Commissions...

There hasn't been much free time since returning from New Orleans, but I'm chipping away at a few commissioned dolls. I'm not really fond of making dolls on commission, but at least these are from my own design (as opposed to working with someone who has an idea of a doll in mind).

For these dolls, working assembly-line style is the most efficient. It's easier to get into a rhythm, and it minimized the number of thread color changes (which is a little tedious). At this point I've sewn all the parts and have baked the faces.

I've also sewn three chemises. Actually, I've sewn five chemises, because when the commissioned dolls are done, I'll make a couple more to that to next year's UFDC Conference/ODACA Day in Washington DC.

The tough job of choosing a quilt block

I'm having the hardest time settling on a quilt design for my granddaughter Fiona's birthday quilt. As a brand new quilter, I just don't have the repertoire of blocks in my pattern stash or brain.

I saw a pillow on Craftsy made using the Simple Courthouse Steps block. The link to the pattern/template was included, so decided to audition this block to see if I liked it. I'd never tried paper piecing before, and it went together pretty well.

The fabric used is from a fat quarter bundle by Riley Blake, called "Fiona's Fancy."

Storybook Challenge - MAIDA group submission to Prims

Back in February of this year, the MAIDA (Making Antique Inspired Dolls & Accessories) online group decided to host a challenge with the intention of submitting those dolls to Prims Magazine. Our group project was featured in the most recent issue of the magazine (Autumn, 2012). The article was written by Dixie Redmond, who also has a MAIDA blog.

We decided the books/characters chosen would be old enough to be in the public domain, the dolls were to be under 17 inches in height, and no characters would be duplicated. Most of the dolls were included in the magazine feature. All of the submissions were wonderful, and really stretched our skills.

My doll is "Alice," made using my Verity pattern at 75%. Her clothing is removable. I used a vintage hankie for her pinafore (I knew all those hankies I bought on eBay would come to good use!)  Her flamingo caused me fits to make - not an easy project!

Alice (like Verity) is made from muslin. Her face is lightly needle-sculpted, then painted with a mixture of acrylic gel medium and modeling paste. Then a couple coats of gesso are applied, followed by flesh-tone acrylic paint. Her hair is Tibetan lamb. 

 Be sure to order your copy of the magazine here:

Autumn 2012 Issue of Prims Magazine

Autumn 2012 Issue of Prims Magazine

BOM ~ August

 Just finished Crafty's August's blocks. Both went pretty fast. This one is called the Ohio Star block.

 The second block was the Double Star, which required a bit more cutting. Fun, though, and it went together pretty well. I wanted to make the most use of what fabric I have left, so I did a little piecing. I can hardly find the pieced ones!

Sixteen blocks so far, four more to go. 

Hoffman Winners!

I home from New Orleans, and boy, do I love being home. NO was wonderful, and I'm so glad I got to experience a little piece of it. Now we're back in the beautiful northwest, with its moderate weather - I sure don't miss the heat and humidity.

While we were out of town, the winners of the Hoffman Challenge were announced. I am pleased, but very surprised to have won the 3rd place award. Come HERE to see the doll winners, and click HERE to see the winners of all the categories.

I received photos of more Hoffman entries while I was gone, so now I'm off to update the website. Check back in a little while!

Helper Doll (raffle) for ODACA

It's 4:30 in the afternoon, and I'm getting nowhere fast. We leave for New Orleans at 2:30 a.m., and I've not yet started packing (and that includes lots of dolls for the Sales Room). Today I've been busy finishing a doll for the ODACA Luncheon raffle. The Luncheon is on Monday at the Sheraton New Orleans on Canal Street, under the umbrella of the UFDC Convention.

We've never been to New Orleans before, so the trip is pretty exciting. There should be lots to see and do. I even upgraded to First Class this morning - for at least part of the trip. Thought it would be a nice anniversary surprise for my husband Chris. I sure hope I can sell some dolls to help offset the cost of the trip.

Hoffman Finished!

I finally finished my Hoffman Challenge doll this morning. Now I've just got to round up a box, complete all the paperwork, and head for the post office.

I'm happy to say I was able to observe my New Year's Resolution of completing an unfinished doll before starting a new one. I've got a big basket of UFOs (UnFinished Objects), and my half-done Viola Ruth fit the bill and size requirements.

This year's challenge fabric was a really big print, so I decided to break it up a bit and try a weaving technique, though it made her pinafore a bit stiff. What a pain that was!

Viola Ruth is made using one of my patterns and pressmolds. She's 18 inches tall. Her face and the back of her head are made from polymer clay, sandwiched around a rudimentary stuffed cloth head. The gaps are filled in with paperclay. Then the head and upper chest/back are covered in a knit fabric. Her ears are fabric.

I've still got about a half dozen unfinished dolls to complete. It sure felt good to   eliminate one from the basket.

I've been hosting webpages to share others' Hoffman dolls, and have received quite a few so far. If there are more out there, please send them to me at blueheron61@charter.net.

Heavenly Wings

I've finally managed to finish Carole's pin doll, won in a raffle at the Doll Gala. She was very nearly done within a week of returning home from the Gala, but has been awaiting a few finishing detail. Gotta get her packaged and in the mail. 

Happy Independence Day!

BOM ~ July

Yesterday I worked on and finished the July blocks for the Craftsy Block-of-the-Month class. Left is a traditional Dresden, and right is a modern version. I chose to hand sew the pieces to the background fabric, as I find it relaxing. The project would have gone much faster if I'd chosen to machine sew them.

Fourteen blocks so far. There will be 20 when the class is over.  I'm using a fat quarter bundle called "Fresh Flowers" by Deb Strain for Moda.

I'd intended to work on my Hoffman doll this weekend, but got sidetracked with this project. Well, I did apply some paint to my doll, so I guess I'm not a complete procrastinator. I'm planning to use one of my many unfinished dolls for the Hoffman, so that gives me a bit of a head start. 
I've also got to finish a pin doll for Carole, one of my students. That project is very nearly done - she just needs some hair and a pin back.