Loving the Love Notions Sabrina Slims...

Top: New Look 6323

One or two was not enough...more Sabrina Slims!

I admit that sewing has slowed down a bit in the loft. I think it's because I'm really enjoying my 'culled' closet. It has only my very favorite clothes now - and it's so easy to choose something to wear. Who would have known? Less is more?

Well, not always. I really love these Sabrina Slims. As soon as I finished my first pair(s), I ordered a couple fabrics to add some new fun to my spring and summer wardrobe. Of course I wanted white - it's seasonless down here. And I wanted a floral print, because the inspiration pics on the web were so nice when done in a print. Oh, and apparently floral pants on trending this spring. Like I need an excuse...







I used a medium weight (10 oz) cotton spandex knit from Girl Charlee for the white pair. It has 4-way stretch and is perfect for these pants. And as long as I was doing repeats, I made another McCalls 6987 tunic to go with. I don't see much of this tunic on the web, and I imagine it's not terribly popular - the envelope pic is awful. But I really like it. Done in challis, it's weightless and just floats around.

And here's is the floral print! I love it. 

This is also a cotton spandex knit from Girl Charlee - mid-weight at 8.5 oz, with 4-way stretch.

Let's see - what else... Last weekend I put down 100 lbs. of fertilizer in the garden. Not an easy task! But it's that time of year, and I need to fertilize ahead of the heavy summer rains. The palms are putting out flower spathes (pollen everywhere), and the mahogany trees have shed their leaves and are sprouting a beautiful new green canopy. The plants are hungry!

Other than that I've been just monkeying around. A monkey muslin...

Ciao! Coco

Doll making and this and that...

I got the gang all together for a group pic - yes, I continue to play with my dolls. 

The smallest one (no head yet) is about 5.5" tall, and she's new. And the largest (alas, no arms) is about 20" tall and was in my previous post on doll making. 

Note: The second one from the left is a Tilde-style doll. The web is (maybe unfortunately) full of patterns taken from the Tilde publications. It's such an appealing doll, of course I gave it a go - but the design is absolutely not mine.

You'd think I'd make some clothes to go with! I might- I've made an assortment of bloomers, jumpers, and dresses, but they're all muslins, just cut out and hand sewn. My favorite part is making the doll, not dressing it - which is the real reason I have a bunch of naked ladies :-) 

Here's a solo of JoJo, who's also new and one of my favorite dolls ever. She has a name, unlike the rest of the gang. It's her hair, which is just some orange yarn tacked on the back of her head. When I looked at her with that hair, well, the name seemed to fit. Love her belly button...

All  the doll parts are drawn with a Pilot Frixion Erasable Gel Pen on a double layer of fabric. These pens are wonderful! because the ink disappears with a warm iron. I use them  all the time, and not just for the dolls - they're great for marking notches and darts, or even writing, on any sewing project. I ordered mine from Doll Makers Journey, but I think many art supply stores carry them. Note: I've seen clicker-type Frixion gel pens at Staples, Target, etc., but I honestly don't know how they do on fabric.

These pens are also indispensable for drafting doll faces.

Here's a JoJo, all sewn, trimmed, and ready to be turned and stuffed.  

My main turning tools are various tubes, a 10" hemostat, and a crochet hook (to push out fingertips and tight curves).

The small brass turning tubes are a recent acquisition, also from Doll Makers Journey. They're wonderful for turning little fingers, skinny arms, and ears.

And then there's the stuffing. It's a great, mindless kind of thing to do with a good movie or the news on the telly. My very favorite stuffers are the chopstick and the cocktail skewer. I used my kitchen shears to make depressed circles on both ends of the chopstick, and the end of the skewer is naturally a little scuffed - the stuffing catches on both, making it easier to move along inside a doll part. I've also used a variety of orange wood cuticle pushers...whatever works!

So far, I've been disappointed in the stuffing fork, which I bought specifically for fingers. It's my most expensive tool, and I just don't have much luck with it. I've watched it being used on YouTube videos, and it was impressive, so more practice should help.

If not, I'll put it in the kitchen drawer and use it to spear pickles!

-----------------------------------------------------------

I'm sewing clothes, too, but I'm too happy in my PJ's to do photos today. 

That's either awful or awesome!  Bye for now, Coco

It's doll season...redux

 
Bringing back this post with a rewrite - more upbeat because I'm feeling better and sewing more :-) I get very uncomfortable with myself when I get distracted and then write about it. I don't want to read it - it means I need a good shake! So...

------------------------------------------------------

Around mid-February, I decided to vary my craft work a bit and work on my art dolls, something I haven't done for a couple years.  I love fabric art dolls, and I'm very humbled by the incredibly talented doll artists out there (you can google art dolls to see some - they're amazing). My favorites, and a continuing source of inspiration, are Julie McCullough and Patti Medaris Culea.

Cecilia - a Summer doll

My own doll journey began about ten years ago, when I succumbed to a fabric doll in a small shop in Paris. I was enchanted - of course I had to try to sew my own.

Eventually I developed four 'signature' dolls, and I made dozens of them.

The most articulated dolls I've designed are the ones I call my Summer Dolls. At 18" tall, they have cute figures, limbs that are jointed with wood beads, wired fingers and hands, and ears! Since they're Florida girls, they wear sandals, little bloomers, and sundresses.

 
This go-round, I'm working on a couple new dolls. I've been intrigued by the Tilda dolls, designed by Tone Finnanger - they're somewhat primitive and very appealing. So I've been sketching patterns, sewing, stuffing, and discarding (it's a process).

Here's my first version - she's about 16.5" tall and has simple grey curls.

Cute, but I want to joint her arms and legs, so still in progress.

The next girl, from the first photo, is fairly tall at 20" and has experimental hands and feet. I like her feet, because they will handles shoes and sandals, even toe nail polish once I shape the toes. But I don't care for her hands. I make 20" dolls quite often, so she's a good fit model, and her arms don't really matter. Purpose-built!

I'm also refining my Summer Doll, slimming her limbs and improving her joints and hands. I've been studying hand construction and technique for fabric dolls, so this is quite fun. All her parts...

 

Those little hands are about 2" long, wrist to fingertip - the thumb is only 1/2" long - and they're articulated with pipe cleaners. 

Plans for today include putting her together while watching 'House' and the Indian Wells tennis tournament on TV.  Retirement is so demanding. 

At the age of 3, my niece complained to her mom, 'you make me so busy' - we were all laughing like crazy...

Ciao! Coco