Often, when I have a lot to do, I make a few basic bodies in a batch and then finish them off individually. But they don’t always turn out exactly as planned. Sometimes stranger things emerge instead.

I am currently in full-on “make like your life depends on it” mode, playing catch-up having been rather tardy about getting going after my summer holidays.

I had just got to the point where I felt that I was getting a nice little stash of work together for my stall – when I was reminded that it was time to stock up and refresh my selection of wares at Handmade Nottingham’s shop in town.

I had planned to make a collection of these colourful girls…But before I could get more than just this couple done, these two were called away to do their duty at the shop. And without them in front of me to reference, the first of the other little bodies on my work table decided that it was going to in an entirely different direction…

Believe me, I did intend to make a cute little girl doll. I even got as far as pinning on a dress and stitching on some pink hair.

But then she just, sort of, stalled.

So I unpicked her hair and discarded her dress. And things took a turn for the stranger…The strange young keeper of the white worm came about from the conjunction of a vague idea of making a wizardy sort of figure, the fortuitous gift of the cuff of a velveteen shirt, and the making of a daft mistake.

The buttoned cuff became a cloak. And then the little fabric arms I stitched for the cute girl doll turned out wrong. They weren’t both the same length (I don’t use a pattern for arms, I just eyeball them) and as well as that, looked like they didn’t belong on that particular doll. I happened to have a pair of clay arms already made, so I used those instead.

I sat staring at those discarded arms and being the thrifty sort, wondered what to do with them (I never throw my mistakes away, they always get used for something.)

They looked less like arms than little grubs. So that’s what they became.

Well, one big grub, actually…And suddenly, there he was – the strange young keeper of the white worm.

I hope he’s not too strange for someone to love.

Well… stranger things have happened. ♥