We, and our mice, loved our Queen and her corgis, and they will be so very sadly missed. In honour of Her Royal Majestyness's memory (and with thoughts of the many happy woolly times we had with her) here is the story of how, and why, we made our woolly Queen.
After her husband sadly passed away we noticed that many of the Queen's royal duties were carried out alone.
So we decided that she needed some company and that's where it all began.
First we needle felted her head using a 40 triangle felting needle.
Photographs gave us references so we could get her features just right. Glass eyes, curly Wensleydale locks for hair and a blush of chalk pastel powder on her cheeks and lips were added.
Her mini gold crown topped it all off perfectly!
Next we needle felted her body and
attached her head, (ensuring that she was decent for the photo shoot.)
A wire was inserted horizontally through her upper body and wrapped with wool, then needle felted until firm to create her arms. (Hot Woolly Tip - we always use a stronger, thicker 38 triangle needle when working near wire)
We used the same wire method to make her legs adding more wool to 'round' the knees. When needle felting her feet and shoes, we made sure they were large enough and flat enough so that Her Majestyness could stand on her own
two feet.
Next came her hands. As the Queen
always wears gloves on royal occasions, the time had come for us to decide on the colour of her outfit. Royal blue seemed appropriate! Her hands were needle felted separately, then attached to the arm wires.
Choosing her outfit was not difficult. A smart coat was a must, with a faux ermine collar. These were both wet felted using the resist method and superfine Merino wool.
After needle felting the royal handbag, overseeing the making of the royal 'corgi dawgies' was very important. They had to be just right. 'Top Dog' and 'Roving' were finished to woolly perfection and given Her Queen-ness's royal seal of approval.
And so our woolly Majesty was introduced to the inhabitants of Felty Towers. The Mouse Mates were a teeny bit frightened by the corgi dawgies, but soon warmed to them when they arrived with very nice gifts of chocolate and yummy cheese.
So Her Majestyness, Top Dog and Roving settled in beautifully with their mouseling friends and soon got used to cheese and chocolate for breakfast, lunch, tea time and for supper. They were such happy days. Now with the passing of time and with the Royal succession heralding a new age, our beloved woolly Queen is resting in peace in a quiet corner of Felty Towers. We will miss her and those cosy days when she ruled our woolly world with such grace, kindness and humour.