Getting ready for my gourd head doll workshop on July 15 and 16.
I want the gourds clean and ready to paint. It is a big job!
Here are some of them cleaned, some of them not quite finished yet.
I decided to try spray gesso. It is really great, although a lot more expensive to use. Here is my very low tech spray booth. “Abraham Darby” rose blooming in the background.
I’ve been really busy and my computer was broken- serious withdrawl from computer symptoms. I spent much of today catching up on all my favorite blogs.
This gives you some idea of the patterns I’ve been trying to deal with from my mom’s house- I might be a much happier person if I could just throw stuff away… but I can’t. So I’ve been doing ebay, which actually is kind of fun. I am very friendly with the lady in the post office now. I have similar piles of fabric, notions, books and magazines. I am plowing my way through them, sorting treasures from trash, finding homes for stuff I don’t want. I told my husband to put me in the nursing home if he ever hears me say,”Honey, I am going down to the fabric store to buy a zipper”- I probably have over 100 zippers now in all shapes, sizes, colors and materials. Eleanor has been busy using some of them.
We had a big Yard Sale last weekend to deal with a lot of the parents’ house stuff. This photo shows only a small part of what we dragged out of the house- there was much more in the basement and our neighbors contributed. The sale was to make money for Eleanor’s trip to South Africa and of course to try to get rid of as much as possible! It was very successful although we still had a ton of stuff left over.
I’ve been really busy and my computer was broken- serious withdrawl from computer symptoms. I spent much of today catching up on all my favorite blogs.
This gives you some idea of the patterns I’ve been trying to deal with from my mom’s house- I might be a much happier person if I could just throw stuff away… but I can’t. So I’ve been doing ebay, which actually is kind of fun. I am very friendly with the lady in the post office now. I have similar piles of fabric, notions, books and magazines. I am plowing my way through them, sorting treasures from trash, finding homes for stuff I don’t want. I told my husband to put me in the nursing home if he ever hears me say,”Honey, I am going down to the fabric store to buy a zipper”- I probably have over 100 zippers now in all shapes, sizes, colors and materials. Eleanor has been busy using some of them.
We had a big Yard Sale last weekend to deal with a lot of the parents’ house stuff. This photo shows only a small part of what we dragged out of the house- there was much more in the basement and our neighbors contributed. The sale was to make money for Eleanor’s trip to South Africa and of course to try to get rid of as much as possible! It was very successful although we still had a ton of stuff left over.
I’ve been really busy and my computer was broken- serious withdrawl from computer symptoms. I spent much of today catching up on all my favorite blogs.
This gives you some idea of the patterns I’ve been trying to deal with from my mom’s house- I might be a much happier person if I could just throw stuff away… but I can’t. So I’ve been doing ebay, which actually is kind of fun. I am very friendly with the lady in the post office now. I have similar piles of fabric, notions, books and magazines. I am plowing my way through them, sorting treasures from trash, finding homes for stuff I don’t want. I told my husband to put me in the nursing home if he ever hears me say,”Honey, I am going down to the fabric store to buy a zipper”- I probably have over 100 zippers now in all shapes, sizes, colors and materials. Eleanor has been busy using some of them.
We had a big Yard Sale last weekend to deal with a lot of the parents’ house stuff. This photo shows only a small part of what we dragged out of the house- there was much more in the basement and our neighbors contributed. The sale was to make money for Eleanor’s trip to South Africa and of course to try to get rid of as much as possible! It was very successful although we still had a ton of stuff left over.
My computer has gone into a coma and is off to Apple for some intensive care- thank goodness the problem was connected to a recall and hopefully my computer will return to me as good as new. I thought maybe I’d worn it out! Now I’m borrowing time from other machines in the house.
I haven’t had time to do any doll work anyway. I am drowning in family related stuff- and getting cranky, which always happens when I can’t get to my own work. Just a few weeks to NIADA and the after that my gourd head doll workshop- ahhh. I really better get my desk uncovered and get back to work!
I have put some scans of fabric onto Flickr. The pictures on Flickr are better then this one. I am clearing out lots of stuff from my Mom and am drowning in sewing stuff. There are at least several yards of all of these fabrics- some have lots of yards! If you want any, email me… There is more, but I’ll see if I get any takers this way. If not, I am donating them to the local school for Fashion Design. I also have a stack of fashion magazines and coverless Vogue pattern magazines from the earlier part of the 70’s that will be yard saled unless someone wants some.
11/22/05- Please note- all of this fabric is long gone. I am not sending out any more fabric. Thanks.
shoe making- I’m loving my new little alligator clip clamps.
Here they are, all done. The red leather is from an old glove- very thin leather, so nice to work with.
vest- mink trim- the mink was a gift from Lois- Thanks!
Here she is in her finery.
I have to sew closures on the tunic, pants and vest. The wig needs work- either remaking it from scratch or redyeing the one I’ve made or something.
I will be away for the rest of the week- too bad, since I feel like I’m on a roll.
Yummy mushrooms! These oyster mushrooms grew in a pile of leaves in the yard. I took our mushroom kit out of the plastic bag, where it had been stewing all winter- sitting on the back porch. I broke the straw into chunks and stuck them in the half- rotted leaves. A few weeks later, this is what I found!
I am working on 2 dolls right now and I am getting very frustrated with both of them. This is S. The idea with her is an over-abundance of lacey-ness. I’ve made her a slip and am now working on her dress, but they are not working together the way I want them to…
slip-
bodice-
the dress is reworked from a vintage baby dress. I thought I had it all figured out, but after sewing the sleeves on, I discovered that the neckline of the bodice is higher then I planned- totally hiding the lace of the slip. And there is a lump where the lace is under the bodice. Something is going to have to be redone.
This is B. I want to make a vest, but the design is not gelling in my brain…
Ione and her chair came home from the photographer yesterday. I’ve had some questions about the chair so now I’ve put up more pictures and some close-ups.
I used iron wire. I can buy some types at my local hardware store. Other sizes I have to get at a company specializing in wire. I used 14 gauge for the main structure of the chair. 16 gauge for the filling in wire work.
I used 20 gauge wire for the edge wrapping and also for some of the structural wrapping attachments… does this make sense- I can’t quite figure out how to explain it!
Lastly is this wire “thread”. It is 24 gauge, I think. Or maybe 26 gauge- it wouldn’t matter which I used anyway. It is used to sort of sew or lace everything together.
After I finished the chair, I sprayed it with a clear finish. Otherwise it would rust and I didn’t want to risk ruining Ione clothing.
Wire (Everyday Things) is an excellent picture reference, although it doesn’t have any actual instructions- it’s all visual inspiration.