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Dick Wightman's Bulletin Board
Meet My New Dog, "Rover"
Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I used to have a very nice hand carved dog ventriloquist figure... and a pretty good act for him. When I retired, I sold of most of my figures, including the dog. Recently, I have been getting calls to perform again. This led me to start going through and cataloging old materials and routines, and I decided that I really wanted to do the old dog routine again. I had a show coming up in exactly a week... problem... no dog. So, I decided that even though I hadn't built a vent figure in a dozen years, I would build a dog for this show. I no longer had a lot of the tools and equipment I used to have when I was building figures regularly, nor did I have the fine basswood for carving. I had also forgotten many of the little tricks I used to use to do the job better. What did I have? Some basic power tools... saws and belt sanders... a pine board and a short deadline! As I worked, I remembered a lot of the tricks. Some I couldn't use because Ididn't have the tool, others I could have... if I'd remembered them before I had passed that point in the project! But, it all came together. I started on Sunday Feb. 22 and had the basic dog finished Saturday Feb. 27. He's about as crude and simple as a working ventriloquist figure can be, but he's made of wood as per tradition (almost no one used wood figures today) and I think he'll be a lot of fun. His character is a sad Basset Hound with a lot of problems. Today, the 28th, he will make his debut at a show in Edmonds, WA. Wish us well....
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Quilt from the 2000 Delft Blue TOBE
Way back in 2000, we had a TOBE for Delft Blue blocks. Mine got stuck away in my closet and forgotten. While digging for fabrics for the Rectangle Island Mystery Quilt, I came across this treasure trove of blocks. Now, they are a quilt... plus a smaller piece that could be a lap quilt, a hanging or be claimed by Callie.
Caricature of Uncle Fred and Captain Dick
Dick Wightman, Seattle WA
email: rwightman@mindspring.com
Phone: 206 784 0883
