Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you… but really!
One day you’ve got this-
and the next thing you know, they are all gone! The youngest left for college today. This has been a very eventful week. Bye Peter!
Tiny World Pin cushion giveaway
and another thing!
Check it out! To celebrate the Handmade Portrait, I’ll be giving away this tiny world- all the details are here.
Well, okay, I will put them here too-
Embed the Handmade Portrait video on your blog and email the link to your post to mimi.kirchner.giveaway@gmail.com by 5 p.m. ET, Friday, September 4, 2009. I will pick one lucky person using a random number generator.
If you don’t know how to embed a video on your blog, no worries, it’s simple. Here’s how:
-Click the symbol that looks like a sideways V on the video player at the top of the Storque post.
-Copy the embed code from the “embed” tab.
-Paste the embed code into the html of your own blog post.
-Send the link to your blog post to me at the giveaway gmail address above!
Etsy Handmade Portrait
make-dos and my tiny worlds
So what are these “make-do” things anyway?
I first heard about a make-do when I got interested in doll-making and was immersed in learning everything I could about vintage and antique cloth dolls. The same people who were talking about the dolls, were interested in all kinds of historical needlearts. The definition I came away with was- a make-do is a pincushion made from a household object that is no longer functional for it’s original purpose- Like a sugar bowl without a lid, a damaged candle stick, a goblet stem with no bowl, or a chipped or cracked cup.
I have been making mine, which I call tiny worlds, in teacups, most of which come from the thrift store. I am also lucky enough to have friends who think of me before they throw out something that I might use- Lucky me! My tiny worlds are made on wool balls, covered with wool fabric and then most of the detail work is done with embroidery and wool felt. It is a wonderful way to use up little pieces and scraps around my studio. And it is so much fun to imagine who lives on the miniature landscape.
I didn’t start out with teacups though. My first make-do was made from a broken goblet. Excuse the photo please- that blog post was from my early blog days, more then 5 years ago! Here are some links to other ones I’ve made and also to a basic tutorial on how to make one for yourself. If you’d like to try your hand at a tiny world make-do, the pattern is available here in my Etsy shop.
2 more tiny worlds
This one is a tiny house, hiding under the flowers-
And I made this one in an eggcup-
It is tall!
I have put all these latest tiny worlds into my Etsy shop today. And, come back soon- there is another give-away coming… details tomorrow!
new tiny worlds!
Two things are going on here. 1. When I do a tiny world class, I make a few demo parts. Then, after the class, they haunt me until I put them all together. 2. And, since I made the pattern, I have been thinking that I ought to focus on making tiny worlds that are different. So, a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
-some this-
-and that-
new doll and temporary photo solution
One good thing about having a camera that has the option to take huge photos- I took all of these photos on one side of the frame and cropped out the spot! Next, I might have to try Photoshop. On Monday, I will call Canon and get advise.
She is my Garden Girl-
I gave her pigtails. I’ve been wanting to figure out a way to make them and I am pleased with her hair.
a detail of the flowers and her shoe bows-
and in the garden.
update 9/21/09- I redid her face and changed the photos.
bad timing
See that dot on the left side of the head of my new girl? Yeah, it is not suppose to be there. My Canon G10- which I have loved since I got it last December, is making me unhappy. We are thinking (around here) that it is dust on the sensor. The store where I bought it- for full price, I might add- was amazingly unhelpful. Gee, sorry, send it back to Canon. How much? We don’t know. How long? Who knows! Why?! Standard usage- What? This is not a camera that you can open in any way. How can it possibly be my fault? Anyway- I’m pissed. I will not be buying anything from there again.
This camera thing is incredibly bad timing. Remember this back in March? Well, it is going up next week- August 26. I am nervous and excited. I wanted to give my regular readers a heads up because there will probably be some odd, explaining kinds of blog posts when the video goes up. We’ll see. Of course, now I feel like I am about to have a party or my in-laws over and the vaccuum cleaner is broken!
Also, after sort of limping along all summer, I am getting a rush of ideas- so why does my camera have to break now! Waah! Okay- I think I feel better.
One more thing- I had been hoping to go to the NIADA conference in Tennessee in September. It is now obvious that it is not going to happen. Just wanted to let anyone I’ve talked to about it know.
girl in red
Summer weather has finally arrived. It is hot and humid here- which can make getting inspired to work on wool dolls a bit of a challenge. Everyone looks hot to me today. I am trying to think back-to-school fashion thoughts.
My girl in red-
With a green shrug, because that is my favorite color combo. And, she has a felt shoulder bag.
Here she is with her stuff.
I finished her up this morning and have spent the afternoon putting faces on the rest of the partially finished dolls that have been lolling around on my desk.
My work motto- uninspired? Just do something.
Having the faces on them will really help me figure out who they are.
update- 9/20- I redid her mouth and updated all the photos.
another studio update
I am actually working in the room now. The move got to a certain point of trying to get things arranged, and I realized I had to start working in the space to know where things should be. The result is that the room doesn’t look great but I am essentially moved and back to work. I will probably do a blog studio tour in a month or so when things have settled a bit.
The desk area-
This is working pretty well, although I have been rearranging the drawers as I try to find my tools. I moved my sewing machine off the desk and onto a smaller desk. The big desk will be my main work area now.
The shelf above my desk is still rather empty. I haven’t brought any of the dolls that were on the attic studio shelf down yet.
And I have to work more on the wool storage bins. They still seem disorganized, but what can I do? It is so hard to decide what is the right way to organize. Color? Material? (wool, cashmere, etc) Size of the fabric pieces?
On another topic- I will be in the Columbia, SC area around Labor Day. Does anyone know of any not-to-be-missed crafty goodness in the area?