Let There Be Light!

We bought our house ten years ago. I can hardly believe it's been that long, but I've got an aging dog and a kid out of college that assure me the passage of time continues despite my disbelief. Ten years ago we stepped into the place as brand new homeowners and looked around us. "First thing we do is paint," Dave said.

As my eyes scanned the blue tropical seascape mural painted from floor to ceiling of the dining room, I nodded in agreement. "And a new light fixture," I added.

So we went to the DIY home store and bought gallons of paint and got to work. But we could not agree on a new light. Everything was ugly, expensive, or similar to the boring round medallion we already had.

And ten years passed.

Then one day, when we were looking for electrical wire at a second-use warehouse, we saw it. Each of us shot out an arm, pointing. "THAT." Dave says I pushed a woman out of the way to grab it, but I'm sure I was never so rude.

It had been spray painted black and silver, but I knew with a little freshening up, it would be just the thing. And we were right. All it took was a black basecoat, a touch of brown spraypaint here and there to "age" it, and some of my "secret ingredient"-- Rub-n-Buff, and we have an awesome new victorian/steampunk/gothic/what-have-you chandelier -- see?

It came with tiny paper lampshades for each arm, but we found that we liked it better without those. It's much brighter, too. The LED bulbs mean we'll never have to replace them for, like, 20 years.  There are tiny holes on the top branches where prisms used to hang, so I'm keeping my eye out to see if I can find some replacements. No rush. We've been thinking strings of colored glass would look good too. Maybe in another ten years.

Some clever title with a doll pun, yeah, that's it.

I've been having just the most fun making this and that for Rilla. Turns out she's a lot like me and the dresses, though cute, weren't cutting it for her lifestyle. The first order of business was a sturdy pair of denim jeans, with pockets where a girl on the go could stash her stuff.

The important thing about making doll clothes is scale.  Look at the little dollies-- they're small. We humans (even child humans) are much bigger. So you can't expect to take big human fabrics and make doll clothes that look right. If I used regular jean denim for these tiny pants, they'd look thick and bulky. I used a thin, soft work shirt I got at thrift for a buck and placed my pattern pieces so that the side seams on the shirt worked as the outside leg seams of Rilla's jeans. The lighter weight of the fabric lets it fold and crinkle and fit like heavier denim does on big people. A scrub on the knees, cuffs, and other strategic areas with fine sandpaper gives the impression of long wear, and a rub across my workshop table picked up enough dirt to make them look pretty much exactly like my own jeans after a day of work. Rilla isn't a fashion plate-- she likes to get her hands (and jeans!) dirty.

I slid a button into her back pocket and buffed it with sandpaper to leave the impression of a Skoal can. Of course Rilla doesn't chew tobacco -- I just think it's hilarious. A little inside joke to see what my friends notice.

Now of course a t-shirt is standard to wear with jeans, but why not take things a little farther? It was pretty easy to come up with a pattern for a cowgirl shirt, and once I found the perfect fabric, it practically made itself.

Tiny pearl buttons are just for show -- underneath there are a few snaps to hold the shirt and cuffs closed. Because I hate doing regular-size buttonholes, and I doubt I'd like making little tiny buttonholes any better. I'm still deciding as to whether I want to do any embroidery on the yoke of the shirt. And I'll make the collar a little narrower next time, too.

Rilla shows off her sweater and shop apron. Look at that crocheted sweater -- isn't that the cutest thing ever? I used Patton sock yarn, which is nice and thin, because again: scale. Regular sportweight yarn is much too thick and would look bulky and wrong. This sweater took one skein, and I had enough left over to do a cute winter hat and scarf to match, although she wouldn't wear those with the sweater because she has more fashion sense than that.  Dave got me a tiny screwdriver set (used for eyeglass repair or something) so Rilla has her own set of tools that are just her size. ..or maybe even a bit small.

And I made her a pretty necklace because beads are fun.

And in the midst of all this silliness, I decided she should have one thing I couldn't make -- a friend. (Meaning I couldn't sew her a friend, not that I can't make friends for myself. Of course I can. If I want. As long as they don't mind listening to me prattle on about dolls and horses and 14th century underpants and stuff.)

Goodwill came through again with a Madame Alexander doll. So here's Rilla's new friend, Sangeeta Gupta, all the way from Nashville.

She's dressed up in her salwar kameez because it's a special occasion and she likes to show off, but once the welcome party was over, she was happy to slip into something more hard-wearing.

That blue sweater is made from a two-ply Scottish wool that is just a tiny bit thicker than the sock yarn I used for Rilla's sweater, and you can see that it's a little more bulky. But who doesn't love an nice thick wool sweater when it's cold and rainy out? I certainly wouldn't use anything heavier than this, and I kinda wish I'd made it two rows longer at the bottom hem. Oh well, it's not the last sweater I'll be making for the girls. She's also wearing brown corduroy pants that I haven't quite finished yet. I need to put big square pockets on the front. I cut them from a pair of fine-wale children's pants that were, again, a dollar at thrift. (I love those 99 cent sale days.)

Sangeeta's hair is something else again. The care label on her side cautions against getting it wet, and when I contacted the company for clarification, they assured me that water + this doll's hair = ruination or at least awful damage.

I wonder what it's made of.

Spun sugar?

Gremlin fur? 

So I'm learning to deal with the texture of it, and as a woman whose hair is just stick straight and who never played with dolls as a kid, and whose styling experience is pretty much limited to brushing out my horse's mane and tail, I will admit it's a challenge. But Geeta is pretty tolerant and I'm sure soon I'll learn other ways to style it. For now, she's rocking this twisted ponytail and keeping it out of trouble.

That's it for now, and if you're wondering if it's going to be dolls dolls dolls from here on out, relax. I have three other things at least to show you in the coming days (I was going to include them in this post but it's already long enough) and none of them have anything to do with dolls at all. So there. Just you wait and see!

Doll Chat.

"The little girl who has taken a part in making her doll's wardrobe, and then keeping it up to date, will find that the knowledge she has gained in this way will be invaluable to her in after life. The child who has helped to put together her doll's combinations will have no difficulty in making her own later on, neither will she be perplexed when she in turn has little people to sew for.  ... The next step is for the little girl to see to the household linen and general furnishings of the doll's house." 

---from Victorian Needlework Techniques and Designs

Mary Alice, the formerly bald doll, has found a new home with a friend of mine. I just couldn't warm up to her too-blue, intense features. But I still wanted a doll of my own. Rather than leave it to thrifting fate, I decided to spend a bit more and get exactly what I wanted. Yes, I comparison shopped for my doll, just like Consumer Reports magazine.

Ultimately, I decided on the My Life collection from Wal-Mart. Originally this line was manufactured by Madame Alexander. Now it's not, but they've kept the face much the same, but with a more natural look that I find very sweet. The hair is decent quality and doesn't tangle and mat when played with. The doll is jointed at the neck, shoulders, and hips, but also has a wire armature inside so you can bend the elbows, knees, and waist for more natural postures. Best of all, the body is half vinyl and half cloth, so she doesn't look strange in strappy dresses or tops. And the price? Only $24.99.  Except when I bought mine, she rang up at $13, no explanation, no sales signs, just magic.

She came in this outfit, along with a black patent leather vest and red glasses, meant to portray a "rock singer", but I just like her appearance, and her black maryjanes and grey t-shirt are things that can work with stuff I make.  I had a little toy terrier that seemed to go nicely, so now they're friends.

So please meet Everilda and Scraps. Yes, I said "Everilda" -- it's from an E Nesbit story called The Princess and The Cat. At home she is just "Rilla".

I had some old-fashioned looking print cotton, so I made her a little back-to-school style dress. Yes, those are tiny cartridge pleats at the waist. With her hair loose, I think she looks like a young Mary Tyler Moore.

See the resemblance?

Now to get to the quote up there at the top --talk about burying the lead, huh?  I've been thinking while I sew tiny hems. I bought Rilla from a long aisle of pink boxes, sided by every accessory you could imagine: kitchen sets, bedroom sets, pony stables, boats, campers, hairstyle salons, cupcake bakeries -- it seemed endless.

How far dolls have come from their original purposes! Little girls used to make doll clothes from scraps from mother's sewing bag, and in doing so, they learned and practiced hems, buttonholes, pleats, and other basics.

I got a load of free patterns from American Girl's website, amazingly. I can't believe they're giving away anything these days, much less patterns for 24 outfits and accessories! They work up into beautiful little things quite easily, but it says right at the beginning "The doll dress patterns and instructions in this portfolio are intended for an experienced sewer, not a young girl -- unless she works with and is directed by an experienced sewer."

I hope there are people out there who sit with their children and dolls and show them "This is how we place a pattern...", and "This is why it's important to..." and "Let me show you a trick about that..." because there is so much pleasure in creating things, and it's so powerful to learn I CAN MAKE THIS.

...

Oh. Sermon over, I guess, but I also wanted to show you my doll case that I worked up. Sometimes I want to take Rilla over to a friend's so we can sew and play, and this makes it easy and tidy. Just a old suitcase that I put cloth-covered foamcore board into. I ran a cord through one side so I can seatbelt Rilla in place -- less rattling around keeps her hair from getting messy. The little bags that came with the suitcase and snap in place were perfect for shoes and small things. I just lay her dresses out and there's a rouched flap that fastens down over each side to hold things in place when I close it up. Best part: the suitcase was free, just hanging around in the attic.

Now go make stuff with a kid! Go on! Shoo!

Something Completely Different: Mary Alice

“It is an anxious, sometimes a dangerous thing to be a doll. Dolls cannot choose; they can only be chosen; they cannot 'do'; they can only be done by.”
― Rumer Godden, The Dolls' House


Earlier this week as I strolled through a local thrift store, I saw a very desolate doll. She was heaped up with the tangled elbows and ankles of baby dolls all around her, and when I saw she had no hair, I thought, "That's tough luck. No little girl is going to beg Mommy to buy her the bald dolly." But neither was I going to buy the bald dolly, even for the price of the dollar they were asking.

It was a whole day later when suddenly my brain announced "You have doll hair. You got it three years ago because it was cheap and you thought you might use it for something someday. It's in the third drawer down in your stash."  

Funny, the things we pick up.

And then my brain started telling me how fun it might be to use up the smaller pieces in my stash to make little dresses and whatnot, just as a lark. So I went back to the thrift shop and of course she was still there, looking as awful as ever...

I think originally she was blonde. Her eyebrows are very pale. But I've never cared for blonde haired, blue eyed dolls; they always look a bit creepy and precious. A quick search on the internet turned up a how-to on doll wig making, and I was glad to be able to use my crochet skills to whip up a wig cap while watching Dr Who.

Stitching the hair on in layers only took about an hour, once I got the hang of it.

There were some moments when she had a distressing resemblance to a drunk goth chick. (There's a sock over her face to keep the hair from getting caught up in her lashes and tangling.)

It's not perfect, and I don't think I'd give her to a small child, but even with a minimum of styling and brushing, she looks very nice. 

I cut up an old plaid shirt to make her shirtwaist dress, with a bit of ribbon at the waist for a girly touch. Look how long her hair is in the back -- plenty to work into pretty styles. 

Dave was next to me on the couch watching that episode of Dr Who while I crocheted the wig cap. He asked me what I was making and I just dithered something about playing around, because I was kind of embarrassed to admit that I was playing with dolls. I don't even know any little girls to use as an excuse. When I mentioned my project to a friend earlier today, she said lots of women in her crafting group have dolls, and they get together to swap patterns and show off things they've made. Can't leave all the fun to the kiddies!

I've named her Mary Alice, and she'll probably show up in future blogs as I make other things for her. And in case you're wondering -- yes, I fully intend to make her a 14th century outfit and accessories like mine! 

Kid stuff.

My nephew came to visit for two weeks, and while he was here, I thought we could make some gifts for his mom and dad.

I had to think hard and do a little Google searching to find projects that were in the scope of a four-year-old's abilities and interest. I also wanted something that would be a real gift, not just a token. A project that showed creative work, was beautiful, and was useful. This is what I came up with.

For his dad, a picture frame made from leather. I did all the cutting, of course, but there's a lot for a kid to do in this project. Louis used the sponge to wet the leather so it could be stamped, and he chose the stamps himself from my collection. At first, I held the stamp (to keep the spacing even and straight) and he hit it with the mallet, but after he hit my hand a few times, we switched. I'd help him set the stamp and then he'd hold it while I used the mallet. Much less painful. I really should have thought that out better. Once the stamping was done, we let the leather rest for the day.

We continued the project the next afternoon. Louis used the swab to put a somewhat even coat of brown dye on the front and back of the leather. Once that had dried, we punched holes along the edges. Then he rubbed in the leather conditioner and put on the topcoat, doing a very nice job for a first-timer! With a little help, Louis laced the front and back pieces together with some twine. We congratulated ourselves on a job well done.  A picture of him making the frame was the perfect final touch.

For his mom, I found an online tutorial that looked too easy to be real. Dying a silk scarf with just tissue paper and water? That can't possibly be a thing, right? And to be fair, a lot depends on your tissue paper. Most of the common stuff you find nowadays is colorfast -- even the cheap stuff. I thought about using pieces of paper party streamers, but those too are made to keep their colors now. I was beginning to despair, when we found a packet of cheap cocktail parasols in the pantry. A spritz with water showed they bled like crazy! Perfect!  I removed the sticks and flattened them out. We laid out our silk (I've only read about this done with silk. Other natural fibers might work, but yield different results) and Louis sprayed it with water from a spray, getting it good and wet. Then he pressed down the colorful circles however he thought they looked best and gave everything another good spray.

We ate dinner while the colors ran, and then I hung the silk up to dry in the sunshine, which took about ten minutes. I pressed it with a warm iron to set the colors, and we were both very pleased with the results. 

So was his mom, when she wore it to work and was mobbed with coworkers asking where she'd bought her beautiful scarf. I imagine she was very proud to say, "Oh, my four year old made this. Isn't it lovely?"

We had a great time making things together. Have you got any winning projects you've done with your kids? Share them in the comments, or give us a link so we can see! I need some ideas for when he visits again next summer!

Happy Birthday to us!

Another trip around the sun, and now my blog is four years old. Amazing how time flies. To think it all started with a trip to a patio sale where I purchased Imogene, my dressmaking mannequin, for all of three dollars. That purchase allowed me to take pictures of my creations -- no more having to ask someone else to take pictures of me wearing them! -- and made it so much easier to share them with you all, leading to this blog. I should really put a party hat on Imogene to celebrate. If she had a head. (Can one wear a party hat on a neck stump?)

Now usually I spend a few sentences in these birthday posts to encourage everyone get creative and make stuff, but this year I'm changing that: Hey, Wenny. Get it together, girl. You're as creative as ever, but you're letting your friends here slip. You need to post more! 

There's still that Manuscript Challenge to finish, so you'll see future posts about my progress on that.

And the Camlann outfits I made for the St James Festival! I'll get pictures of those, though we ended up skipping altogether because it was 94 degrees (that's 34 Celsius) that afternoon and with my 76 year old mom and 4 year old nephew, I just couldn't see anyone of us enjoying it.

There are also the projects that my nephew and I worked on together, although I haven't many pictures because I was so focused on him that I didn't step back to snap photos.

So you see, I have plenty of things to show you in the coming days. I just need to set down my tools and needles and write a little more often.

Until next time, I hope your scissors are sharp, your corners are square, and your time is productive.

Let's make something!

Caitlyn's Dress

A 100% Irish linen tablecloth for two dollars at thrift: would 60x96" be enough fabric to make a suitable gown for Caitlyn's trip to Camlann?  I hoped so, because the color wasn't right for me at all. So I sat down with my friends Math and Measuring Tape and together we came up with a pattern that was just right.

I love graph paper, don't you? It's just the best.

Then I started measuring it onto the fabric and second guessing myself, like I almost always do. Twenty inches for the front and back? Really? The only body measurements I had to go on were waist (30") and bust (36") and somehow even allowing for seams, that 20" was probably a bit generous. So I changed it to 18" and brought out the scissors.

Hemmed up the pieces, stitched the body pieces, sleeves and arm gussets in, and had her try it on.

Surprise, surprise -- it didn't fit.

She blamed it on her broad shoulders, and that may have been part of it. Fortunately there was an easy fix, and I had that little scrap of extra yardage to use. Kite-shaped underarm gussets provided enough ease through the bust and shoulder, and when she tried it on a second time, I did a little happy-clappy skip of delight. The fit was perfect -- just what I was going for. I wanted it to hug the curves a little and not look boxy. Mission accomplished. She has the perfect medieval silhouette, too, slender and long-waisted. All I have left is the bottom hem and she'll be ready to go.

I made her a ring belt out of my leather scrap bin, punching holes to make a flower-esque sort of decoration.

Our trip to the 14th century is less than a month away. Then you'll get pictures of everyone in their finery. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go cut some dark blue raw silk into a tunic.