New Dolls (And Their Colorful Dresses) Nearly Ready!
This month has flown by, and I have not had as much sewing time as I thought I would. I have been able to do quite a bit more than I have been over the last few years, but I've been sidetracked by things like my clutter filled house, and specifically my clutter filled home office.
So while I haven't been able to do the marathon hours of crafting I'd envisioned, I am very happy with what I'm making. I have some new Binky Boos ready to list, and also eight Pocket Poppet dolls nearly done. I've decided to go in a little different direction with the Etsy store and these dolls. I'm going to make new dolls with a simple dress and shoes, and then offer outfits separately. That way folks who just want the doll can save a few dollars, and those who want the doll and several outfits (maybe for a lovely Valentine's Day gift or Easter basket!) can pick the "base" doll they like, and not worry if another doll has that perfect outfit.
We'll see how that works out. :D
I also have taken on two custom orders, which I told myself I would never be interested in doing. However, both are I believe within my skill set (most important to me), and are also fun (just as important). One is a custom set of Pocket Fox dolls for someone's upcoming wedding vow renewal ceremony this year. The other is interpreting a character from an independent author's children's book. So those are also distracting me a little bit, but in a very good way.
In the meantime, here are pics of the eight Pocket Poppets who are still patiently awaiting shoes, and then final photos for Etsy.
I stocked up on some different colors of LIon Brand Homespun yarn, which I love using for doll hair.
And finally, a shot of all the dolls, and one of my "helpful" kitties supervising. :D
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
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.
