More Holiday Sewing Done!

For some reason, the Thanksgiving Day holiday here in the U.S. helps me unwind more than any other.  I'm lucky enough to not have to worry about cooking, and instead get to be the guest at my BFF's house.  The way it works with my paying gig, I actually get four days off in a row.  The end of the year is approaching, but the real rush hasn't quite hit, and most of the people who would need me are taking the full holiday off, as well.

So, I managed quite a bit of sewing!  This is just a small sample, and are the dolls I have listed on eBay right now.  I have several other dolls set aside for my Dec. 14th, 2013 craft bazaar quickly approaching!

The red haired Pocket Poppet doll is one of my favorites.  I decided to give her a little "beauty mark" on her left cheek.  ;)

She is up for auction at: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=301033205245

The brunette Pocket Poppet is available here.

Blue Bear Binky Boo auction.

Red Kitty Binky Boo auction.

If you are in the Lacey/Olympia, WA area, stop by and see me at the Komachin Middle School craft bazaar on Dec 14, 2013! 

Preparing For The Holiday Rush!

The craft bazaar I signed up for is right around the corner, and naturally I am nowhere near my goal of completed items for it.  But, something that has been taking up at least 2-3 hours of my time every evening for several years has finally been taken off my plate, and I can now use my evenings to sew and knit.  This just wrapped up last week, so I'm still in a bit of shock, but I did a lot of sewing this weekend, so I think I can get into the proper swing of things pretty quick.  :D

In the meantime, I did complete two ponies, and four Pocket Foxes.  I'll be listing half on eBay, but the other half is getting set aside for that bazaar.  

And I already have six little dolls ready for wardrobes, and another four Binky Boos cut out and ready to sew up.  I have a little less than three weeks to get ready now, but I like to think I work well under pressure.  At least when it's something I enjoy doing.  :D

Some New Dolls Completed Over The Weekend!

With the holidays looming, and my decision that I needed to try a craft bazaar again this December (after nearly a decade of avoiding the stress), I finally got back into the swing of sewing this weekend.  Plus, I actually had a few things caught up that actually gave me time to sew, but I'll still count it as a win in the "initiative" column.  :D

Quick Pics!-New Binky Boos, Pony, and Pillows

All items (except for my Fairyland Flora doll) shown are currently up for auction.

GingerMelon's New Pocket Poppet Doll Pattern!

I recently purchased Ginger Melon's latest doll pattern, the Pocket Poppet doll.  This doll is roughly eight inches tall when completed, and has a new "flat foot" design.  Once again, the pattern drafting is very well done, and the instructions easy to follow.  She has even provided a helpful diagram for placing the facial features (which is something I struggle at on every single doll).

I love the new foot design, and am contemplating fiddling with the pattern slightly to allow me to insert a folded pipe cleaner in the doll's torso and legs, and see if she can stand on her own.  The way the head fits onto the body works well, too, with little fuss to get the head to stop wobbling on the neck.

The pattern calls for you to needle felt yarn onto the doll's head.  I may use Tussah silk on a future doll, but for this first one I went to an old standby I used to use for doll hair: Lion's Brand Homespun yarn.  It's soft, and has little less mess to it when using it for doll hair.  The Tussah silk, while lovely, gets everywhere!  I cut lengths of the yarn, but before I felt it (or sew it, depending on the doll) to the scalp, I remove the two or three strands of string that hold the ply together.  Once those are removed, the yarn fluffs up almost like mohair, and is soft and luxurious to the touch.

I went for the sun dress with scalloped sleeves for this first doll.  The pattern calls for a hook and eye closure at the back, which is something that I again struggle with each doll to get right.  I typcially end up with the hook part showing.  To work around this, I added some felt bows along the back for decoration.  The shoe style whips up nice and quick, mimicking a sandal without needing to fiddle and fuss with a tiny strap.

You need to have 7-7.5 mm safety eyes to complete the doll's look.  Everything else is hand embroidered/hand sewn detailing. 

I like how this first one turned out, and am eager to sew up several more right away.  There are lots of outfit choices to try out, too, including a cute Bohemian-inspired outfit, and a giant, floppy hat.

With another day off ahead, I think I can make pretty good use of my time!  :D

This new doll is available for purchase on eBay.