Fall Holidays...

Just a quick little check in. Here's all my Makie (and faux Makie) kids hanging out for the season...

And this lovely little outfit was a gift from Eliana Blanco from my Just Icy group on Facebook! So generous and so gorgeous! I knew about the suitcase but the dress and pin were a total surprise. And the colors and style of it suit Bronwyn beautifully!

And lastly my new Icy girl Dulcinea.

 To customize her I bought the darkest bod I could find on Blythe Holmes and painted the Icy head with Rustoleum Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover Paint and Primer in Khaki. She's my 2nd dark skinned doll since Cheri and I'm pretty pleased with her. :D

A Maxi Dress Pattern for Blythe (and Makies too)

It's taken some time to finish the PDF but I finally have the maxi dress pattern sized to fit both Blythe (and of course any doll with the original Blythe-body type: Icy, Jecci Five, Factory girls etc... and of course Makie girl dolls. Here is my beautiful Bronwyn modeling the results...

If anyone is interested the buyer has permission to sell finished items made from this pattern. The pattern is available for sale at Craftsy or if you prefer Etsy.

Just a little Dolly Love...

Posting a few photos of the Makie crowd, I've made two more dolls Nanala (blond) which is Hawaiian for sunflower and Huey (based on huey Freeman from Boondocks).

Nanala is up for sale on my Etsy tho Huey will be staying with us for a bit...

Beatrix got a refreshed faceup with a more permanent lip color, you can see how pleased she is to have a brother now. :)

And a few shots of a gorgeous fabric I found...

Moonyeen eagerly wanted to model this one. I liked it so much I wanted to create a summer dress out of it as well and this is what I came up with...

I love the little cap sleeves and the ruffled bottom, I was going for a vintage look and I think I achieved it :) Both dresses are up for sale at my Etsy... tho I think Moonyeen will insist that I make another one of these just for her.

Bronwyn's Coming out Party

I finished Bronwyn's faceup and made her a new outfit. She knew exactly what she wanted and was very particular (with one's going to take some work keeping her happy I think). Now I just need the right pull charm for her. I'm really pleased with how she turned out. I took some pictures of her by the Evening Primrose which is still in bloom here. If anyone is interested in the pattern for the coat to make their own, it is available at my Etsy or if you prefer Craftsy.

My First Icy

My Icy girl from Blythe Homes came in last night (yes I bought an Icy). I've never owned an Icy before and I wasn't sure I would like her but she's just so adorable. The first pic is her in the little orange dress she came with. When I saw the blue bag she was in I thought that they'd messed up and given me a boy. Her quality is just astounding, well worth it, and beyond what I expected for the just under $20 price tag. Her hair is so fine and soft and there were no funny chemical smells to speak of. I'm so pleased. She told me her name was Bronwyn, I thought she was mistaken as it didn't seem to go with the pink/blond hair but she insisted. She's also started requesting what sort of clothes she'd like to wear. Seems she wants a more British look and has a light interest in steampunk, I guess I'd better get on that. She came with a pull that says Angela, I wonder if they all come with a pull like that? Guess I better educate myself. I know they are supposed to be a bit of a Blythe knock off but honestly (other than body type and eyes changing color) she really seems to be her own girl. Very pleased :D The second pic is her on one of the dresses I've made for spring.

The Purple Hippopotomus...

When we were both children my little sister got a purple stuffed hippo for Christmas. I think it was because of that 'I want a hippopotamus for Christmas song. I remember it had a little pink belly and you could wind it up and it played a little music box tune. She loved that thing and carried it around with her for years. It went to bed with her every night and I remember she would listen to that tune until she fell asleep. It got lost along the way when we moved, and I lost my sister to a drunk driver when she was 14. I based Parsley off old photos of me as a kid, and, when I got the opportunity to make a sister for her, I based Pepper on how I remember my little sister looked at around the same time (she was about 2 years younger than me). I don't buy a lot of little toys and pets for my girls (there's just not enough room in my house) but when I saw this little purple hippo with the pink belly I knew I had to get it for Pepper. It's funny, as a kid that music box toy drove me nuts when I was trying to get to sleep, now I remember it fondly.

And on a lighter note: Pepper and her sisters, barefoot and enjoying the spring weather...

 

Little Sister, Pepper

Well after much experimentation I've made my second head for a Makie body. This is Parsley's little sister Pepper...

I did things a little differently than I did with Parsley. I wanted to make her head lighter so instead of using a coil of polymer in the center I used a ball of foil. I made Pepper's head in stages. I sculpted her face first and then after curing it, I added the ball of foil to the center and sculpted more clay around the back to finish forming the head. Her head is lighter than Parsley's, not as light as I'm used to with Beatrix of course, but a bit lighter. I left a hole in the base to add the neck joint and I think I did a much better job of it this time as Pepper's head has just as much mobility as Beatrix, whereas I still need to remove a little of the hardened epoxy for Parsley to move as much. A tip: if you're ever baking a face and you want to avoid scorching of the nose and lips, surround it with baking powder. Since Pepper's face was going back in for a second go, I placed the head face down in an oven safe bowl full of baking powder, worked like a charm :)

Couldn't resist a little photo shoot with all the girls...

 Once again a big thank you to Lisa Sheppard without whom Pepper would not have been possible. Much Love :D

Jeans for B...

Just a quick little post, I've been experimenting with "jeans' for Beatrix. I used the Makie jeans pattern but changed out the top elastic waist for a regular one. I think she looks pretty good :)

She needed a little something up top to go with her new jeans so I made her a little empire waist blouse (I have these tops on my Etsy as well I was so pleased with them). We did a mini photo shoot for fun.... it's nice that the sun has returned (for a little while anyway)

I also have returned to making the Hawaiian shirts for my Blythe babes, and this one particular fabric made lovely shirts, but when I tried it n dress form...

I'm loving the look of this, I wish I had more of this stuff it's just brilliant. I grabbed what I could knowing it would make some great stuff for my Etsy shop, but now I'm wanting more. If anyone knows where I could find more of this pattern (even in other colors - I would love that) please PM me. I would be forever grateful.

And lastly...

Pajamas for Parsley... I dislike working with flannels. Don't get me wrong, I love the feel of them for wear, but when sewing, meh, just not my thing. This however was well worth it. I love how cute she is in these. They wont be appearing in my shop anytime soon (this was just for fun) but I do love the look. Oddly, I'm sure there must have been times as a child that I climbed trees in my pajamas because this image really resonates. Anyway, lots of fun sewing. :D