Doll in the Works

Her body is painted and attached.

Her wig is on now.She just needs some clothes and a name!

Another Granny Square Ball

I made another granny square ball the other day. This one was for a little friend of Lochlan's.
Info on how to make your own Granny Square Ball can be found here.

Updated My About Page

I updated my about page with some additional photos. I also plan to do a post about our life aboard a boat in the next little while and will include more photos then. :)

Embroidered Circles

Not sure what I'm going to do with these little circles yet. They may become pins or possibly they will be used on upcoming sampler projects. They are layered with felt in between two pieces of fabric. Edges are raw.

"Leaning" Sampler WIP

Am making a little more progress on this new sampler.

Ruffle Pom-Poms - a Tutorial

These ruffle pom-poms are really easy to make, but a little time-consuming when it comes to cutting out all the circles! They would be great hanging as a mobile. My kids have taken over the ones I made and they are now hanging in their bunks.

Here is what you need:

- Styrofoam ball (any size - depends on the size of ruffle pom-pom you want to make)
- fabric circles (cut out a ton of these, all the same size - mine were a little larger than a "Twoonie")
- hot glue gun and glue
- piece of yarn


Steps:

1. Put one small dab of hot glue on the styrofoam ball. ** Be careful not to burn yourself! **

2. Working quickly, press the middle of the back of the fabric circle directly into the ball. You will only need to use a small dab of glue. Allow the edges to flow freely.

3. Work around the ball and add on more and more fabric circles. Get close to the previously glued circle by folding back the edges of it to make room for the new circle.

4. Fill in any empty gaps. You may need to cut more fabric circles to fill up any empty spaces.

5. Cut a bit of yarn and knot one end. Hot glue the knotted end to a place on the ball where it won't be shown. Tie a loop in the other end. This is your hanger.

6. Hang and enjoy!

This orange flower print is from a panel of vintage curtains that I found at the thrift shop awhile back. (You've probably seen it as a background in some of my photos. Also, here is another project I made using some of this fabric.)
Hanging in our bedroom window.

Another Couple of Dolls in the Works

This doll is still drying and needs to be sanded and painted yet. As well, I will have to carve out the eyes some. I'm trying out some glass eyes I bought from Etsy to see how they work with the clay. This doll will be all clay, the arms, legs and torso as well.

Here is another style of head with glass eyes as well. I have to get some more clay to make up the torso and arms and legs for this one...

Dolls #2

This is the other doll I'm working on.

Here's the latest two together.

Dolls #1

This weekend I found some time to work on more dolls. One of the drawbacks of living on a boat is that my arts and craft supplies aren't as handy to get at as I would like. So, it's a bit of a pain to drag everything out and then have to pack it all away again before I'm finished with a project. But, we need the table to eat at as well. :)

Anyway, this doll here has somewhat buggie eyes. I'm experimenting with different facial features to see what happens. Not sure what kind of hair this one will end up with yet, but I'm thinking I would like to see a straight blunt cut, kind of shorter than my others.

On Creativity

I love this quote by Albert Einstein. Creativity is all about being inspired isn't it? Whether it be by something you dreamt about, something you saw in nature, or other people, inspiration is the beginning of creativity. I am continually inspired by things around me and other crafters as well. Creative bloggers especially. :) I've been trying to comment more often on the posts of others that inspire me, to pass on the love so to speak. Creativity is contagious and seeing others be creative encourages more creativity in oneself I think.

Jemima's Workshop

My Mom has been making more dolls. Here are a couple more photos of her latest ones. These dolls are huge - about 32" tall! You can see more photos in her Etsy shop, Jemima's Workshop.

Patterns & Repetition

Homeschooling has kept me pretty busy this week, as we find our daily routine. We are making progress though!

Boo!

One of my dolls in the works. A little scary, but no need to be alarmed. She doesn't bite. She actually has a pleasant personality once you get to know her. She's hoping to get a body sometime soon...

Another Wee Doll Dress

A buddy dress to the one I made a couple of weeks ago.

More Granny Squares

Been busy making more granny squares. I'm not sure what these will become yet.

Another Crocheted Ball

With all those little granny squares I showed you yesterday, I made a little buddy ball to go with the bigger one I made back in January. (Click the link to see instructions on how to make it. I included more photos of the process here though.)

Mr Fall Ball next to Miss Spring Ball.
Connecting the squares together in a cube shape.Leave one row open and turn right side out.

Rent a five year old to stuff it for you (full enough to make it take on a ball shape) and then stitch it shut.

Crochet In Progress - Fall Colours

Tomorrow, I will show you what I'm made with these. I am finding myself really drawn to Fall colours right now.

I Made Some Bags

I recently bought some new Japanese pattern books from Etsy and have been having 'fun' (if you can call it that) deciphering the patterns. Anyway, so far I've made two bags and nearly finished a blouse. Here are the bags that I made. They are both lined and one of them is reversible. I am planning on using them as Christmas gifts.

Yay! I started working on my handmade Christmas gifts. Still thinking about all the ideas I would like to make this year...

P.S. Two things I have learned from my seamstress mother are: 1. Iron between seams and 2. Top stitch when you can. Boy these two things make the world of difference.