Finally finished...

My lion now has a mane!  I tried a couple of ideas which just didn't work.. and then got my lightbulb moment :)   I LOVE rag rugs... and I wanted my lion to have a nice chunky mane... so I decided to give him a rag-rug effect mane

I embroidered his facial features on, and added a couple of nice old
dark slate coloured plastic buttons for his eyes

Luckily I had a bag of Harris wool tweed remnants knocking around :)  I picked 2 nice brown based pieces and fulled them in the washing machine.  I have no idea how many tiny strips I cut from them, but there were a LOT.  Each strip was handstitched in to place individually - certainly the SLOW way of doing it, but I liked the effect of having them placed iggledy-piggledy.. I couldn't do it all in one go, the sewing made my fingers sore.. so I spread it out doing a bit every 2 or 3 days whenever I had an hour spare.



He is just what I wanted with his raggedy-ruggedy mane..



He is one half of a pair of doorstoppers I made for MARCH.  Last year my March doorstoppers were hares, this year it was a lion and a lamb.. from the old saying about March that it 'comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb'



Here he is with his 'other half'



I'm planning to make him a brother as soon as I am able to track down some nice suitable tweed.. I am totally kicking myself after missing 2 gorgeous pieces on ebay last night.. I was watching 4 yards (perfect colours in 2 different designs)  and I forgot that they were finishing! The vintage piece went for less than a fiver and it was lovely.. why oWHY did I forget to go bid?! 

Anyway, I'm planning to take progress pics next time and post them. 

Have a good weekend.. xx