Breaking a few eggs...

We have been in the flat for 13 months, most of which have seen me pretty ill. Fin has been working full time, doing one Open University course right after another, and having some fairly serious caring for me going on.

We both felt a shift last week. Maybe it's the thought of Spring, but we decided we need a change. So we are in Operation Overhaul. We love this flat but it doesn't look loved.

Anyhoo. It means transferring things from one area to another so that each room seems chaotic. We have brought into the sitting room a chest of drawers, a small desk and a stacker unit. Out have gone chairs. What remains now just needs to be sorted. This is my favourite, favourite bit which I shall get stuck into whilst Fin is at school tomorrow.

So we have broken a few eggs and hopefully the omelette will be made tomorrow.

Ta dah! April is here in March

So, to be a little bit precious, creating is an evolutionary process. However, if human evolution slowed to my pace, we'd still be swimming around waiting to crawl onto land. I would like to say it's because I am new to doll making. I would like to say it's because I am working Mindfully. But in truth, it's because I obsess and obsess and will probably always work at this speed.

Any hoo. April is finally here, in March! She has turned out beautifully, IMHO, and I am reet proud of her.

So, stuck to the original version, changing only the shoes, the knickers, the smock, the shirt, the hair ribbons and the shawl. See...very little revision going on.

I found the authentic beeswax colouring, on line, and gave her a little colour to her cheeks and on the top of her nose. I also found 

this organza dragonfly ribbon which matched her smock perfectly.

 The headscarf stayed because I love the silkiness of the alpaca wool, and it picks up the turquoise in her skirt.

 The shawl is in alpaca silk and weighs virtually nothing. It is soft and stretchy.

Did not like the previous green knickers and shoes, so a quick change to white pants and pink boots.

                                     

The lacy woollen top just sort of emerged as I was watching a Criminal Detection programme on TV (something wrong about that, when making a Waldorf doll)

The smock is fastened with a PigglesBoo button, and the top with a wooden button.

                 Hooray! One doll finished to my satisfaction.

Now to do all the Facebook, Ravelry, Pinterest and Etsy stuff and also see about setting up a Flickr account. 

The next doll

Yesterday morning I knew I wanted to start on a second doll. I had pretty definite ideas about how I wanted her to look and the colour palette I wanted for clothes. I had been so sure that over the weekend I had started making clothes. But I am getting ahead of myself...

I am waiting for more carded wool for stuffing to arrive, but guessed that I would have enough left from last time to do the head, with some left over. The wool had come from inside the a Jelly Baby doll that I took apart.

This pile of compressed wool had to be pulled apart and smoothed.

It ended up as this pile of loveliness. The process of smoothing took over an hour and was unbelievably therapeutic. I had started off with bad psychotic symptoms, with visual hallucinations of colours, patterns and numbers, but by the time I had finished, my mind was calm. The smell was also very, very soothing.

I got so involved in the head making process that I forgot to take pictures. It took in the region of 3 hours, much taking apart and restarting, checking online that I hadn't forgotten everything and using all the wool I had smoothed plus all the remaining left over 
wool.

I used a different hair method this time. I had bought a ball of mohair specially designed for doll making. You crochet a cap and fix it securely to the doll's head. Like so...

The next process is brushing it out. It is quite magical. From this dense cap, tufts of lovely soft hair start emerging...

What is casually omitted in the instructions is the fact that it takes 3 hours to do. The time was calculated by 2 episodes of Law 
and Order and 1 episode of The Great British Sewing Bee.

I love the result though.

I had planned that the hair would be left all ruffled and tousled. Couldn't do it. It felt wrong. Talking about wrong... These were the colours I had chosen for this doll. I put them together with her head and it all looked very wrong.

I now have all my doll making yarns in one basket so I sorted through those, and through my basket of fabrics.

These all jumped out at me. The fabric is handmade in a Fairtrade Indian co-operative and is very lightweight and a gorgeous olive green.

When I took this picture, I saw that the colours I had chosen were almost the same as the colours of the tissue box into which I had placed the doll's head.

I can sew the body but no more, until my wool order arrives. So 

I shall do some clothes making.

A picture paints a thousand words...

I have spent the last couple of weeks immersed in projects. This has involved a lot of frustration product development, buying new goodies stocking up on essential, non frivolous items, plus a fair degree of letting the house go so it's a complete tip life affirming creativity.

I surfaced last night and looked around. Holy Moley. Not good. So this morning I have been sorting out. I shall let the pictures do the talking.

Aargh...

Aaah.... Much better

Sewing loveliness including 3 handwoven Fairtrade fabrics from an Indian co-operative.

My Fairtrade African bag filled with Waldorf fabric and completed items...

Supplies for doll bodies plus tutorials...

My Cath Kidston  cheap knock off tribute bag holding my definitive red handbag and fabric bin with works in progress...

Fin's World Book Day costume with felt hat, knitted cobweb on 

Sweater and cloak made as an academic gown with a cape and stand

up collar...

Bag of crochet firmly zipped up because of 

Synesthesia ...

Paperwork for the weekend...

                                                                       April

And relax with tea and Marmite toast...