Kona Coffee Festival - T Shirt and Board Shorts

Just a quick little post. Here is Reilly in a little tee shirt (dipped in coffee to give it just the right hue.... okay and a bit of brown food coloring too) So she's all set for the Kona Coffee Festival on the Big Island in November :D

The T Shirt pattern is free from Liberty Jane here

And the board shorts she's wearing are an augmentation of the fabulous Eva pants pattern here

This pants pattern is wonderful and I've used it on numerous occasions. The pattern comes with a shorts option which is very good but didn't look right for board shorts. I simply cut out both the pants an shorts pattern and used the pants pattern but folded it to match the length of the shorts. You can simply place the shorts piece over the pants piece and match them up at the top, then draw a line where the bottom of the shorts end on the pants piece. Cut it off the bottom bit if you only want board shorts or simply fold it on the line and use the pattern that way so you can unfold it later to use for making the pants (which as I said are awesome).  Happy Trails :)

The Lost Posts... and a new Beret Pattern

Okay so I knew it had been a long time since I last posted, I didn't realize it had been about a year. If anyone is still following my blog they may well have noticed that my posts became less and less frequent after I moved to Texas. The reason is this, after a couple of months in the state, my health began to tank, in small ways at first but then things became much more noticeable and debilitating as time went on. It became just too difficult to keep up with even the things I loved. As it turns out I cannot handle the pollutants in a big city. If I hadn't grown up in the wilderness of Alaska I probably would have discovered this long ago. I had visited many places but had never stayed more than a month so I had no idea that I would react so badly.

Anyway, suffice it to say I couldn't stay in Austin Texas knowing what I now know. My husband and I now live on the Big Island of Hawaii and I seem to be slowly recovering tho I still have my bad days I hope to return to some state of good health soon. Anyone inclined to prayer if you would be willing to pray for me (if that's alright to ask) please will you do so. I may never get back to where I was but I hope to at least be functional and (hopefully) a more frequent poster about the things that I love.

And now on to more fun things... this is Reilly

She's a sweet little American Girl doll I bought used on Ebay. I thought at the time that I as buying a girl with the Josephinea face mold, but realized that she is instead the rare Marie Grace mold (the face only ever used on the Marie Grace doll). I was very pleased, she has many of the features I like on the Josephinea mold but excludes some of the things I don't care for as much. You cant see it very well in this pic but she has her right hand partially chewed by dog (I'm assuming) and is missing two fingers (hence the name Reilly - for Radar O'reilly the character on the TV series MASH, the actor who played him had truncated fingers as well) She also has a small nick on her upper and lower lip on the right side. I got a very good price from her because of these little things. I don't mind her hand being different at all. I might try the 'dip in boiling water' method on the hand to reduce the chew marks on the remaining fingers... but the missing two... nah, her being differently abled is just fine. This outfit I made in anticipation of her arrival and I was just finishing her dress when she came to me.

And this is what she looks like now...

I repainted her lips and glossed them (covering the nick on the bottom lip) and I gave her freckles and a tiny mole (just on the right above the lip, hiding the other nick. Oh yes, and I pierced her ears. So far I'm quite pleased with her. I've yet to try boiling her hand but I think I've done enough for now.

And for anyone who is interested in the beret...

It's available here. Stay warm everybody! :)

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

Xmass Makie Snuggle...

My two Makie girls Beatrix and Parsley found my coffee this morning.

"Mmmmm warm..."

I think they want some of their own, it's a bit chilly outside. Excuse the bad lighting, again, as I said chilly. Strictly indoor pics today. 

Of course cold days mean warm snuggles...

Happy Holidays!

For Christmas... mini Blythes!

Decided to fool around with some Click Chicks (those little puzzle dolls you get from gumball machines for about 50 cents) and created some mini Blythes for my girls, I tried to give them that Junie Moon flair, I think they are rather cute. They were pretty time consuming to make (so... so tiny...) but well worth it. I think they are awfully cute, and my gals seem to enjoy them too :D If anyone is wanting to make there own...

A single piece of scrap booking paper (about 79 cents at Joann's) Made about 4 little Blythe like boxes and backer paper for the little dolls. The pattern is from Dr Blythenstien and can be found HERE I did a bit of adjusting so that they would be a good fit for the Click Chicks, use your own best judgement there.

I baked them in the oven with new hair (I got rid of the hair back plate on one, and covered it over with polymer on the other two) and baked a bit of hair and clothing on them. When done, I did a bit of sanding, a little more embellishment, sealed the little girls, and viola!

And yes, the eyes are intentionally a bit Junie Moon (love those little release drawings). Just remember to bake them at low temp (you don't want a melted doll) and have fun.

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time - Ugly X-mas Sweater!!!

I've heard many stories of people making doll clothes from Christmas socks... this sounded like fun and I of course wanted to experiment making ugly Christmas sweaters :D

So I went and picked up some Christmas socks that looked suitably obnoxious. I tried to freehand the pattern based on some youtube videos I'd seen... the results? We shall not speak of them... very disappointing, all I can say is those guys in the videos are better at freehand cutting than I am. Anyway, I got smart and used a long sleeved shirt pattern for knits and a bit of single fold bias tape and here are the results...

The bias tape made it quite easy to finish the edges neatly. And for anyone who is hesitant in working with knits, I had little problems with stretching while doing the underarms, but if it does become an issue, adjusting the tension on your machine -or- (if you hate changing the settings on your machine when you have them just the way you like) using the paper trick seems to help keep things from warping out of shape.

The paper trick (for those unfamiliar) consists of running a strip of paper along your seam as you sew the knit fabric sections, it acts as a stabilizer and after you've finished you simply tear the paper away from the inside and outside of the garment like perforated paper (because after you've sewn it that's pretty much what it is). It comes away easily enough and you have a nice unwarped seam. Of course you don't need to do this where the bias tape is used because it has pretty much the same effect.

For anyone wanting to use the pattern I found this on on the internet long ago and can't seem to find a proper link to it anywhere so here's a pic with a ruler for size...

I've long since lost the instructions to go with it but I pretty much just put bias tape on the ends of the sleeves and then folded the fabric along the dotted lines, matching up A to A and C to C. Then you just sew the underarm and the sides of the torso together (you can finish with a bit of a zig zag to prevent raveling if you're worried about that). Then you can finish the remaining edges: neck, back, and the bottom of the torso, with bias tape as you choose. You can have the back overlap and close with snaps (as I did) or perhaps sew the bottom half way up and leave the top of the back open, finishing it with some surging or zig zag to keep it from unraveling.

This has been a fun little project and it went pretty fast. I may make some more for my other Blythes.

Edit: Ha! Found it! The pattern is HERE. It's the one for the boat neck T shirt.