Meet the Koggies

I am a bi-crafting artist.  I said it, now I guess I need to explain what that means.  I have two areas of crafting that I spend most of my time on.  The number one is beading.  It consumes me and tries to take completely over my life.  But my second craft steps in there and wants an equal share of attention.  I almost feel like I have two Artist residing inside my head each wanting to take over.  I sometimes think if I let one take over more than the other, I might have that break through and master one craft over the other.  But after months beading or months sewing, the other get jealous making me switch. I love beading and making jewelry, but I get just as much satisfaction making dolls.  What really makes me very happy is when both craft personalities get to meld together and create at the same time.  Happily I sew up a new pattern tweaking each shape and stitch, and then out come the beads.  I'm extremely happy when both get together.  I would absolutely love to teach both of these together, but most people are not as crazy as I am nor do they want to obsess completely covering a pain staking hand sewn small doll form.  I know there are a few of you out there, but the majority just can't commit hours, days, or weeks.  If I want to continue teaching my love of doll making in the future, then I need to take a year or two to learn to sew better, construct dolls with actually patterns and then write a legible pattern that others can follow.  Now if I tend to bead those figures when done, then that makes me happy, but for now, I'm going to commit myself to create both new figures AND write patterns for them. So that all said, I would like you to met my second attempt at creating a new figure for artist to embellish or just enjoy constructing on their own.  I'm working on the actual pattern and instructions for later in the year for sales.

 This is a Koggie.  Where did the name Koggie come from?  I have a group of friends that I go to San Francisco with every year.  We like to text and share our day to day lives with each other.  I posted a picture of my first figure.  I asked if it looked more like a Doggie or a Kitty.  Beki wrote and combining both words coined them Koggies.  I liked the name, and it stuck.  The fun thing about constructing these is that there are so many different combinations to create a different face each time.  I also did a small bit of needle sculpting to give each more of an animal's snout.  Using different components for the muzzle makes each Koggie distinct.  The noses are actual vintage glass sew on that I bought years ago in New York City never knowing what I was going to use them for, but they just fit perfect here. 

Of course I had to bead a few.  The orange Koggie uses a bead mix I purchased from Whimbeads called Mamba.  I used my version of a flat peyote to cover the body.  This one was actually purchased as soon as I posted it on Facebook.  I was sad, but he lives in a brand new home in Washington state where he is cherished. 

The pattern still needs a little more tweaking, and I need to find other alternative sources for the noses for those not wanting to purchase the glass sew on from me.  So stitch stitch stitch...draw draw draw...bead bead bead.  I'm a happy girl with each craft personality happily entwined with the other.