I have to admit this piece is my third character before the gnomes. Soon after finishing Mike from Monsters, Inc., I wanted to do something for myself. Hence, an owl to go with what I have been carving to make Gigglesville.
It took some 3D visualization effort, and in the end, I am pleased with the result! It looks like crafting miniatures and carving are taking a backseat for this.
What is worse than stabbing yourself with felting needles or carving tools? It’s slicing your finger with a blade. Shudder, ouch, and cry!
Yesterday I was at the office cutting some paper with a blade, and the accident happened. It was a bloody moment, literally. Stab pains by both my activity tools pale in comparison to this!
I am much better today, thank goodness. However, I cannot use my thumb to type on my iPhone as I usually use both hands. I hope this temporary disability is short-lived.
But I will stop the paper cutting for the time being and go about with pure design work on the Mac. As for felting, no stab pains will stop me from continuing this newfound enjoyable activity.
Within a few days, I felted a few more characters. IKEA’s Christmas gnomes inspired me, so I decided to make a couple of my own instead of buying.
After all, a gnome character is right up my alley, with all the gnomes that I have carved. I think my attempts are pretty good!
What am I felting next? These days my routine has changed, and felting is my go-to activity when I need a break. To start a new miniature – DIY project number 23 is too time-consuming, especially with the year ending, Christmas coming, and so many things to do. I can forget carving too, as there’s not enough time for this as well.
The differences I find between these hobbies are many. Crafting and carving take a lot of time, patience, and discipline. In comparison, felting and carving require more creativity and the visualization process. My only hindrance is my inability to create what I see in my mind. By this deduction, carving on Meranti wood (not balsa) is, by far, the hardest.
But for now, felting is the way to go for me because it keeps me on my toes, as far as creativity is concerned. It’s a nice variation to balance my time, and it is satisfying to create something out of nothing.
So I have been felting when there is an opportunity to do so. Suddenly crafting miniatures or carving seem tedious and time-consuming. I have to admit, I have been busy and have not had much time for my hobbies. Even with my golf outings, I have reduced my playing time.
After the thrill and satisfaction of completing the Totoro character, I started on another felting piece. This time, it is my interpretation of Mike from the animation movie – Monsters, Inc.
A little thinner than the actual cartoon character, I think my attempt is not too bad. After all, this is only my third piece, and practice does make perfect. I need to do more and often. And it looks like crafting miniatures and carving will be taking a backseat for now.
So I finally sat down and tried felting after completing DIY project number 22. It was just right to attempt this since I was in-between crafting and carving. And my goodness, I loved it!
So simple yet, so time-consuming, I found myself seated at my little workstation and poking away at the wool for some time. My first piece, following the tutorial, came out a little out of proportion, but I got the hang of things.
Then I decided to make a Totoro since it was seated in the living room. I thought this was better than referencing something from the internet. Such fun I had! I took two days to complete my second felting piece. And I sense this is the beginning of something new to keep busy when I get tired of crafting miniatures or lazy to carve.
As expected, I completed DIY project number 22 before the weekend was up! It was an easy-peasy set – that’s why I picked it over the other choices from the stash. Although I feared working on the many fabric pieces after completing the nitty-gritty, the task did not intimidate me. It turned out to be quite enjoyable.
There were days that I did not have time to sit down to work on the set, which I had anticipated, but I managed, and I’m pleased. The best part, I found a spot in the Ikea display cabinet for it. Soon after, I took a day off from crafting miniatures, and I even went to the office.
I think carving the Gnome Trio will be sidelined again because I want to start the felting activity to see if I like the new hobby. It could be the start of something new!
M1 recently gifted me a new hobby kit – a complete felting kit. I talked about wanting to try felting but never followed through because I was obsessed with crafting DIY miniatures. She must have remembered and bought the kit for me to try. Of course, I was thrilled when I received it.
But I was also afraid to even start on it. What if I don’t like this new hobby? What if I do like it? Then, how do I plan my schedule? As it is, I have so many things to do to keep me busy.
There’s the crafting of DIY miniatures. Currently, I am at the tail-end of DIY project number 22. And there’s carving on balsa and meranti wood to make my Citizens of Gigglesville and gnomes of all shapes and sizes.
Let’s not even delve into painting, which I have my easel and several canvases sitting there collecting dust. Throw in the cooking, cleaning, golf, and occasionally, some design work – there’s hardly any time left. And now, with a new hobby venture, how do I divide my time? Tough.
DIY project number 22 got off to a good start. I managed to put in two solid days without interruption. As a result, most of the nitty-gritty was completed. The main challenge now is dealing with all those fabrics, necessary to complete the little bed.
I have to plan to see where I can place it in the Ikea cabinet once it is completed. And the completion should be before the weekend is up!
Perhaps once this is done, I should jump back to carving the second Gnome Trio, as this is far more important to finish, bearing in mind it’s a gift for somebody.
After the short getaway, it’s back to the daily routine. And this includes getting back to crafting miniatures. I have rested long enough, and the stash is piling up.
After some thought, I have decided to work on a mini-set, which generally is a feel-good piece to do. And this shouldn’t take too many days. Tops, I would say two weeks, inclusive of some off days and golf days.
A mini set is perfect because I am running out of display places. The Ikea display cabinet is chock-full of DIY miniatures of all sizes, and any larger ones would not fit. But I can squeeze in the tiny mini ones.
Perhaps my next purchase should be another Ikea display cabinet to house all my miniatures. Hmm, it’s a good thought.
By the way, I am bypassing carving the second Gnome Trio. The mood to carve is not quite happening. So back to crafting miniatures to keep busy is best.
Angieneering 
Remarks