Author Archives: tottietalkscrafts

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About tottietalkscrafts

Noreen Crone-Findlay is an author, designer, workshop presenter, doll maker,and fiber artist and small loom weaver and designer. She is the creator of Tottie Tomato and loves the fiber arts in all it's glory.

A Very Tiny Doll Celebrates Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from very snowy and cold Western Canada.

Last night, we were heading out to our son and daughter-in-law’s home to join with many family and friends in celebrating Thanksgiving.

There were sounds of protest from the Wall Doll House in my studio.

thallie-at-thanksgiving-dinner-1-c

The smallest (less than an inch tall) wooden Story Door Doll, who used to be known as ‘Itty’, until she declared her name is actually, ‘Thallie’ was sitting in her armchair.

She’s thrilled that she finally has a new dress, and declared that it was important to her to go out to dinner to show it off.

I  protested that I don’t like taking her out of the house, for fear of loosing her.

She ‘pshawed’ me, and reminded me that I am perfectly capable of loosing MUCH larger things than her INSIDE the house.

Oh. Right…

She hopped into the Thumbelina traveling tin:

thallie-at-thanksgiving-dinner-1a-c

But I was planning on taking along the ~very last~ bit of weaving for the big tapestry that I am weaving, and not Thumbelina.

So, Thallie hopped into my seashell necklace, along with her friend, Inch Faery Bear, who is the same petite size as her.  This makes them the best of friends, as they enjoy hanging out with someone who understands the world in miniature.

thallie-at-thanksgiving-dinner-2-c

And, off we went.

After the toasts were ‘clink clinked’, Thallie was convinced that there were Similar Sized People as her and Inch Faery Bear hiding in the corks…. so we shall have to see.

The corks came home in my pocket, so it will be interesting to see if there are little people in them or, as my daughter suggested, little faery mushrooms…. who knows?

thallie-at-thanksgiving-dinner-3-c

After the corks were filed in my pocket, I put Thallie back into the Seashell necklace….

and…. palm to forehead….

did not take even one more photo of the whole evening.

Oh my…..

Which I wish I had, as a beloved member of the family is on her way to London, England.

She’s moving there, so it’s going to be quite some time before we are all around the same dinner table.

We wish her the greatest of joy in her big adventure!

Pauline is accompanying her in her travels, and posed for a very Canadian moment before dealing with airports etc:

pauline-goes-to-london-3-c

Pauline’s Human took a moment from enjoying her last ‘Timmie’ time to share a pic of this special moment.

(Only Canadians will understand this reference, I think?)

Anyhow, all the little wooden folk who live in the studio join my in wishing you a joyous Thanksgiving, even if you live somewhere else in the world.  There is so much to say thank you for….

Thank you~~ ❤

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Filed under doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, wooden dolls

Little wooden doll heads to London

I am so excited… One of the little wooden Story Door Dolls that I carved has been adopted and is on her way to England.

Pauline is ready for adventure in London!

Pauline is ready for adventure in London!

Before she left, she posed for a slightly ‘Alice in Wonderland’ photo under a mushroom that popped up on the lawn.

Pauline looks forward to exploring Nature in the parks of London.

Pauline looks forward to exploring Nature in the parks of London.

We wish the greatest joy to Pauline and her Human.

May they have splendid adventures and happy, happy times in London.

Hmmmm…   I think we may have to go visit them someday…..

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Vintage hankies become dresses for wooden dolls

I love vintage hankies and decided to use them to make dresses for some of the wooden dolls that I carve.

I needed to take a break last week, and my Story Door Dolls were beckoning me.

So, I used some of the vintage hankies that I have collected over the years to make them new dresses.

new-hanky-dresses-2-c

Lucky Pauline ended up with the most beautifully embroidered hanky.

I can’t bear to cut the hankies, so I do some crazy folding to make the hanky work as the skirt.

new-hanky-dresses-1-c

This is Tennie in her new hanky dress…. even though it’s not as glamorous as Pauline’s, she’s still very happy with it.

By folding and hand stitching the delicate old linen, cotton and silk hankies, the hankies remain intact.

This is a kind of archival use of the hankies, which preserves them, but uses them, instead of them languishing in a box.

new-hanky-dresses-3c

I hand carve the dolls, which I call my ‘Story Door Dolls’.

They are all around 6 inches tall, and I use local woods for most of them.

They were inspired by Hitty dolls.

new-hanky-dresses-4-c

This little charmer was carved from Arbutus wood that was trimmed many years ago from the tree in my sisters in laws house in Victoria.  I won’t be carving anymore Arbutus dolls as that wood is like iron!  wow…. and ow….

And, yes, I do sell them…..

But not Pauline

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Woven Women: 6th Sense One of a Kind Art Dolls

I have been working on  new handwoven one of a kind art dolls.

They are a somewhat different approach to my Woven Women Mixed Media pieces.

6th-sense-trio-c

Earlier this summer, I read a wonderful book, called: A Monk in the Beehive.

The author spoke about humanity needing to come to our senses, and to connect with our sixth sense, which is wisdom, intuition, peacefulness and integrity towards the planet.

This moved me deeply, and I have been thinking about it  a lot.

This is how I have woven these thoughts together- in the first 3 of a series of ‘6th Sense’ Woven Women.

Each one is totally one of a kind.

I wove them as contemplations on wisdom, compassion, kindness, peace and peace making, connection, and a longing to care for the planet.

As I created each one, I would hold thoughts of wellness, integrity, and all the other attributes that I mentioned previously.

Weaving is a meditation in motion, and there is love in every stitch.

There is joy  and tenderness in the making of the ‘6th Sense’ art dolls.

 

They are all approximately 17 inches tall and they can either stand and lean on a shelf, or be hung from the woven hanging loop on the back of the head.

Each one has 6 pennies-  six cents- to represent the Sixth Sense, in all it’s manifestations.

I wove each of the 6th Sense Woven Women Art Dolls on many different looms, using a wide variety of techiques.

Here’s a video of ‘6th Sense- Intuition’,    ‘6th Sense- Deep Peace’ and

‘6th Sense- Listening to The Voice of Wisdom’:

Photos:

‘6th Sense- INTUITION’:

One of a kind art doll by Noreen Crone-Findlay www.tottietalkscrafts.com6th-sense-intuition-2-c6th-sense-intuition-3-c6th-sense-intuition-4-c6th-sense-intuition-5-c6th-sense-intuition-6-c

 

‘6th Sense- Deep Peace’

6th-sense-deep-peace-1-c6th-sense-deep-peace-2-c 6th-sense-deep-peace-3-c 6th-sense-deep-peace-4-c 6th-sense-deep-peace-5-c 6th-sense-deep-peace-6-c

 

 

‘6th Sense- Listening to The Voice of Wisdom’

6th-sense-listening-to-the-voice-of-wisdom-1c 6th-sense-listening-to-the-voice-of-wisdom-2-c 6th-sense-listening-to-the-voice-of-wisdom-3-c 6th-sense-listening-to-the-voice-of-wisdom-4-c 6th-sense-listening-to-the-voice-of-wisdom-5-c

 

 

If you are interested in purchasing a ‘Woven Women- 6th Sense’ One of a Kind Art Doll,

please contact me

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

 

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Filed under doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, weaving & handwoven, Woven Women tapestries and woven works

Woven Women- Essence

For the last few months, I have been working on a very large mixed media tapestry in my series of ‘Woven Women’.

This one is called: ‘Essence’.

Woven Woman (Essence) by Noreen Crone-Findlay (c)

Woven Woman (Essence) by Noreen Crone-Findlay (c)

She’s over 6 feet tall, and has about 2 feet of warp strands hanging below the lower edge, so she’s about 8 feet tall in total.

I used many different looms to weave her…. beginning with my ‘Story Loom’ (designed by Susan Barret Merrill of

Weaving a Life LINK)

"Essence" on the Story Loom (c) Noreen Crone-Findlay

“Essence” on the Story Loom (c) Noreen Crone-Findlay

I also used:  A rigid heddle loom, a narrow band weaving loom,  peg loom, weaving sticks, Star Loom, tatting and wire work.

I posted links to 3 videos that I made about various looms and techniques I used in weaving ‘Woven Woman: Essence” here: LINK

And, made a video so you can see her a little more clearly:

Happy Weaving, and here’s to Essence, however it reveals itself (or in this case: Herself).

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, Peg and Stick Loom weaving, tapestry, weaving & handwoven, Woven Women tapestries and woven works

Weaving the Flower of Life Pattern on a Hexagon Loom

I’ve just finished weaving a new Woven Woman mixed media tapestry.  LINK

Woven Woman (Essence) by Noreen Crone-Findlay (c)

Woven Woman (Essence) by Noreen Crone-Findlay (c)

I’ve made 3 video tutorials to show how I wove various aspects of her:

Peg Loom Circle with outside band (c)

How I wove the ‘Galaxy’ circle at her heart: LINK  using the Peg Loom

weaving with wire on weaving sticks

weaving with wire on weaving sticks

How I wove the narrow copper band around her face, using Weaving Sticks: LINK

And, the third video shows how I used a Lily Speed o Weave loom to weave a hexagon, using the ‘Flower of Life’ pattern, with spool knitted cord.

I spent several days shooting a video, showing how to weave the Flower of Life with wire, but the wire just doesn’t show up in the video.  Sigh.

So back to the drawing board, and several more days, but this time, using spool knitted cord, because it shows up well in the video.

Flower of Life pattern woven on the hexagon loom by Noreen Crone-Findlay

Flower of Life pattern woven on the hexagon loom by Noreen Crone-Findlay

You can use all kinds of things to weave this pattern that is a celebration of geometry- Lucet cords, wire, thread, yarn, art yarn, roving (use thread or embroidery floss or yarn to tie the intersections), t shirt yarn, fabric strips…. no limits!

 

 

By the way:  In my etsy shop, there’s a great eBook:

LINK

(Lily Speed o Weave patterns and designs)

Another YouTube video for a different  Lily Speed o Weave tutorial :

Happy weaving!

 

 

 

 

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, tutorial & how to, video tutorial

Knitted armchairs for Findlay Bear and Flora Panda

My grandson has been getting very impatient with me because poor Findlay Bear and Flora Panda don’t have anywhere comfortable to sit in their little house.

For more than a month, I have been telling him that I am working on a pattern for knitted armchairs.

He just raises his eyebrow now.  He’s not sure that I really am on it.

BUT….

Findlay and Flora finally have comfie armchairs!

Findlay and Flora finally have comfie armchairs!

They celebrated by sipping a cup of tea together and basking in their new chairs.

While they were sipping their tea, they heard a snuffling sort of a sound….

eeek!  Chihuahua alert!

eeek! Chihuahua alert!

Suddenly, an interested Chihuahua loomed up on the horizon!

Findlay and Flora raced into their house and slammed the Fairy door behind them.

Tea is getting cold....

Tea is getting cold….

They peeked out and saw that the coast was clear.

They huffed and puffed, and hefted their lovely new chairs up into their house….

Safe and cozy!

Safe and cozy!

If you would like to knit little armchairs for the small bears and dolls in your house, the pattern is available in my etsy shop:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/397997845/tiny-knitted-armchair-for-teddy-bears?ref=shop_home_active_1

I think that my grandson will be pleased.

🙂

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Knitted Sweater and Pants for Findlay Bear and Flora Panda

Findlay & Flora love flowers

Findlay Bear and Flora Panda are celebrating springtime by searching for flower buds that are just coming up.

Sweaters 2 (c)

It’s so exciting to see the new leaves popping up,

Sweaters 3 (c)

Some of the flowers are absolutely tiny!

Springtime can be a chilly time of year, so Findlay and Flora are happy to wear their new sweaters and pants while they are questing for flowers.

Sweaters 4 (c)

The pattern for the sweater and pants  is available in my etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/275065922/findlay-and-flora-teddy-bear-knitted?ref=shop_home_active_1

and for Findlay Bear and Flora Panda:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/274302708/knitted-teddy-bear-pdf-pattern-findlay?ref=listing-shop-header-1

Happy springtime, happy flowers, happy knitting, and happy bears!

 

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Introducing Findlay Bear and Flora Panda Knitted teddy bears

For several years, I designed teddy bears (Edward and Anastasia) for a knitting magazine that is no longer being published.

People have been asking me for the patterns for Edward and Anastasia, but I can’t share them, as I don’t own the copyright on them  😦

So…..instead…..

I have been working on a pair of tiny knitted teddy bears that will have all manner of adventures.

And, I would like to introduce:

Findlay Bear and Flora Panda:

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay

Findlay Bear and Flora Panda are 4 inches tall.

Findlay Bear How to 1

They are really fun and easy to knit.

Findlay Bear How to 2

Here is the link to their pattern in my etsy shop: PATTERN

Because they are small, they can travel easily in a pocket:

Findlay Bear How to 3

Findlay Bear and Flora live in a Tree House.

Findlay bear house 11

Findlay bear house 12

They have just moved in, so the inside isn’t decorated yet.

They have to make up their minds how that will go….

Their house began as a thrift shop find that I did a whole lot of renovation to.

Here’s a little slide show that I made, showing how I made their house:

Findlay Bear and Flora Panda have all kinds of thoughts about the adventures that they would like to have.

I hope that you will knit your own version of Findlay Bear and Flora Panda and join us!

The pdf pattern for Findlay Bear and Flora Panda is available in my etsy shop: PATTERN

 

 

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Filed under Findlay Bear and Flora Panda, knitting, teddy bear

Woven Women- The Stories We Tell

This is the latest in my series of Woven Women mixed media tapestries: “The Stories We Tell”.

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

Here’s the video that explains it:

I wove the center galaxy section on a 15 inch peg loom from Dewberry Ridge looms. The dragonflies and star were also woven on looms that I designed for Dewberry Ridge.

I wove the words on my double slotted rigid heddle.

I worked the hand in Teneriffe lace and lucet cords.

It’s 20 inches/50 cm wide and 21 inches/52.5 cm tall.

It took more than 8 weeks of intensive weaving for me to complete this piece.

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, Peg and Stick Loom weaving, tapestry, weaving & handwoven, Woven Women tapestries and woven works