Collecting fabrics and honing my duck-catching skills

This photo reminds me of "The Princess and the Pea" with her pile of mattresses, but it's really an assortment of new fat quarters and half yards of quilting cottons that I collected on Friday. I've got them all prewashed, and now I need to iron them all. I found out that you can buy "soleplate cleaner", something I never knew existed. I had in mind to buy a new iron with a non-stick soleplate because I was certain I'd melt something onto the bottom in no time. It seems inevitable that, sooner or later, I will lay my fusible interfacing down, with the fusible side up, which, of course, I've already done. For good measure, I melted some synthetic trim as well, while I had my iron set to "cotton". It happens.

I've been thinking about trying a name-your-own slug option for my art toys, since people often seem to want toys named after a child or a loved one. I thought it might be a fun idea. I've listed a few in my Etsy shop. So far, the listings allow you to give a color preference or two for your "Hug Me! Slug" and a name you'd like on the hang tag. Then I'd coordinate the fabrics for a one-of-a-kind creation. I'm not sure about the idea...but I'll give it a try. I know about myself that I like to do my own thing, and so I don't want to get overly involved in the customizing end of things. Plus, there is no way I can photograph all my fabric! ;)

That joke our vet made about giving me medicine to give to the duck each day...would you believe it came true? Mr Duck needs an antiobiotic pill each day, for ten days to two weeks maybe. The avian vet relayed the how-to-give-a-duck-a-pill procedure and said it was easy. We all laughed incredulously, but the funny thing has been, so far, that it has been relatively easy. Each day I fret that I will be unable to catch the duck. My knees have gotten sore, and we've gotten a few minor scratches. Yet, amazingly, we've managed to catch him and put a pill in his beak each day. Each night I say, several times, "I can't believe we caught that duck today." Some days he doesn't seem to care, and other days, he's not so willing. He's been a good patient though. He may still need to visit the avian vet, but the first thing is to give him the antibiotics.

His friends and family have been funny. They don't even run away anymore. They let out a big hoopla when I pick him up sometimes, but then they just hang around, taking advantage of the fact that I have to drop my cup of cracked corn that I use as a lure. I try not to move around too much, until he is close enough to reach. My dad has been joking that, when this medication is finished, the duck will come ask me to pick him up.

Chelsea the Maine Coon Cat is up on our Ruffing's site

Our original one-of-a-kind Maine Coon folk art cat doll, Chelsea, and her birthday cake are up online now.

She is waiting anxiously to taste her pretty birthday cake.

Her birthday guests, as pictured above, from left to right, are "Loretta and Lulu", "Heidi and Helga", "Chelsea", "Emily and Edwin", and "Beatrice and Beulah". Please click here to visit Chelsea's web page.

Loretta and Lulu, our Siamese mom and her kitten are up on our web site

Loretta and Lulu, our original, one-of-a-kind Siamese cat and kitten folk art dolls are now up on our Ruffing's site.

Please click here to visit Loretta and Lulu's web page. Please click here to visit Emily and Edwin (above left) and please click here to visit Beatrice and Beulah (above right).

Lovely Melissa

This is "Lovely Melissa". I made her from my Lucy doll pattern. Like Lucy, she is decorated with ribbon trims, Rick Rack, and machine appliquéd fabric over 100% prewashed quilting cottons that have been fused to a layer of cotton sheeting.

Melissa is very ladylike. She sits nicely on our green chair.

She has pretty light blue eyes that look off the side.

She bends at the hip, knees, and shoulders.

Her ponytails are hand quilted.

Her boots have appliquéd fabric buttons.

Melissa's sweet features are entirely hand painted with acrylic paints.

Lovely Linda and Lovely Lucy have been talking about her all day, saying only the very nicest of things, of course.

Animal love

My "Barbara the Hug Me! Sock Zebra" is featured in this Etsy for Animals: Artists Helping Animals treasury on Etsy. Thanks, Michele! Etsy for Animals, also known a EFA, is an Etsy team that my mom and I joined. They are a group of artists, craftspeople, vintage suppliers, and art and craft suppliers who combine their efforts to help animals in need. Many of the members donate a portion of their Etsy sales to animal charities. To find EFA members on Etsy, you can search the words "team efa". You can also click here to visit the EFA website where you can read more about the group.

Some hang tag variety

I was printing up hang tags for my original art toys yesterday, and I realized not all my characters had tag designs that went with them. I decided I should add to my hang tag assortment. So I sketched a sock doll, scanned my drawing, and then played around with the color on the computer until it matched my previous hang tags. I think it came out pretty cute.

Once I print this out on some card stock, I'll glue it, using an acid-free glue stick, to some heavyweight scrapbook paper, punch a hole through the top, and thread ribbon through the hole. I use a little Fray Check on the ends of the ribbon. I've done a pile of these so far!

Heidi and Helga, original tabby cat folk art doll and painted goose, are now on our Ruffing's site

Heidi and Helga's web page can be seen by clicking here. I finally got their photos taken and edited and uploaded. Whew. In the spirit of "avian week" last week, I thought it would be fitting to get them up online.

I've got two more original, one-of-a-kind folk art cat dolls to get up online, and one waiting for some overalls.

We're working on writing articles to submit to magazines, something we've been talking about doing for a long time, but not getting around to doing. Now is as good a time as any. My mom has now sprained her ankle, and is being a good sport by taking notes and jotting down ideas while she keeps her foot elevated. She is tired of being called "Poor Mom" and so I will refrain from saying that.

Catch and release

Last night, I had asked a friend, "How do you tell a duck to show up between 7:30am and 5:30pm so we can get him to the vet while the vet is in?" I was dreaming about catching the duck this morning when I woke up. I got out of bed, thinking I'd better check, just in case the ducks really were out there. They were! Right at opening time for the vet's office!

I got a hold of my dad, who showed up still half asleep, and the two of us followed the ducks around the backyard for about half an hour, with a sheet, trying to throw it over the injured duck, which is what a wildlife rehabber had recommended. The only problem was that we had to avoid the duckling, and all three ducks and the duckling were sticking together, as closely as they could, for protection. The mama duck, the one who likes to talk to me, was the most loyal of all. She would not leave the injured duck's side. Eventually, my dad got the injured duck to veer to the side, and I dropped to my knees and grabbed the duck, giving up on the sheet. If he hadn't sat down to rest for a second, I wouldn't have had a chance.

I wrapped his body in the sheet, with his head and neck sticking out, and I sat with him on the back step, while I called our vet. The mama duck was quacking away at me the whole time. She didn't like the arrangement at all. I told her it was okay, and I wasn't going to hurt him. She quacked some more, and then decided to leave him with me. She quacked all the way back to the pond.

I hadn't been able to get the avian vet, but I had talked to our vet yesterday, and he volunteered to try to remove the fish hook from the duck's leg. Because the duck is technically a domestic duck, even though he lives in the wild, he isn't eligible to be treated by the wildlife rehabiliation groups. So, he had to be treated as a neighborhood pet, or that's what the avian vet had called him.

He was a big hit at our vet's office. Everyone loved him. They were not used to seeing ducks come in. He got lots of enthusiastic attention from the entire staff, and he seemed to enjoy it. I was told he was affectionately rubbing his head and neck against one of the techs who used to work at a zoo. Our vet gave him an injection to numb the area, and got the hook out. Yay!! Then he called the same avian vet and got some advice on an injectible antibiotic. I could hear him talking on the phone, but when he came in, he tried to deadpan that he was going to give me some medication to give the duck twice a day! Ha!

The staff said they wished they could keep the duck there as a mascot because he was so cute and nice. He had to go back to his pond though. Once we got back, I carried him down the hill, in the Pet Taxi, and when he saw the opening in the brush to the pond, he let out a big quack. The mama duck heard him and started quacking back. I released him, and watched him waddle as fast as he could go into the water. Then I saw the other ducks come running to him, and then the duckling too. He was busy taking a bath.

So, there they are, in the corner of this photo, bathing and napping. I'm sure they all feel better now. I'm so glad there are nice people in the world who are willing to help. I have no idea how those ducks came to live on the pond...they just showed up one day...but they sure aren't well suited to the wild. They can't fly, and they don't migrate. They need some help sometimes. As I said before, I sure wish people wouldn't leave their garbage behind. It seems like such a simple thing to pick up after yourself. I just wish they would.

On the way back from checking on the ducks, I snapped this photo of the purple Crape Myrtle that is in bloom all over North Carolina right now. So pretty. What a relief that everything turned out okay today.

The menagerie continues to grow

There are a lot of critters staring at me around here lately. I'm starting to feel a little self-conscious when I walk into my workroom. I'm glad they look friendly.

And they seem to get along with each other pretty well, at least while I've been around.

This is Hilda the hippopotamus' new friend, "Barbara the Hug Me! Zebra". Like Hilda, she has hand-embroidered features, and a removable, elastic-waist skirt made from quilting calico cotton.

Barbara also has a pretty cool yarn mohawk,

and a tuft of purple yarn at the end of her tail.

It's been about 100 degrees here, during the daytime, and our injured duck friend has been staying on the water. He's only come up the hill just this once, this evening, since we tried to help him before, and again, it's too late to get to the vet :( If we can get the timing right, hopefully we can catch the duck away from the pond during business hours, when we can catch the vet too. He does seem to be doing better, but I'm sure he'd feel much improved once that hook is out. Here's hoping.

Sixteen slugs are a lot

Especially when they all need names.

Me: "C'mon, wanna help me name some slugs?"

My mom: "How about 'Tommy'?"

Me: "Okay, which one looks like 'Tommy'?"

My mom: "Um, that one."

Me: "What does this one look like?"

My mom: "I don't know. They all have the same face."

Me: "No, they're different..."

Lilith

Megan

Brady

Marshal

Timothy

Stephanie

Millie

Stella

Ryan

Molly

Riley

Macy

Tommy

Edith

Eddie

Rachael

These "Hug Me! Slugs" are all up for adoption over in my Etsy shop. I'll keep all the available soft dolls and toys on this page of our website too, just to try to keep things organized :)

In duck news, we haven't heard back from the avian vet and, in the meantime, we haven't seen the limping duck, except from a distance, floating on the pond. Then he disappeared. We've had visits from the one mama and papa duck and their one duckling, but those have been the only sightings. Just hoping for the best with their tiny flock, and we'll do what we can. Have you noticed that animal emergencies always seem to happen on weekends or when the vet isn't there? It is surprisingly difficult to find anyone who will treat white ducks who live in the wild. The wildlife rehabilitation organizations we've contacted before only treat native animals, which makes finding help tricky. So, fingers crossed for them.