Christmas Crafting - Felt Matryoshka

The holidays.......time to craft, uninterrupted by work and commitments......I had 3 whole days of it.....using felt, embroidering blankies and creating goodies.

My first creation was a felted matryoshka (Russian doll). I have made one before for a friend a number of years back but hadn't made another, until I fondled the beautiful wool felt that Beth sent me and the inspiration returned (also helped by Beth's idea a while back to have a matryoshka exhibit on her blog following on from her kokeshi exhibit that I participated in back in June). This time I was doubly inspired! (Sorry the photos are not great, there was almost no light at all over the holiday period.)

Here's the front:

Here's the back:

Here's the surprise:

Here they both are:

 

First I attached the eyes and cheeks to the face, embroidered the mouth and then attached the face to the body using Wisper thread, then I decorated the front of the doll, using spirals of felt, gold thread, black thread with Kreinik Blending Filaments and a selection of Mill Hill glass seed beads, before I moved onto the back. I made a slit in the back of the larger doll and attached some ribbon so you could close up the slit and then decorated the back of the doll before making the smaller doll which fits neatly in side the first.....perhaps the next time I will need to go for 3 dolls.....