if you go out in the woods today...

remember that song? i've been singing it a lot this week, even yesterday as i wandered through the forest. i'm partial to the anne murray version but perhaps that is just the canadian in me.

perhaps our trip to the rainforest is to blame, but i am brimming with ideas for woodland creatures and fungi. here are two to start, the first obviously inspiring my singing of the teddy bear's picnic.



my first bear, a black bear like the ones seen commonly all over the island, and much of north america. he is a quiet sort, preferring to keep to himself but is happy to keep you company too, as long as you feed him some berries now and then. He is stitched from repurposed wool and has a soft neck ruff of alpaca fleece, while his furry feet have soft little suede pads. to remind himself of the tall trees of his home, he wears a length of red cedar cordage around his neck, but if you ask nice he might also let you wear it as a bracelet. if you think he might be happy snuffling around in your home, you can find him here.



i already have some other bears in the works, more kinds (including this fellow's ghostly counterpart) as well. they seem to be my fascination for the coming autumn. and below is of course my other fall fascination, the usual one, an obsession really. i can't wait until there are actual shrooms to be foraged and cooked up for dinner! these though, are not edible, even if they were real.



two little witch's hats, firmly clinging to their rocky home, anchored in a bed of moss and sporophytes. i love to find these in the lush green forest, a bright spot of orangey-red bursting forth. these are much easier to keep at home, although i think they fit in quite well on this mossy perch, don't you? they are available here.

more stitching coming soon...

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i might also be stitching some feathers this weekend. have you heard about jude's magic feather project? i plan to send a few her way, you should too.