Felted Figure: Bofur the Dwarf

[sarahbeth]

Here's another dwarf from "The Hobbit" films. This one is a bit more colorful than the last one I posted about! He stands 9" tall (without his hat) and weighs in at a solid 4-1/4 ounces. He was felted with .40 and .42 gauge needles.





The base of Bofur's body is made of dark brown Romney (though none of it shows), and his head and clothes feature Cotswold, Gotland and Merino wool, along with some Mohair and Alpaca fiber. His hair is made from "All Cooped Up" wool doll hair. Making his rather iconic hat was a lot of fun. It was cut from an old leather coat and lined in felted Gotland wool.



When it came to the non-felted accessories, Bofur was a bit simpler though rather time consuming. His boots were felted and then covered over with Elk leather and Goat fur tops. His belt is made from an odd piece of leather (still with some hair on it) that we had saved for something special – and Elizabeth made the small attached canvas pouch. His tunic is decorated with bone-bead toggles, and his striped scarf was knitted on .0000 knitting needles using vintage wool darning yarn.

Making the stripes in his tunic was probably the most challenging part, because I wanted them totally felted down in there -- more like they were dyed than a piece added on with a felting needle. So, they're felted all the way down and through but still needed to stay in a straight line and clearly their own color.

Here's the fiber chart for this one!

[MTRuth]

Another great figure, the stripes really do look like part of the fabric and the hat is perfect. As you say, it is iconic but you really achieved it perfectly. You must have fun sourcing all these different items.

[lyn]

Your figures are a delight to look at and so skillfully made.

[charley]

Unfortunately, I cannot see the photos.

[ScarletThistle]

Fabulous work! The likeness to James Nesbitt as Bofur is terrific. Can I ask if you used a wire armiture in your figure?

[sarahbeth]

Thanks for all the comments! I really love making these, and yes -- sourcing the different things can be a lot of fun. My sister is really great at seeing possibilities in little pieces of jewelry and metal (which will be more obvious in some of the other figures as I get them posted). I think the most fun piece to source was actually the spoon that Nori is holding, so I'll need to get to his photos sooner than later!

Jan 14, 2022 21:46:33 GMT ScarletThistle said:

Fabulous work! The likeness to James Nesbitt as Bofur is terrific. Can I ask if you used a wire armiture in your figure?

Good question, but I don't actually use wire armature in any of my larger pieces like this (any doll over six inches). They are totally solid needle-felted wool. I just start with some pictures and a pile of roving and end up with a doll . . . months later, usually! I do have some "in progress" photos of a few of these somewhere, I think. If you'd like to see them, I can dig them up and post them.

[Capi Puszcz - PlayingWithFiber]

Wow! I can’t even think of words to describe how wonderful that Hobbit character is. Well done, a million times over!

[Ann @ frabjous fabrica]

Jan 14, 2022 22:25:53 GMT sarahbeth said:

Jan 14, 2022 21:46:33 GMT ScarletThistle said:

Good question, but I don't actually use wire armature in any of my larger pieces like this (any doll over six inches). They are totally solid needle-felted wool. I just start with some pictures and a pile of roving and end up with a doll . . . months later, usually! I do have some "in progress" photos of a few of these somewhere, I think. If you'd like to see them, I can dig them up and post them.

I think a full post about your doll making would be a great idea (though I think "doll" isn't really the right word, more like "realistic model" would be the right connotation).  Perhaps Ruth might get you to do one over on feltingandfiberstudio.com/ .  Have you seen the posts on the Studio, if not do have a look? 

What say you Ruth? 

[MTRuth]

We would love to have you post about your needle felted figures. Let me know if you're interested. Either pm me here or send me an email at laneruthe @ gmail.com

[sarahbeth]

Thank you so much, everyone!
"Doll" is not exactly the right word, but it's hard. They're really a wool sculpture, but that tends to make people think of some marble piece without color -- and then people don't know what you're talking about at all! As it is, say "needle felting" to the majority of people and they get a bit of a glazed look. It's a bit of a lonely hobby!

I'd absolutely be willing to post more about them. I will dig through photos for the "in progress" shots that I've taken over the years.
@mtruth I'll send you a message.