1 + 2 = 3

These dogs are nearing completion.  

I can't begin to describe how much work creating these patterns were.  Both the Huskies (top) and the Kooiker (bottom) were full faced designs from scratch and doing brand new full faces means the amount of detail and time is tripled.  I do think I can iron out the time needed to make them, but when it comes down to it I need to keep in mind that my time is valuable. It's my skill that helps pay the bills.

All 3 of these ornaments are HUGE compared to my others and need to be scaled back imo. They measure in at 5 in wide/ 5.5 in tall for the Huskies and 6.75 in wide/ 5.5 in tall for the Kooiker.  There is room for downsizing a bit.

This over simplifies the creative process of how a picture is turned into an ornament.  I don't use computer software to help create a vector image, instead I take the basic shapes and markings of each dog and create the pattern.  It is time consuming and often times frustrating.  But doing it this way has lent a distinct style to my work which I think is satisfying.  I can look at my sewing and say that's mine, I did that, no one else can make that how I do.

What you don't see are the 11 other sketches crumpled up in the trash bin, the eraser dust, the messed up tracings of the markings and the scattering of felt bits that litter the workspace and floor.  If anyone ever said "art" was a clean process, they were never creating art to begin with.