After a year full of changes it seems that life is finally beginning to return to normal. I am comfortably ensconced in a place I can call Home. We have enclosed the carport as a prelude to turning it into a sewing studio so The Doll's Dressmaker can have a permanent place to ply his trade. Now all that we need is for a bag of gold to drop from the sky to facilitate the remainder of the transition. Since we have only had one ten minute rainstorm in the last six weeks I'm not holding my breath waiting for this to happen. If we can't get rain I'm sure that bags of gold are even harder to come by. But, fear not! Hope springs eternal!
Whilst we wait, here's my latest project. Her name is Kiki and she comes from an UK company called Clothkits. Mine is an earlier version than the one currently selling on their website. She was very easy to construct. I complicated the matter by embroidering her facial features, headband, and assorted floral accents beforehand. I also added button embellishments to her headband and bracelet and gave her elbow and knee joints so she could better express herself. Doesn't everyone need to express themselves from time to time? I took a trip to my local independent needlework shop, Silk Road Needle Arts, today to pick up the wool threads I am going to use to embroider her hat and kimono which you see her sitting upon in the photo. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to have something creative to share. It has been far too long.
I hope your day was as fulfilling as mine! *^_^*
A new apron for Lily Hannah. I finished it while at my sister's house in Raleigh over Christmas. It is reversible, has two contrasting pockets on either side, and sports my first attempt at making my own bias binding. Making bias binding really is as easy as everyone says it is. The pattern came from a Laura Ingalls Wilder inspired craft book from the library and I altered it to fit. I think I'll make the next one a little longer with bigger pockets, but overall I'm pretty happy with this first attempt. I also made the shoes she is wearing. They are wool felt with bead embroidery at the toe. I have a different style for sale in my Etsy store right now. I will have this mary jane style up for sale as soon as I can take pictures and upload them to my computer. That's always a dicey proposition with this computer so I can't say for sure when that'll happen. I'll announce it here though. The dress she is wearing came from another Etsy seller, LizRetros. I don't think they make anything for BJD's anymore, but if you have Tyler or Gene they have some pretty cool stuff. Her hat is a vintage crochet doll hat from Renninger's Antique Market in Mount Dora, Florida. They have a huge antique fair three times a year and one of the dealers had tons of vintage linens, doll clothes, fabrics, quilts, and related ephemera. You'll be seeing more stuff I bought that day in the future. Making stuff is a real high for me. I hope you're having a good weekend too.
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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal...Today President Elect Obama proved that this statement is true for him and all other African Americans. Unfortunately, my fellow Floridians still believe that there is a segment of our society that is most emphatically NOT equal and that a state constitutional amendment is the best way to ensure that equality is not extended to gays and lesbians. President Elect Obama is right, we as Americans still have a long, hard road ahead of us. That he is hopeful and committed to help bring about the change that is needed is heartening to me. What a shame that after more than 230 years we still cannot claim that we have fully lived up to the promise of our potential as a nation. Let's not sit back on our laurels and forget that this moment is not the culmination of our struggle but rather a battle won. As long as issues of morality can still be legislated and minorities of any kind can still be singled out for exclusion we must still fight. Let's remember that history was made today and can still be made tomorrow. Yes We Can.
... for ice cream! Peppermint ice cream in a Pooh bowl eaten with a pink plastic spoon and decorated with apple oatmeal cookies. I adore peppermint ice cream. It reminds me of my Great Aunt Doris who also adored it. She has been gone a long time now but I can still feel close to her whenever I want simply by eating peppermint ice cream. Somehow it is even more delicious because it isn't available all the time. It can only be gotten leading up to the Holidays. So it also gets me excited because I know that the Yuletide season is imminent. Imminent , you say? Why yes, it is just a scootch more than three months before that wonderful day when you love the whole world and it loves you back. Sparkling lights to illuminate the darkness, nature in your living room all bedecked with lights and ornaments and tinsel. Pretty packages with crinkly paper and bows. All kinds of good food shared with people you love. A jolly old elf, reindeer and magic. What are you wishing for this year? Is it a person, place, or thing? Do you dare to say it out loud, or are you afraid the magic will dissipate into the wind? My Christmas wish is a secret. I only whisper it to myself. Santa knows what it is. I hope he can make it come true.
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Is it really so wrong to love a man just because he brings you things? My mailman brought me this sweet fabric today. I like my mailman. I really like my mailman. It's too bad he only brings me these things after I go to the trouble of ordering and paying for them though. If he really wanted to get on my good side he would surprise me every so often. Typical male, you have to drop a brick on their instep to get them to notice you.
I see this as the lining of a snuggly cranberry wool plaid winter coat for Sophie Alice with matching hood and mittens, of course. Or maybe jammies. How cute would a pair of jammies covered in big-eyed pink bunnies be?
Boy, life is sweet. Don't you think?
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Buttonhole stitching is my thing. Long and short, whipped, slanted, beaded, I can do them all, but I have never attempted the feather stitch before because it looked too complicated. I have always wanted to learn how to do it though. Inspired by Alicia's embroidery industriousness and can-do attitude, I finally took the plunge. This will be a sheet for Sophie Alice's bed. So far I have completed nine of the twenty seven inches across the top of the sheet. When this is finished I will make a pillowcase with the same lace and feather stitch combo. The bottom sheet is completed. No feather stitching on that. I did do really neat mitred corners on the hems though. I wanted a real ticking stripe to make the pillow and mattress from and had settled on a red and white stripe because all I could find was red or blue. I was hoping for a softer colour because I didn't want the stripes to show through the pillowcase fabric. I had gotten a nice salmon pink and white stripe a couple of years ago from a now out of business quilt shop here in town but have since used it all up. Then, when I was browsing at WalMart (I know I shouldn't, but forgive me, aesthetic concerns propel me to the Dark Side) and lo and behold they had a 100% cotton ticking in a soft and beautiful tan and white stripe. All's well that ends well, I say.
In case you're wondering, the Japanese import fabric came from the afore mentioned ReproDepot.com.
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