viola

My latest doll, Viola, from a pattern by Cassie Rafferty. I'm not all that pleased with how it turned out, as I had high hopes when I started and it's taken me quite a while to make. Definitely not a pattern for beginners, but great if you fancy a bit more of a challenge. Lots of small pieces to fit together and I'm not very good a sewing small pieces neatly on the machine. I haven't done tab joints, or feet before, either. And my pencils wouldn't show up on the face so I ended up using craft paint. Cassie's dolls which I saw at Alexandra palace are much more shapely, tinier waists, I'm not sure what I did wrong. However I have some fabrics picked out for another version and some ideas of how to do it better next time.
My camera really doesn't take good photos closeup (it's much better for the beach). I have taken a job one day a week doing one to one maths with a y6 class, so as soon as I get paid I will be looking for a new camera.

Dinky baby

This doll is from this pattern by Vicki Riley . These are rather lifelike and can be dressed in small baby clothes. I'm ambivalent about these (as well as Halloween). The pattern is great, it comes with a CD with very detailed step by step instructions, and it is quite easy to do. I learned a bit more about soft sculpting, making fingers knees and faces. I just don't want to stray too far into reborn territory, although I find them fascinating in a creepy kind of way.

Halloween stuff

I've never really celebrated halloween since I've been a grown up, although I'm sure I went to a few halloween parties as a child. I have very mixed feelings about it for a number of reasons. The part of London where I was living until recently has a high Muslim population, and I became aware when I was teaching that some of the parents of Muslim children thought it was an evil celebration, and worse, thought it was a Christian celebration. I tried to explain that it's much like Father Christmas (although I think he is an invention of coca cola), in that it's a kind of tradition, and not a religious festival. And my local church, held parties of light for the children to celebrate All Saints day and were preaching the evils of halloween. Living in a multicultural part of the world I realise that there are lots of festivals around this time of year, Diwali, the festival of light, for example is celebrated by both Hindus and Sihks, often with amazing firework parties.
So in the spirit of the event being just an excuse to dress up and have fun (which seems to be the American way) above is gothic Annie (from a pattern by bowlsnannies), and below my halloween decoration of a pumpkin, crow, moon and cat (from a pattern by threadbare primitives)

back from outer space

Been absent a long time after my frenzy of doll making. The move to Windsor didn't go as planned, our house purchase fell through, we are now living in a rented house with our flat unsold and nowhere new to move to. And Christopher doesn't like his new school, and I'm not too sure about it either. So all in all it hasn't been a great success. And the queen hasn't even invited us to tea!
As a result of all this I had no time to make anything, and even if I did I felt as if I should be doing something useful like painting the flat or sorting stuff out. I have developed a very ambivalent attitude to my dolls because when we were trying to pack up, the dolls and all the associated making stuff really became clutter. I did get rid of lots of stuff, fabric went to the school, someone got a huge free bag of wool, there is nowhere to keep stuff in this new place, and I woud like a clutter free life. I have just retreived my sewing machine from storage, so maybe I can get going on something.
The picture is of a beach on Kefalonia, where we spent a week, the highlight of my summer. I have a half formed plan to spend a whole summer in Greece next year, or soon. I just love the sunshine. Apart from the fact I haven't chosen a place I'd like to stay, although I'm thinking Corfu, Durrell country, I haven't the faintest idea how to fund such a venture. The only thing I have worked out is that I must find a teaching job, as that will enable me to have the summers off:) Maybe I could organise sewingy textile retreats: Anyone want to join me?

Don't know where to start really. This morning after 3 months of waiting and much expense on various surveys and solicitors fees we were finally about to exchange contracts on our new house when the vendor (a bank) suddenly decided they couldn't go ahead at this point. So you can imagine there were a few tears and tantrums in this house this morning. So it's back to square 1 and Christopher at this point in time doesn't have a place in any school for September. So I'm back house hunting tomorrow.
On the brighter side I have been doing some machine embroidery digitizing. Well very basic digitizing, but digitizing none the less. The cat on the purse above is a purchased design, but the purse itself is an in the hoop design that I digitized by following lessons from Sue at memories in thread . I have also made a crazy patch square, but I haven't got a picture of that.
So now I am looking for clipart to digitize. While I was on my search I have come across many interesting websites:
I can't remember what led me to this one but there are loads of tutorials on stamping and related techniques. I found it via an embroidery design.
http://melstampz.blogspot.com
posts of interest are the embroidery patterns and the birdies. There is so much on there I have to go back and have a good look round.
The site she links to, ladiesinred seems to have disapeared, or been taken over by one of those annoying search sites that pretend they are the original site you were looking for. I found where they had gone by asking Jeeves. I had forgotten about him after using google for so long. The ladiesinred are now here http://www.tostetoes.com/redwork/. Loads of free hand embroidery designs.
More free designs here

2 of my projects finished

I have finished 2 of the projects from the last photo! I am particularly pleased with these and have set up a folksy shop. I have no great hopes of selling, but I certainly won't sell them if I leave them in the cupboard!

Too many projects

This is my dining room table this morning. I started a whole lot of things in one go because my sewing machine is heavy to lift up and down, and when I get the paints out I like to have a few things to do. However, I think I overdid it this time. I've got lots of ideas for new dolls, but I should get one or 2 of these finished first!