22.5.08

Keeper of the Honey House


This baby's name is Keeper of the Honey House. Several years ago I was working in my studio listening to a book on tape, A Country Year: Living the Questions by Sue Hubbell. As I was happily listening and stitching along I heard the phrase 'keeper of the honey house.' It stuck with me and I wrote it down in my sketchbook. Awhile later when I didn't know what to work on I was perusing my sketchbooks and saw this phrase and ideas came flooding into my head. She truly became a guardian of those productive, buzzing insects because they started appearing in my studio. Fortunately, they left me alone.


Her skirt is made using a basketry technique called coiling. I used several golden shades of wool and linen yarns and wrapped them around a thicker cord and created a bee skep shape. The flowers on her skirt are needle lace around wire, so they can be shaped and the stems are green telephone wire that weaves in and out of her skirt. The small bees that dot her body are hand-embroidery and stumpwork wings embroidered on organza are attached.


Her torso and head are made of hand-dyed cotton and the torso has a honeycomb pattern embroidered onto it. Her face is one of my favorite techniques, full coverage embroidery. Her hair is a fabulously tall bee hive doo!!! She also has some small bees circling her head like a honey bee halo.



She is a well travelled woman. She was selected to be in the Embroidery Guild of America's http://www.egausa.org/ two year travelling show, so she has seen the country but is now back to me. However, she is waiting to find a good home, maybe someone with true beekeeping habits. I have listed her on my etsy shop, so check her out here. http://www.threadsofinspiration.etsy.com/

3 comments:

Chaska Peacock said...

What lovely work and and equally lovely story!

Designs by Kat Lees said...

Susan she is wonderful, how creative this doll is. I love it.
Kat Lees

ringadal said...

Susan,
Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog. Look at you! Last time I checked no new entries and now two new ones to read, what fun! I just love the Keeper of the Bees. I really love your dolls, and I can't wait to put mine in the house somewhere.

Susan