a new guy!

A Dog!

It is so hard to photograph a dark object and still have the details show. The mouth is embroidered in black though it hardly shows in this photo.

the back-

Here is a side view so you can see his nose profile.

Some notes on designing: Making a new doll, even one that isn’t all that different from what has come before, doesn’t happen quickly, easily or by magic. It is methodical and it is work. I was in the midst of working on a pile of other things when I had an idea- a dog, sort of a dachshund, with a striped sweater. I drew out some thoughts and went back to work, finishing up what needed to be finished. That is how the ideas come- while I’m working on something else. As I work on that other project, maybe looking at it at a funny angle or some random mistake, will give me an idea to try something off in another direction.

Then comes the hard part. I started playing with my pattern and making prototypes in-between the other things I’m working on. If I’d said to myself, I’ll work on this when I finish all these other things, I’d probably lose interest and maybe or maybe not ever get back to it. Instead, I fit in little bits of time to work on my dog. Here is a photo of my desk with 4 prototypes and a bunch of the paper pattern pieces.

The first iteration was that flat gray tweed and just about everything was wrong with it. hmm, Good to know! I unstuffed it and threw it in the bin. Then pulled it out again for this photo. The 2 white ones came next. They are made out of an old wool blanket- my scrap paper of wool. The one on the right came first. Among other things, the ears are too small and the head is too wide. On the left came next (#3). Ears better, thinking about the nose, hmm, not so sure I like his body. #4 is the all brown one. He is a lot slimmer and his hips/legs are redesigned. I made a few test noses before deciding on the one I like best. Now I am ready for #5, the dog with his sweater that I’m showing at the top. It has been about a week in the designing. Ta Da! Magic ;)

And I will continue to tweak for a while. That is the fun of it all!

this week

I’m working on some things that I can’t show and that is a bummer. But, look who came to visit me yesterday!

Salley! I was even able to uncover a chair for her to sit on. hmm, yes, the studio is a pretty big mess these days. I got to see her cover art for the January Horn Book magazine. There is no describing how amazing that piece is in real life. No matter how wonderful the photo turns out to be, it is not the same. I feel so lucky to have seen it!

And, here are some thrift goodies, all disassembled, washed and ready to go.

I believe it is a law of thrifting that if you are looking for something specific, you will never find it. Even if it is something perfectly ordinary- like the time I needed a plain white sweater. I could not find a single one in 5 different thrift stores. I am indeed looking for something specific- a gray wool fair isle sweater. I didn’t find one but found some other goodies. I’m not complaining. I now have a good excuse to do some more searching this weekend.

Lastly, I hope to have an update in the next few days about the Scotch and Soda copying/stealing situation. I appreciate all the support you have given me so far. Thank you.

Portland weekend

We were up in Maine for the weekend. Having a son going to school in Portland has improved our life. It is a wonderful town with natural beauties and amazing food. And, only 2 hours north from home!

This group of dogs was waiting patiently next to the Scratch Baking Company, #1 bakery in Portland- and that is saying something!

And lastly, a perfect lighthouse- good inspiration for my next tiny world.

his lady friend

The skirt is open in the back for her tail.

I love rick-rack. Everyone needs some.

And isn’t that Liberty fabric of her skirt beautiful! She has a cashmere sweater and a little felt purse , sewn with variegated thread.

I think her smaller mouth makes her look a bit shy.

The couple.

a professor fox

He is definitely going to NYC.

I was waiting for an appointment and a young-ish man walked through the lobby. He was wearing an argyle vest. I thought, I have that same vest in my stash. I came home, unearthed it and made it fox size.