I was racing Pippin, (my dog,) to the front door. Like always, he got there first, pushed the door open by jumping on it, let himself in and was standing in the open doorway, when I arrived. As I was about to go inside I heard little footsteps running towards me. I turned around and there was one of our little mice, Missy, out of breath from running. She was terribly excited so her words just tumbled from her mouth; a series of high squeaks tripping over each other. All that I could make out was the, ”Come with me,” part. I didn’t know why, or where we were going but she made it sound urgent. Pippin had come out when he heard the excited squeaks. I don’t know if he understood her any better than I did, but he was at my side, ready to go. Off we went, Missy leading the way with Pippin at her heals. Me? We’ll just say it was nice of them to leave footprints on the dirt path for me to follow!
When we got close to the pond, I heard lots of commotion. Reaching the clearing I saw lots of little critters gathered around a boulder at the end of the pond watching and shouting excitedly over- ? I couldn’t see what was on the boulder due to all of the little critters surrounding it. I squeezed in as close as possible and then I heard a little voice shout from the boulder, “No, no, I need something much larger than your hat - or my bag!! This is a whale I’ve caught! I don’t want to eat him. I’d like to keep him for my pet!” I stifled a giggle. I still couldn’t see who was speaking but I knew it was a mouse and it sounded like it must be a little boy mouse. Oh boy! A new mouse! I thought. The tall kangaroo critter Lola, standing in front of me, moved aside so I could see. It was a new mouse that I saw sitting on the boulder with his tackle bag on one arm and a fishing pole tucked under the other arm- with his “pet whale” hooked onto the end of his fishing pole. When they saw me, the critters all said excitedly, “Look!! This is Quinn, and he’s just caught a whale, WOW!” Quinn sat there looking up at me with big eyes. “I see you’ve made quite a catch! That’s a beautiful fish!” I said. He shook his head proudly and replied. “It’s the first one I’ve ever caught, and it’s a WHALE!” Then he became very serious as he said, “but I don’t want to eat him." He bent over to pet the fish on the head. “He’s going to be my very own pet whale… but I don’t know where I’m going to keep him. He can’t walk so he can’t follow me through the forest every day when I go out. I suppose I could carry him with me, but I need something very very large to put him in- and then I’d have to drag him behind me- and I don’t know if he would like that.” Everyone was very quiet. This was definitely a problem. Quinn sat there petting his fish, deep in thought. I listened as some of the critters offered what they thought would be good solutions. Each one though, had some kind of flaw in it. When they seemed to have exhausted all of their ideas, I looked at Quinn. He seemed to have lost all of the sparkle in his eyes. He just kept his eyes fixed on his pet whale, as if he expected the whale to tell him what to do.
I decided it was time for me to say something, I felt so badly for Quinn. “I got it!” I said. “How about if I said that you keep your pet whale right here in the pond. That way you can come see him whenever you want to. You’ll be free to roam the forest as much as you want and you’ll know that your whale is safe, happy, and waiting for you to return. When you return you can tell him stories all about what you did and saw in the forest that day and he’ll feel like he’d been right there with you! How does that sound?” There was absolute silence! I could have heard a pin drop. Quinn was thinking. Suddenly he lifted his head and looked at me. The sparkle was back in his eyes!! I knew his answer before he even opened his mouth to squeak. When they heard Quinn’s reply, all of the critters clapped hands and cheered. So~ we now have an adorable new mouse, Quinn. And we have a whale in our pond in the middle of the forest! What could be better?
Quinn is great! He’s the fifth of my sitting mice to be created. From his seated position he measures approximately 5 1/4” tall. When laid out straight he measures about 8” long. His internal wire armature allows his arms, legs, back, hands and feet, to bend slightly for posing. His head is threaded to his body, allowing it to turn slightly to either side. Quinn’s arms and legs are long and thin making him an excellent shelf-sitter. He loves to sit and dangle his legs; especially while fishing- (he’s hoping to find a second pet whale to keep the first one company when he’s off in the woods~) (**His legs are made for sitting. They aren’t strong enough to hold him in a standing position, but if placed in a doll stand for support, he can be held in a standing position if desired-**)
Quinn’s clothing is Not removable. He is dressed in indigo-blue overalls and a light-blue sweater which I’ve needle felted to his body. For added warmth while out fishing I’ve hand knit a long sweater vest for him to wear over his overalls. This is attached to remain on him permanently as well. I have “up cycled” a knit sock into a tackle/fishing bag and I’ve needle felted his fishing pole and his “pet whale!” Quinn’s pretty, large, eyes are imported glass beads that I’ve attached to his face with stitches that run through his head attaching one eye to the other.
** Please note: While a child will enjoy looking at Quinn, he’s much too fragile to be handled as a toy. He does best if handled as little as possible. Things like posing and balancing him if needed, are fine if done by an adult and done gently. Friction can cause the wool to “stand-out” much as electricity will do to hair. If that happens from being handled, a simple light “brushing” with the palm of your hand in the direction the wool is wound - (determined easily with a light touch- ) will put it back in place. Needle felted critters are Not intended to be toys, however; if placed on a shelf out of a child’s reach, they make an adorable addition to a child’s room decor- or the decor of any room. They also make an excellent addition to anyone's collection ~ or they look wonderful in the spotlight alone! Quinn is a collectible meant to be looked at and loved. If not handled, except to be posed, he will retain his wonderful appearance and will last a lifetime. Quinn , meant as a joy to look at; intended to last a lifetime, bringing warmth and good cheer to your home!
Quinn carries with him the joy experienced in his creation~ May you too, feel that joy~
*This listing is for Quinn only. The book is not included. It is mine and is used here for a photo prop.
** I've estimated shipping costs as closely as possible. If you are charged $1.00 or more over the actual cost to ship your item I will issue a refund for the difference via PayPal or Direct Checkout once I know the exact shipping cost.