My Toile scrap quilt is done!

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Here is the big picture. It is hard to see the toile images in the blocks, so I have put some detail photos at the end of the post. I am very happy with it! It is all made out of fabric from my stash: mostly from my scrap bins. I will admit that I cut out a few larger toile images to have some bigger blocks in the center.

And the back is made of more toile scraps; mostly from the slipcovers from the sofa in my childhood home (60’s – 70’s). Amongst the scrappy bits of red and white toile, was a different pattern than the slipcover. I am guessing it was a sample piece that my Mom was trying. I had to piece the backing since there were damaged areas and some of the color differences are due to fading. I love the story it tells.

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Here is a close-up-

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On a bed-

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Some details-

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Thanks Ben!

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In case you are wondering about the toile scraps- I use toile to make the tattooed people. I buy fabric that has a white or cream background, with black, brown, or blue printing. I cut out the doll pieces and then I dye it to various skin tones. Most of the toile in this is off-cuts or scraps that I couldn’t bear to throw away. I don’t use any red on white toile for my dolls.

This week

Today! It is my blog’s 16th birthday! How crazy is that and even crazier that I remember each year. I have a clear memory of deciding to start/try and what was happening at that time in my life. This blog didn’t start at the very beginning of my doll journey but has documented every doll I’ve made since 2004. I’ve never tried to monetize my blog, except for some Amazon affiliated links and I don’t think I ever made more than about $20 total. But I keep doing it because I think of it as my online record of my art life. And what a crazy, wonderful, and unexpected journey it has been.

It’s been a weird week. I’ve been a bit under the weather and everything is going slower than I would like. Firstly I was cleaning and sorting to switch gears from kitties to tattooed men. I pulled out a pile of sewed up fellows and stuffed up a grouping. Okay, yes, that sounds a little naughty.

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I also spent all of yesterday dyeing body parts, mostly for mermen.

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As you can see, I want to experiment with some non-natural skin colors for these fellows.

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I know I’ve mentioned that I am no expert when it comes to dyeing. I tend to just wing it which often doesn’t work out that well and makes reproducing results very difficult. This time, I went to the RIT website and studied their color formulas (recipes). I picked out ones that looked good to me, bought some new dyes, and I think got much better results! Of course I still had a hard time sticking to the actual recipes and ended up doing a teeny bit of winging it but all in all, I am very happy. So, now I have to sew up all these handsome mermen!

And the quilt is coming along. I am at the very end- putting on the binding.

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Have you watched Next in Fashion on Netflix? I’m loving it- so much talent!

Kitty with mouse dress

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This is the last kitty for now. Yes, those are little mice on her dress.

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Silk bow at her ear-

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Some details- Vintage cotton rickrack at her hem. Antique buttons on her jacket- I think they are some kind of nut shell? Antique shell button on her purse.

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I will be putting the last 2 kitties into my etsy shop today. I have pulled out a pile of already-sewed-up tattooed people and have started to stuff them. I also need to pull out the dye pots and dye up some more mermen. Onward!

Kitty Girl #2

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A kitty school girl in a dress made from more fabric from my Mom’s stash. This dress fabric is (probably) 70’s vintage lawn. It was one of my mom’s unfinished projects- all cut out but never sewed up. I love being able to give it a new life.

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She has a school bag, a cabled cashmere sweater with heart buttons and a ruffle edge, and a lacy shawl.

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What’s in her school bag?

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First Doll of 2020

Phew, I managed to finish one before January is over!

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Her dress is made of vintage Liberty lawn that I got from my Mom. She has a cashmere sweater and a silk bow at her ear.

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I have collected many random little trinkets over the years- that is the category that I’d put that dragonfly pin into. Sometimes they find their place.

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I’d like to pretend that I could work on the dolls and also have a side project but I am very bad at it! My quilt is coming along and I wish I could keep to my plan to only work on it for an hour or 2 in the evenings, but it is a big distraction. Here it is, waiting and tempting me in the morning light. (I managed to resist because I NEEDED to post something today!)

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January Update

January is flying by and I haven’t finished a single doll yet! I’ve been working on another quilt; one that I started way back in August 2017. I had actually gotten most of the blocks done but couldn’t focus on how to put it together so I set it aside. I got in the mood to finish it once the kiddos had all gone back to their homes and Christmas was put away. So here is where I started up again, spreading it all out on the guest bed.

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This time I kept telling myself, Don’t over-think everything! Finish up the blocks and it will all come together. Sewing away.

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And the top is all finished!

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Next, figure out the backing. I had a bin in the attic with red and white toile items from my Mom’s house. There was a fabric sample, a sofa slipcover, and drapes. The slipcover was on our living room sofa from the mid-60’s to mid-70’s (?). It had worn spots, faded areas, and some holes, but there was still a ton of usable fabric. I took the slipcover apart and washed all the pieces. I used it to piece together the backing along with the fabric sample. I didn’t use any of the drapes so I still have loads left!

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And here we are, the quilt top is sandwiched with it’s batting and backing with a million safety pins and I’ve started to quilt.

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I’ve discovered that I love hand-quilting, now that I am over being worried about making it “perfect”. I’m in no rush, I can spend time here and there, listening to an audio book or podcast. It is very relaxing. I love how the stitching gives the blocks an added dimension.

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And now that the quilt is all set up for me to stitch when I feel like it, I have gone back to some doll work although I haven’t gotten very far yet. Kitties are waiting for their clothes.

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They will have to wait a little longer though. I am off on a trip to NYC this next week. I am looking forward to spending lots of time looking at art, eating good food, window shopping, people watching, and all the other fun vacation things. Got any recommendations for my trip? I’d love to hear!