snail tails

Funny thing about sewing these tails. The first time I tried to make one, I hated the process. Maybe it was because I kept stabbing my fingers with the needle, or because my thread kept getting tangled because I used too long a length of it, or even because the tail itself kept unfurling and flapping about in a frustrating fashion as I tried to pin it down. I finally have it down, though. Finally. First, I make sure not to stuff the tail itself too tightly so that it's easier to turn, and I turn the tail as I sew so that it's easier on my hands than trying to hold down a twisted form for however long it takes me. I use a shorter length of hand-quilting thread. I use smaller stitches. And I sing as I sew. Now that I have gotten into the rhythm of it, I find the process to be very zen, and I am extremely pleased with the resulting tail/shell. It's a form that works well on top of the snail softie.

Mary had a little lamb

And now, so can you!

The shop update has been completed. Sorry about the delay, folks. My computer has been a bit off lately, and processing the photos took way longer than it normally does. Everything is up now, I am happy to report. Also, there's going to be another update next Monday which will include a couple of pieces not finished in time for today's update, as well as a bunch of mini-critters. So please do drop by!

Hope your week is off to a wonderful start!

love those mieces to pieces

Just two of the little guys that will be included in Monday's shop update.

Lambikins: OMG! You guys! Have any of you seen the scarves? Where are they?

Mouse #1: Um, what scarves?

Lambikins: You know, the scarves we're supposed to wear for our photoshoot tomorrow? Duh!

Mouse #2: Photoshoot? What photoshoot? There's a photoshoot?

Lambikins: Yes! Didn't you get the memo? Dude, you gotta get with the program.

Mouse #3: Yeah, well, scarves are so 2008. Totally passé. Even the hipsters are finally retiring them. Didn't you get the memo?

Lambikins: Yeah, well... well... um, well, we're still wearing them for the shoot. It's a very important shoot. It's for the mondo shop update, this coming Monday, August 24, at 3PM EST. So tomorrow's photoshoot - be there or be square, my cheese-loving little friends. And bring your scarves!