Oops!

Mistakes happen.

Here are 2 of the 4  pieces embroidered from the pattern I created last week.

Unfortunately I forgot a very important step. I forgot to check the pattern to make sure that it was symmetrical.

So the resulting shape is a little twisted.

I took out the piece with the inset and sewed it back together.

It still is twisted but l can use this.

I went back to the pattern and fixed it up and stitched out another version which looks more like what I originally had in mind.

I will add bases and stuff these, add heads and maybe arms.

Embroidery Detail

Making a Pattern from a Bottle

I found some bottles in the local thrift shop that had interesting shapes.  I could see a doll in one of them so I  decided to copy the shape.

In order to make a pattern from the bottle, I first cover it in Glad Press’n Seal® with the sticky side out.  Then I cover that with duct tape.  The bottom of the bottle is also covered.

I wanted to use the top as a head so I covered that as well.  I didn’t want the flare at the top of the bottle so that isn’t covered.  I cut the Press’n Seal/Duct tape cover off the bottle and top, divided it in half and then in quarters.  I used one quarter, and cut darts to make it lie flat.

All that is left to do is trace the pattern. I usually scan it and digitize it in my software to create an embroidery pattern, but I could also add seam allowances and use fabric to make the bottle.

Two Versions of a New Thread Tangle

Here is another thread tangle. After I stitched this one out I decided to remove the outline stitching around the individual areas before doing another version.

Because of the lightness of the thread colour in the face there was not enough definition between the features so I added some of the outline stitched in by hand in a rust colour.

Rhino

This is the beginning of my latest watercolour of a rhinoceros.  It was done using a controlled wet on wet method.  Specific areas were saturated with clean water and then colour was added to the water.  The colour spreads only where the paper is wet.

I used a picture I had taken at the London Zoo and used more interesting colours than what was in the photo. Playing around with colours is so much fun.

Here is the (maybe) final result.

Colorado

All parts of this doll are machine embroidered. She has beaded hair, as well as beads at the neck and waist.

 

Making Trim and Fabric with a Sewing Machine

I use very narrow trim for my dolls.  It can be  very hard to find trim in the size and colour I need.  I frequently make my own trim using a sewing machine, water soluble stabilizer and thread.

Most sewing machines have a range of stitches that can be used to make a grid of threads that will form the basis of the trim.

On the left of the picture you can see the first stitch I used.  Any stitch that goes from one side to the other will work. You can use a zig zag stitch if  that is all you have.  I then used lines of straight stitches on the each side and  2 rows through the centre of the first row of stitches.

Once the grid was established, I used contrasting thread colours and sewed different decorative stitches over the grid. When I was finished I washed out the water soluble stabilizer and dried the pieces between 2 layers of a cotton towel.

I sometimes also make fabric with the sewing machine.  I did this for Sherry so that the colour of the fabric will exactly match tthe embroidered stump.

This piece is a rectangle but you can make specific shapes that will allow you to make clothes with no seam allowance when you ladder stitch the seams together.

After drawing the shape you want (green line) on water soluble stabilizer, use straight stitches  sewn close together  from one side to the other.

Then turn the piece around and sew straight stitches perpendicular to the first set. When you have finished, wash out the stabilizer and dry your fabric.

Sherry – Time Out for an Experiment

I was having trouble getting the torso to fit and look the way I wanted.  In between versions I used one that didn’t work (and wasn’t finished) to experiment.  I covered the upper part with Golden Absorbent Ground (White), let it dry, and painted it with watercolour paints.  The Absorbent Ground covered body took the paint very much like watercolour paper.  I will need some practice in order to learn how to adjust for the 3D body as the paint likes to flow downhill.  With a body, no matter which way you position it, there is always somewhere the paint can flow.

After the initial painting I used the Absorbent Ground to add white dots over the already painted surface.  I then added dots of watercolour to create the necklace.

The lower section of the torso is painted directly onto the untreated fabric.

The torso finally got done.

I ended up adding darts after it was attached and stuffed. You can see the purple marks of the air erasable pen still showing.   I marked the darts and then ladder stitch them together. there is another dart in the back.

Black on White Iris Thread Tangle

The inspiration for this Thread Tangle was a close-up photo  I took of one of my Irises. However, that is not what most people see. What do you see?

This is the original photo.

Sherry – A Work in Progress

Sherry (working title) will be a stump doll. The “stump” shape is based on my grandmother’s crystal sherry decanter.
The pattern is in 4 identical pieces.

Embroidery in Progress

The pieces are then sewn together by hand as are the darts.

2 pattern pieces sewn together; some darts still to be sewn

The next challenge is to make a body to fit the vessel.

Felted Dogs

My friend Edwina Sutherland asked me to fill in for her at our doll club, All Dolled Up. She was to have given a demonstration of felted animals but discovered that she was double booked. After a short demonstration and some practice at home  I used her patterns and method and showed our members and guest how to make a felted dog. They were all wonderful and all were able to produce dogs that looked like dogs- if not always the dog they were trying to make. You can see some of the results on the All Dolled Up blog .

Felting is a lot of fun and with a little practice the results can be quite satisfying.

One of the dogs above was done before the meeting for practice and the other was done during the meeting as a demonstration. I still need some more practice before I get the dogs to look a little closer to what I want them to look like.