Windy Day Lady and Blog-iversary

My blog is 15 years old today. How crazy is that! We’ve come a LONG way together.

Here is my windy day Lady pillow doll.

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She is reminiscent of this lady that I made so many years ago (April 2010!). Also, my tiny world pincushions. Someone messaged me an amazing photo of a chair with appliqued town imagery and I’d link to it but I couldn’t find any artist attribution so that doesn’t feel right. Anyway.

edited- I found it! Cityscape chairs.

She has her cashmere hat and scarf for this blustery day.

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Details of the houses-

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And here is one more photo from when I was working on her. You can see that I tried out some other ideas that didn’t make it into the finished piece. I was planning trees and blowing leaves but changed to chimneys and smoke.

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Lady Pillow Doll, some design tweeks

I’m trying out a few little tweeks in my lady pillow design. This lovely Poppy Lady is in a summer dress- scoop neck and sleeveless.

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She is pretty much all cashmere- everything except her hair and shoes.

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It is so nice to get something finished. It has been too long!

I have visited my favorite Thrift Stores recently to check out if the rumors were true- tons of donated everything, inspired by Marie Kondo‘s show on Netflix. The pickings were excellent and I think I’m probably all set for the year now!

February News

I haven’t had any finished pieces in a while but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been working. I have spent so much time cutting and more cutting. I have cut out girls, lady pillow dolls, kitties, dogs, owls, and I can’t remember what else! Finally I am moving forward to sewing and finishing. First up, lady pillow dolls.

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And then I’m excited to make some dogs in removable clothing.

2-5-wip - 2 The main event that I am planning and working for is the Smithsonian Craft Show, April 24 – 28. I am so excited to be going back to Washington DC! I had such an amazing time last year.

I don’t have any other shows on the schedule as of now, but I’ve applied to several so hopefully I will have some in the Fall.

I have no teaching scheduled but if you’d like to organize something, let me know. My schedule is mostly open. I am happy to teach to small groups (4 minimum) at my house in the Boston area.

That’s all the news for now and hopefully I’ll be back soon with finished ladies!

Bald Lumberjack

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I’m slowly getting back into the work groove and my studio is looking much cleaner and more organized. That is always the job and the goal for January.

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He’s got a little cross-cut wooden button for his belt buckle.

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High boots-

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First doll of the year

I am doing a big clean-up in my studio and also trying to get some pieces moving along. Where I get tired of one activity, I switch over to the other. So, both are going slowly. Studio cleaning and rearranging is a big chore but I always find forgotten treasures and that makes it SO worth it. Anyway, HeH! I got one finished!

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He is a mustache man.

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So many skeletons.

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I love finding the perfect antique button.

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And yes, Christmas is over. Both the tree and my man are out on the porch.

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It’s time for the 2018 round-up!

It’s been a banner year for my doll-making- 166! That is a record for me!

I made 39 men- including 3 Green men, 8 Mermen, 2 Scotsmen in kilts, 6 Lumberjacks, and 1 Sailor. I’ve been focusing more on the different characters because they are more fun for me these days.

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7 Tattooed Ladies and 10 Dogs.

12 Big Lady pillow dolls which I hadn’t made in a lot of years, and 12 Babies. The ladies and the babies go together in my head- both are about the wool applique.

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7 Girls dolls and 29 Owls. I had fun with the girls but they were very labor-intensive. There will be more in 2019 though; I just sewed up a bunch. The owls were very popular at the shows I did and that is why I ended up making so many. Doing shows is all about having enough inventory.

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17 foxes and 11 Kitties- I learned that B & W kitties are very popular.

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And 21 Fish.

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Not dolls, I also made 26 Tiny Worlds,

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And a quilt!

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It has been a very busy year for me. I know that a lot of the reason I ended up making so much was because of the shows I did- Smithsonian, ACC San Francisco, and Arts Providence. I am very inspired by a deadline.

Here are some links to my most recent other yearly mosaics- 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014.