Doll

I am sad about my bag. It didn’t felt- I should have figured that out from my swatches. The bag shrunk, but it doesn’t have the denseness and body of a felted piece. I put it through the wash 4 times. I will have to line it if I want to use it as a bag, which means it isn’t a total waste, but still… a lesson here? I think this is an example of doing a swatch but not seeing what I’m seeing.

I am finishing up these half-done pins. Then I really have to shift over into production stuff for holiday sales. Bugs, and little dolls… I am not thrilled about changing direction right now- I’m excited about how the dolls are going.
When the weather is better, I will photograph Sparrow and put the photos in my gallery. If I can count on the weather forecast, that might not be foe several days.

I have painted this wooden egg for Sparrow to carry

in this nest/basket/purse thingy. I’ll see if I like it. The carrier is crocheted raffia on the outside and knitted furry yarn on the inside.
And I’m working on her doll stand- I sewed down some of the yarn onto green wool fabric. I love this green fabric- it was a $1 thrift shop, knit fabric jacket that I felted in the washing machine.

And this is the latest side track… I got distracted thinking about cornrows, locks, braids and how to make them on a doll, so I needed a head to work on… I did the painting before we left on our trip. Today I finished up the wig cap so I can start adding hair. I am experimenting with black wool roving.

I am trying to get back into working mode. Kids go back to school next week and I’ve got a long list of things to do. I am at a place with this bag that is really boring, so I’ll just have to watch the videos I got out of the library to finish it up. Last night it was Tampopo… about 4″ more done.

I am suppose to be sorting through stuff so that I can participate in a yard sale with our neighbor who is moving. Instead I seem to be aquiring stuff- must be the season. The neighbor has given me her buttons-

I’ve sorted them into keepers and not, and fabric-

also sorted into keep and wash… some great old wool felt and 60′s/70′s cotton print among other things.
And another friend gave me some sewing things that came from her mother’s belongings- old thread in muted colors and woolen fabric.

I love being the ending place for peoples sewing related trash and treasures.

More doll and fabric resources in Vancouver- This is a photo of the area around 49th and Main St. where there is an Indian neighborhood with clothing and fabric stores. I needed a shopping buddy to really get the most out of it, but still had fun. If i’d been with someone else who was into it, I think I could have spent a whole day there! I found one other fabric store, recommended by the person at Button, Button- it’s called Dressew. By the time I got there, at the end of our visit, I’d had enough fabric shopping, but I stopped in for a peek and it look great. Maybe next time…