Guileless Tiger Felted Wool Basket

There is no cunning anywhere in this tiger. His brows are stitched high and arched, his eyes are set wide with a bright point of light in each, and his mouth is a small shy line beneath two whiskered cheeks and a pink heart of a nose. His front paws rest on the rim. The whole face is asking politely for something and fully expecting to be turned down.

He is wet-felted by hand in one seamless piece from marigold and apricot wool, striped in chocolate down his sides, with a scalloped cream ruff at his throat and two soft ears standing up at the back.

Felted tigers like this belong to an old protective tradition: in folk craft the tiger is given to children as a guardian, fierce on paper and friendly in practice, and his stripes and bright brow are what do the guarding. This one appears to be guarding by being extremely likeable.

The basket is open at the top and unlined, the same warm orange felt inside as out, with a rolled felt handle to carry it by. Use it for small toys, wool, hair clips, bath things, odds and ends by the door, or as a soft basket on a child's shelf.

Made from New Zealand wool.