This is a blog for sharing dollmaking patterns, images of my life, and some poor poetry. The links to patterns should now be restored.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thanksgiving, 2010
The good thing about growing older is realizing how much you have to be thankful for.
I hope all of you take time to pause for a moment and count the blessings in your life. There is grief and joy in every life; may we have the strength to endure the grief, and the gratitude to acknowledge the joy.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Victorian Pocket Spirits
The works-in-progress from a couple weeks ago are now clad in their Victorian finery. The pattern for all of these delightful little dresses is an Annie Potter Presents leaflet entitled "Victorian Darlings." To fit the Pocket Spirits I used size 20 crochet cotton or size 8 perle cotton and a size 7 crochet hook for the dresses. The sweet little boots were crocheted just as the pattern called for, with size 10 crochet cotton. This pattern book is out of print, but if you do a Google search, you may come up with some used copies that are available.
Abby and Meghan
Felicia
Catherine and Bearable
Rebekah
Felicia in her nightgown
I did work out a couple of patterns specifically for the Pocket Spirits. The nightgown above is one of them; you can download the pattern here:
Felicia in camisole and pantaloons
And also a pattern for a Victorian camisole and pantaloons. I'm sure these patterns look familiar to you, but the instructions are now specifically for the Pocket Spirit size dolls.
These dresses also fit the 16cm BJD dolls, such as Lati Yellow and Fairyland Puki Fee. For the long sleeved dresses you might want to crochet the sleeves a bit longer than the pattern calls for.
Rebekah says "Have a lovely day!"
Monday, November 15, 2010
Images of late fall
Bicycling in our old home town of Columbus, Indiana over the weekend. It was mild and breezy, with that touch of melancholy that comes with late fall.
Winter may be with us soon...but the sun was shining on this day.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
A Simple and inexpensive doll bed YOU can make
Just in time for Christmas :-) Here is a picture tutorial for making a very simple and inexpensive doll bed for your favorite girl. The bed requires no woodworking skills (I certainly don't have any), and uses inexpensive wood turnings available at any craft store. I purchased most of my pieces from Michaels. Here is the link to the picture tutorial to make this bed:
Simple and inexpensive doll bed from wood turnings
Some additional pictures of the bed in process. Enjoy!
Simple and inexpensive doll bed from wood turnings
Some additional pictures of the bed in process. Enjoy!
Trying out the pieces before gluing
The pieces selected
The bed stained, glued, and varnished
A cozy bed for Pocket Spirit Catherine. You can also make a nifty dress form with wood turnings as well :-)
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Dolls for the Christmas Bazaar
Every year, High Street United Methodist Church in Muncie, Indiana, has a Christmas bazaar in November. This year, the bazaar is November 6 from 8:00am to Noon. The church is located at 219 South High Street.
For the last few years I've donated several dolls that were made during the year to this bazaar. Above are a few of the dolls donated this year. There are lots of other neat items, and some delicious baked goods...I know this because my Mother donates her marvelous goodies to this bazaar. Her brownies are impossible to beat :-)
I sang in the choir during my teenage years in this church. When I was in college, I learned to my horror that during a brutal blizzard, a gas main exploded and nearly destroyed the church. The entire inside was gutted, all the stained glass blown out, the doors blown off, and it took three hours to get the fire under control. Amazingly, no one was injured, in spite of the fact that a young man lived at the church as a caretaker.
A year later Christmas midnight services were held in the barren, unheated shell of the church. Work was under way to rebuild, but this midnight service was conducted by candlelight, the only illumination. We sang all the beautiful Christmas hymns in the cold, still structure, and truly the magic of Christmas touched us all.
The following year, Larry and I were married in this church; the second marriage service conducted in the newly restored building. We've been together ever since.
Many very good memories remain to me of this structure and congregation. Many extended family members belong to this congregation; the picture below was painted by my Great Uncle Orla and is a lovely and loving representation of High Street United Methodist Church.
High Street United Methodist Church, painted by Orla Harris
Sunday, October 24, 2010
More WIP's!
No, it isn't as perverse as it sounds; WIP's are Work-In-Progress :-)
Paton's Astra sportweight/dk yarn is the perfect yarn for making the little Pocket Spirits, and I had to have skeins in all of their many flesh toned colors. And then, of course, I needed to make a doll out of each of the colors, and give them all different hair styles. This yarn is a pleasure to work with, it is soft without splitting, and works up nice and tight so no fiberfill shows through the stitches. Find Paton's Astra here:
Paton's Astra at Mary Maxim
They are all sporting hair using Nashua Hand Knits, Creative Focus Kid Mohair yarn. This is a wonderfully 'hairy' mohair yarn, and you can find it here:
Nashua Creative Focus Mohair yarn at Fabric.com
Now to get them dressed :-)
Paton's Astra sportweight/dk yarn is the perfect yarn for making the little Pocket Spirits, and I had to have skeins in all of their many flesh toned colors. And then, of course, I needed to make a doll out of each of the colors, and give them all different hair styles. This yarn is a pleasure to work with, it is soft without splitting, and works up nice and tight so no fiberfill shows through the stitches. Find Paton's Astra here:
Paton's Astra at Mary Maxim
They are all sporting hair using Nashua Hand Knits, Creative Focus Kid Mohair yarn. This is a wonderfully 'hairy' mohair yarn, and you can find it here:
Nashua Creative Focus Mohair yarn at Fabric.com
Now to get them dressed :-)
Paton's Astra in Aran, Apricot, Medium Tan, Dark Tan, and Soft Tan
Thursday, October 14, 2010
A new look, and a new doll
After over a year, I felt it was time for a new look. Something a little brighter, and that would make finding the patterns available on this blog a bit easier. What do you think? What I like is the way the sidebar items are grouped together.
Please meet Nightshade, my little Goth Pocket Spirit. The dress was very easy, and a fun way to easily incorporate a piece of favorite fabric in a crochet outfit. Just crochet a top; cut a piece of fabric 10 inches by 2 or 3 inches (depending on how long you want it). Zig zag stitch around all four fabric edges to keep it from fraying. Turn up and press 1/4 inch for the hem and the two short sides; stitch two rows of gathering stitches (either by hand or with a long machine stitch), along the top edge, 1/8 and 1/4 inches from the top edge.
Pull the gathering stitches up to match the lower edge of the top and stitch the skirt to the top. Make sure the gathering stitches do not show below the bottom edge of the top. I stitched with short running stitches. I then hemmed the bottom with contrasting color featherstitching, and stitched up the back seam of the skirt to about 1/2 inch from the top. The back is closed with four tiny buttons into crochet button loops.
Please meet Nightshade, my little Goth Pocket Spirit. The dress was very easy, and a fun way to easily incorporate a piece of favorite fabric in a crochet outfit. Just crochet a top; cut a piece of fabric 10 inches by 2 or 3 inches (depending on how long you want it). Zig zag stitch around all four fabric edges to keep it from fraying. Turn up and press 1/4 inch for the hem and the two short sides; stitch two rows of gathering stitches (either by hand or with a long machine stitch), along the top edge, 1/8 and 1/4 inches from the top edge.
Pull the gathering stitches up to match the lower edge of the top and stitch the skirt to the top. Make sure the gathering stitches do not show below the bottom edge of the top. I stitched with short running stitches. I then hemmed the bottom with contrasting color featherstitching, and stitched up the back seam of the skirt to about 1/2 inch from the top. The back is closed with four tiny buttons into crochet button loops.
Nightshade
Saturday, October 9, 2010
More Christmas Crochet, 2010
For my nieces for Christmas; Pocket Spirits with their own pockets! The pattern for the granny square bags is available free from the Lily Sugar & Cream website:
Lily Sugar&Cream
They have some wonderful free patterns, including a great crochet doll, named Lily (of course!).
The ballerina outfits are from the Annie Potter Presents leaflet "Tu Tu Angelic." I used my own design for the body suit, but the ballerina embellishment came from Annie :-)
Lily Sugar&Cream
They have some wonderful free patterns, including a great crochet doll, named Lily (of course!).
The ballerina outfits are from the Annie Potter Presents leaflet "Tu Tu Angelic." I used my own design for the body suit, but the ballerina embellishment came from Annie :-)
Skye, Cherry and Willow
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Pocket Spirits for Christmas
These three little Pocket Spirits are a work in progress for my nieces for Christmas. Meet Willow, Skye, and Cherry :-)
Since my nieces all take dance lessons, these little spirits are going to get some sweet ballerina costumes from an Annie's Attic publication called Tu Tu Angelic. The body suit used with these patterns did not fit well on the Pocket Spirits, so I designed one that did. The pattern for the body suit is here:
Pocket Spirit Bodysuit
This pattern can be used as a swim suit just as it is, or attach a skirt to it; add sleeves and wear it under a jumper or overalls. It is a snug fit, so you'll want to try it on as you crochet to make sure it fits.
I plan to use the embellishments from the Annie Potter Presents publication with the new bodysuit. We'll see how well it works!
Willow says 'Hi!'
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