After eight months, I've finally finished another large needle-felted doll. The long gap between dolls this time is due to the fact that Elizabeth and I are working on three dolls at a time. Once we had decided to make dolls of all of the dwarves in Thorin's company, we made a detailed list of the work entailed for each character. A few of them are very intensive as far as leather work or embroidery (Elizabeth's department!), so we've got two of those "in the works" right now. This gives Elizabeth time to work on the hand sewing and leather, while I'm felting on a different doll.
Well, Bombur was finished yesterday! He is a very round little fellow, standing 8-5/8" tall and weighing in at a whopping 4-1/4 ounces! He was felted with .40 gauge needles and took approximately 41 hours to complete.
Well, Bombur was finished yesterday! He is a very round little fellow, standing 8-5/8" tall and weighing in at a whopping 4-1/4 ounces! He was felted with .40 gauge needles and took approximately 41 hours to complete.
Bombur features a wide variety of wool. His body was made of Romney, which is a great felting wool and makes very sturdy support for a doll of this size. His boots and soles are made of Shetland Moorit (Ashland Bay) and covered with a thin brown leather (gathered along the top). His little leg warmers are knitted from a silk-blend yarn in simple stitch. (This was the first knitting that I had done in years!) His pants are made of a carded mix of Gotland roving and a Border Leicester/Merino mix, while his hand mitts are made of pure Gotland. His shirt is a greenish-gold Border Leicester/Merino mix, and his vest is chocolate brown Corridale. Elizabeth made the shoulder bag from brown suede and braided cotton cord for the strap. Bombur's head and face are made of Cotswold roving, and his hair is Lt. Auburn "All Cooped Up" wool doll hair. Because of the size of Bombur's head and the length of his braided beard, it took a complete three-foot length of the doll hair to finish the beard and mustache.
I think that the most challenging aspect of Bombur was the sheer size of his torso. Instead of constructing him in the usual manner, I had to continue felting torso-extension pieces --- and even stuffing certain areas before felting the roving to a solid, sturdy feeling. His head was a challenge, too, because of the double chin. This was a first for me --- and very fun! The mustache was also really fun!
More dolls are in the works. Bifur is soon to be finished, Balin is about half-way done, and I started Nori last night! Keep checking back for other updates. Another doll will be finished before July, because I have to have two entries finished for the State Fair. :) More later.
I think that the most challenging aspect of Bombur was the sheer size of his torso. Instead of constructing him in the usual manner, I had to continue felting torso-extension pieces --- and even stuffing certain areas before felting the roving to a solid, sturdy feeling. His head was a challenge, too, because of the double chin. This was a first for me --- and very fun! The mustache was also really fun!
More dolls are in the works. Bifur is soon to be finished, Balin is about half-way done, and I started Nori last night! Keep checking back for other updates. Another doll will be finished before July, because I have to have two entries finished for the State Fair. :) More later.
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