Another 70 Hours Factor

From cutting tools to fabrics to thread and bobbins to interfacing and seam binding... it takes lots of things to make a quiet book.

For example, when I made this dinosaur.

Six cutting tools are pictured and were used for it, but actually at least one more, a seam ripper, is missing.

It's no wonder that a quiet book can take over 70 hours to make!

Another "70 hours factor," a different one from cutting tools and the variety of cuts made per piece,  occurred yesterday.

I was working on the tactile fish. (Brush the scales and it turns silver. Trust me, it's very relaxing! LOL)

The fish was completed and appliquéd to the quiet book page.  The seabed was also appliquéd down. All that was left was to add the final touches to finish the page.

And just like that, decisions about design placement halted my progress.

I had an assortment of patches that I really liked

but I just wasn't happy with any of the placements - they just didn't look right.

I began sending pictures of possibilities to Gimmie (Sarah, Elsie Mae's grandmama and my daughter) asking for her thoughts.

Photo after photo was texted to her, neither of us happy with any of them. 

Finally Sarah FaceTimed me and we spoke at length as I moved the pieces around with both of us sharing our opinions on each arrangement.

Thirty-six pictures later (yep, you read that right) we found something we both liked. 

I got the iron heated, and began applying the appliqués by pressing them to the page. After that, I stitched around their perimeters. Those teeny tiny sand worms took three different colors of thread and bobbins! (Another 70 hours factor!)

I still want to draw some bubbles on the page - a scary part of the process because if I make an error, it's permanent. If that were the case, could I scrap the page and begin again? 

I could, but that would require not just redoing the tactile fish page,

I'd need to redo the Wiggles guitar page, too. It's completed and stitched into the book, too. 

So... taking a deep breath and with just a few bubbles to draw for completion, I will be practicing on a scrap of fabric before I take a last deep breath and draw them on the actual page.

Wish me luck.  (And stay 'tooned.)

 

Heads Up Again! It's Up for Auction!

The Metlox Poppytrail grey circus pony has been listed at auction on The Clinky Connection (Facebook.) Starting bid is $80. 

If you have ever wanted this piece, here is an opportunity. Good luck, all!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CuzMK3Tuv/

Heads Up! Possible Sale of a Rare China

In 2019 I found my most-wanted-ever model plus a bonus companion.

The grey Metlox Circus Pony and the even harder to find palomino version.

I'd come across this photo (below) decades previously, fallen in love with it, and had been looking for the piece ever since.  (Photo by unknown and from an old internet search.)

I had no idea for most of those decades that a palomino version also existed, and even when I did finally hear about it, that seemed more rumor than truth. It was only years later that I found a photo of the palomino on The Model Horse Gallery which confirmed that it was indeed real.

Of course, then I actively added the palomino to my search!

Heads up that the grey version may be offered for sale soon. 

Yesterday on the Metlox Pottery Facebook page, a woman shared a photo of the grey piece, asking for information about it and saying that she "was not opposed to selling him."

Photos by Sandy Maresca and posted on Facebook Metlox page.

As you might imagine, it caused some excitement - I've only seen the horse come up for sale once. (Mine.) 

I love how people responded. Some offered honest information about what it was and its sales opportunities while others gave suggestions on the best way/places to sell the piece so it would bring the price a horse like that should get. 

Many of those offering information also expressed that they, too, were interested in buying it, and yet they still gave the owner knowledge about her horse, its value, and the best ways to find buyers to maximize her sale.

It was kind and it was helpful. Collectors helping one of their own without letting their own desires to buy get in the way. The owner is lucky - not everyone would have been as forthcoming in what they knew about a valuable model that they were also interested in buying.

I'll keep ya'll posted and if she does put it up for sale, I'll provide a link to it. Even if you don't want it, I think that that sale would be interesting to watch. I would expect it to go for a high price. 

I have no idea what her decision will be but if you are interested, cross your fingers. This would be a very rare opportunity to get a very hard to find piece.

Stay 'tooned!

 

Briefly

I have an early morning physical therapy appointment and, due to yesterday's holiday activities, did not get a blog post for today written in advance.

Then Craig and I are heading to Indy - we volunteer down there twice a month. I'm also speaking at a conference this Saturday and have some prep I need to do. (I know the topic but I still need to prepare what I will be saying to the audience.)

So, I am not going to have time to write for the blog later today. In the meantime, here is a sneak peek at one of our activities this Memorial Day weekend.

To flip or draw zero after zero like I did during a game of SkyJo was surprising. 

And, it helped me to win!

More tomorrow so stay 'tooned!

Ooo! Shiny!!

Except... they're not. But they were made by the mid century ornament company, Shiny Brite.

These new pieces could be in several different collections within my collection:

~ circus ponies

~ flockies 

~ ornaments

~ models with molded on tack

Aren't they cute? I was actually doing research for another blog post, and these two popped up. They were being sold as a pair on eBay and I was the lucky winner.

Both are still in their original packages although one has a small tear in the plastic. At this point I have no plans to open either one of them. Shiny Brite ornaments are collectibles in and of themselves and can be valuable.

I did some looking and cannot find mention of flocked Shiny Brite ornaments. However, these have never been opened and still have their original cardboard closure identifying them as a product of Shiny Brite.

My search turned up these pieces on Etsy.

Using a flocked item as a stopper inside a bottle? Not unless you don't mind particles of flock in whatever was in the bottle!

I think I found this pair on Ruby Lane. They were priced at $24 for the pair. No manufacturer was listed but I don't think they were made by Shiny Brite.

Other than those, I have not found anything else that is comparable.

I am looking for more information on these as well as an identification guide. Any help is appreciated. TIA!

Stay 'tooned

Hitting the Success Button On the Nose!

The quiet book is coming along.

Five pages completed and stitched into the book, five pages in various stages of completion, and two where I have no clue how to proceed. The ideas for them are just not translating into patterns and pieces yet.

Having said all that, I am in good shape to hit the July 4th deadline. Why the 4th of July? It's a day when we always gather in Indianapolis at my sister Jenny's house for our annual family bocce tournament. (People are practicing already. Yup.) And this year the JCs^2 are going to be with us!

Aside from being stumped for a couple of ideas, there is another problem. My eyes.

I discovered that I could not read this dial on my sewing machine when I needed to make an adjustment for putting in a zipper. Not even with two lights over it and my phone flashlight centered on it. Work came to a crashing halt as I considered my options.

A visit to my optometrist resulted in coming home with a second pair of glasses. They were to be used when I was doing close or tiny work while sewing.

I was amazed at the difference they made. I was also sobered by how much my eyes seemed to be deteriorating.

Regardless, the work is continuing. Saturday I put together a page that I designed and drew myself. Feeding the Pony.

I first made it for Melissa's quiet book during the pandemic. 

I even tucked in a candy cane so a little bit of Abby was in the book.

Pleased with how it turned out, I decided to make it again for the JCs^2.

This page takes far more work than you might think.

The top and bottom mouth pieces are three different pieces of fabric as are the ears, all needing to be stitched together with numerous thread changes in between each step. 

The carrots (oh, they look sad!) and apple needed to be stitched down to felt and then carefully cut out, and the feed bag needed an interfacing backing to be attached and then zigzagging along the raw edges to make it sturdy.

Jessica is a dental hygienist and she sent the healthy horse treats and the toothbrush. Love it!

As the pony progressed, I was not happy with color of the yarn I'd bought for the forelock. So, Lisa and I went to the craft shop where Lisa found the perfect color and the perfect fiber of yarn.

It makes me think of a very sassy pony's mane blowing in the wind!

Thinking I was done, I carefully stitched it all down into the book.

Only to realize that I'd forgotten the nostrils. 

It was too late to machine sew them down at this point, and any hand stitching would show inside the mouth. 

I considered leaving the nostrils off, but I placed them on the face to see how they looked, and they absolutely were needed to visually break up that long nose.

As I considered my options, I remembered that I had some double sided fabric binding and could simply bind the nostrils to the nose with heat from my iron. While not as strong a bind as stitching the nostrils down, it should work for what I needed.

Success! I think the pony looks so much better now.

Now, to find some candy cane patches or appliqués. 

Stay 'tooned!

More Buyer Beware

Second Post of the Day

I ran into another case of buyer beware last week. And I fell for it completely.

Look at this horsey Lego set.

Honoring the Budweiser Clydesdales, it came across my Facebook feed. I immediately took a screen shot and sent it to our family GroupMe chat.

"Please, please, PLEASE someone get this for me!! My birthday is coming up." (Not until the end of August, but still...)

And then, I got the bad news. It was not an official Lego set. 

It was the 5 digit number on the box that was the definitive proof. Even though the set had the official red Lego label on it, it was not a Lego product, it was an imitation. 

I am disappointed, but I'm also glad Kyle checked it out for me. Yet another case of buyer beware raising its ugly head.

And then, look what appeared in my social media feed yesterday.

I'd get that in a heartbeat for several family members! But no number appears to check for authenticity, and, even more telling, there is no red Lego sign on the box.

It's a fake!

And fakes can be hard to tell.

Some more so than others.

Stay 'tooned!