A New Rosen Lied Doll

Xander side view, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I just adore all of Rosen Lied's Tuesday's Children. This is the model Poppy. I named mine Xander. I also received Arina the other day, too, and will be posting photos as soon as I have a few minutes to make her an outfit. A kind person on a BJD forum was selling the two and I snapped them up! I'm so glad I did!

Finally, It's Spring!

Crocuses, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

After an absolutely unending winter (who knows, it'll probably snow again next week!) we finally have crocuses up. According to my camera photos from last year, we had crocuses a full two weeks earlier last year! But they're so pretty, whenever they decide to poke through the landscape. They provide a bright splash of color on the brown and muddy lawn.

The chickens have churned their fenced area up into a giant mud soup. I used temporary fencing today to block them out of their mudhole and re-seeded it so hopefully we will have some grass this summer in there! Naughty ladies! They also unplanted my peas and spinach only 24 hours after I planted it! Luckily, I will be making a taller garden fence to keep my flighty birds out!

Thrifted Goodness and a Sad Quilt

I went to the thrift store today while Aaron was at physical therapy and I came home with some great things.  Our thrift store is very iffy--sometimes I get great stuff and other times it's a wasteland.  I found this fabulous teacup on my second pass down the dishes area, and the crocheted doilies were hanging clipped together near some place mats.  The doilies are very finely done.  Can you imagine the time someone put into them?

 

I found this quilt, too.  It made me so sad that someone took this beautiful quilt that this lady lovingly made for a family member and donated it to the thrift store.  I wonder why?  So many hours and such beautiful colors...it was made in 2007 and was signed by the original quilter.  It will have a good home with me.  I'll appreciate every stitch.

Regency-Inspired

Full View of Regency-Style Dress, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

Emma Leigh Addison is wearing a Regency-inspired dress that I finally finished last night. It's made in white-on-white cotton print and there are little matching pantalets beneath. The pattern was modified from a pattern in Storybook Clothes for Dolls by Londie Phillips. I made the neckline deeper and the waist higher. I hand-embroidered a little line of rosebuds along the hem, the bodice and the pantalet cuff.

Chick Sculpture

Chick sculpture, a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

I had Robin Andreae make me this needle-felted chick sculpture. The chick lives in my craft room and makes me giggle!  Robin is a talented artist and has an array of great and unique animal sculptures available on ebay.  I love her work!

Zoe in Spring Floral

Zoe loves her teddy a photo by elizabeth's*whimsies on Flickr.

As the winter lingers and lingers and lingers here (it's snowing outside AGAIN), I wanted to see something spring-like. I ordered some new calico from Fabric.com and made up this little frock for Zoe. I crocheted the hat and ran a single strip of unfinished fabric through it for a bow. This isn't the best of photos and in fact, I will probably be re-shooting it eventually (I don't like the lighting) but I wanted to share the picture anyway.  If you click on the photo and go to flickr, there are a few other views of the dress.

We had some chicken excitement here this past week. I went out on Thursday afternoon to check on the ladies and noticed some odd holes dug into the bedding in their coop. I thought it must have been a chipmunk or something looking for seeds, but when Aaron went back out about 45 minutes later to check on them, there was an opossum in their coop! He was young and sluggish. Aaron used a stick to shoo him out, but the ladies were so terrified! Aaron had to dump a whole scoop of scratch onto the floor to get them back into the coop. They went to bed that night, nervous, while the 'possum dug around under their coop. I could hear him scratching when I checked on them around 9. I went back out at 11:30 (not much sleep for me that night!) and he had pushed open the run door where the hinge is loose because of all the ice buildup and gotten into the run and was eating up their feed! I yelled at him so loud that the dog across the marsh started barking. He ran, and I haven't seen him since, although we have had a Havahart trap baited out there for two days. Hopefully we catch the little bugger soon. Don't worry, I won't kill him, just move him to a safer area of our land, OUTSIDE our chickens' fence.

Just for fun, here's either Rhoda or Tildy (Matilda) when she was a baby.  It was before I banded them, so I don't know which one of them it is, but isn't she cute?!  Prudy was trying to sit on my lap today when went outside to do the morning chores.   She wants chicken hugs!  I want the snow to melt so the ladies can go play in their yard!

Fluffy Stuffy Bunny in Pink

Fluffy Stuffy Bunny in Pink
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

This little soft bunny is made from a pattern by Jenny B. Harris. She shared the pattern and the dress pattern, free, on her blog, Allsorts. I had to make it--it was so cute! I'll give her to my niece for her birthday that's coming up. She was fun to make and very quick and easy, too!  Her dress is reversible.



Even her tail is cute.

Dawn's Little Sweater

Dawn's little sweater
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

I finally finished this little sweater. It takes me forever to knit anything. I made the little dress in November or so and started the sweater to go with it. I paused for making Christmas gifts and then just recently finished up the sweater. It has little half-sleeves and it's made of 100% wool.

Spring Green E-Reader Cover and other Crafty Goodnesses

New version of Kindle Cover
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

Here's another version of the Kindle cover, made for my little sister's Sony E-Reader. The embroidery detail is a motif from Aimee Ray's Doodle Stitching: The Motif Collection.  The fabrics are 100% cotton quilting fabrics and the lining is white cotton.  It reminds me of spring, which I hope is on the way soon after all this cold weather!  We had a brief respite from winter with two days that were above freezing, but yesterday winter returned with a vengeance and it snowed and blew all day.  The wind knocked a tree down on my chicken's fence, which will have to be repaired in the spring when all this dreadful snow melts.  For now, I'll take inspiration from lovely springy green fabric!

I also wanted to show a few more photos.  I made a crocheted owl toy for my new niece or nephew who will be born this summer.

And I made a new bunny for my other niece, who loved her first one to death!

Lacy crocheted cell phone case

Lacy crocheted cell phone case
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

I made this a few weeks ago. I modified a pattern from Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts!: Lacy Crochet. I left off the side gusset, as my cell phone is small enough that it didn't need that extra room. I closed mine with a vintage button.

Ringo in Happy Kitty Dress

Ringo in Happy Kitty Dress
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

I had cut out the pieces for this little dress months ago but didn't have time to make it up. This past weekend, I finally had a little time to work on it. It fits Ringo nicely and also fits my little 6" Kish babies, too.

Patchwork Kindle Cover Tutorial

I haven't been able to bring my Kindle anywhere because I'm afraid it will get scratched.  Today, I decided to make a sleeve for it and decided to photograph the steps and present it as a tutorial in case anyone else wants to make one.  So here goes!

Patchwork Kindle Cover

This cover has a finished size of 8.5 x 6 inches and fits a Kindle 7.5 x 5 inches or a similar-sized e-reader. The seam allowances are ¼ inch unless otherwise stated.  Click on the images to see them full-sized on Flickr.

Materials:

• four or five different fabric prints (I used coordinating Japanese linens)
• one 12.5 x 9 inch fabric piece for lining(I used plain linen)
• thin cotton batting at least 13 x 9.5 inches
• 3/4” button
• 4” of cotton yarn or twine
• sewing supplies (machine, iron, thread, pins)

Procedure:

1.  Cut a long piece for the left side of the front 9 inches long x 3.5 inches wide from one print and then from three different prints, cut two pieces 3.25 inches long x 3.5 inches wide and one last piece 3.5 x 3.5 inches.

2.  Cut your lining piece 12.5 x 9 inches and cut the back print 6.5 wide x 9 inches long.

3.  Right sides together, sew piece 2 to piece 3. Press the seam open.

4.  Align piece 4 right sides together with the unit you just made (piece 2 and 3) and sew the seam as marked in the photo and press the seam open.

5.  Align piece 1 right sides together with the patchwork strip you just created. Sew the long seam between the pieces and press the seam open. You have now completed the patchwork front.

6.  Place the front piece right sides together with the back piece and sew the seam between the two to form a single unit as seen in the photo.

7.  Place your sewn front and back on top of your piece of cotton batting, allowing the batting to stick out at least ½ inch all around.

8.  Quilt however you want. I quilted “in the ditch” on the seam between the front and back and then quilted ¼ inch inside the squares on the front. Once you are done quilting, trim the excess batting even with the quilted top.

 

 

9.  Cut a 4” piece of cotton yarn or twine and fold it in half. Center it on the top of the back piece and pin it into place. This will be the loop for your button.  Leave the twine sticking about 3/4 inch past the fabric, as shown below.  You will trim the extra off later.

10.  Place the lining piece (plain linen here) right sides together with the outside of the cover and sew the seam along the top of the bag, making sure to catch your pinned yarn/twine in the sandwich. Trim the seam about 1/8” from the stitch line to reduce bulk and iron open.

 

11.  Place the sewn unit down on your work surface in the orientation above and fold it in half lengthwise to make a long tube as seen below.

12.  Sew around, starting with the outside of the cover and using a ¼ inch seam allowance. Continue sewing all around the outside to the lining but leave about 3 inches or so on the bottom of the lining to turn the cover as seen here. 

13.  Turn.  Press the seam allowance to the inside and sew the lining closed by hand using ladder stitch.

14.  Tuck the lining inside the case and iron to neaten everything up.

15.  Then, top stitch around the top of the case to hold everything securely together.

16. Sew your button on the front by hand. I used doubled thread that I waxed by running it through a hunk of beeswax. I find it is more durable that way.

Put your Kindle inside and close the top button!

Your case is complete! Off you go, scratch free!

Edited to add (May 11, 2011):  If you use this to pattern to sell Kindle covers on etsy or otherwise, a word of credit would be great.  It has been brought to my attention that etsy is flooded with Kindle covers from my tutorial and I see none that have mentioned where the pattern was obtained.  I don't mind, just please don't claim the credit for inventing the pattern yourself.  Also, do not copy these directions, make them into a tutorial and sell the pattern on etsy.  That's just lame, people.

New Dress on Etsy

Emma's outfit has been listed on Etsy.  It consists of the sleeveless tier dress (full view below on Narsha, or check out my Flickr account to see it on Emma), wool felt hand-embroidered jacket, hair pin, and lace-edged bloomers.

Today

It's January and it's snowing, again.  These icicles were hanging from everything today, and I admired them on my way to the coop to check on the girls.  Even when hanging off the dusty edge of the chicken coop, they were pretty.  One admires what one can in January, when there are no flowers to be seen and no blue sky for weeks.

I even admired my snowy work boots.  They are so useful in the snow and in the coop, both.  And they're warm.

I visited the ducks in their pen, sitting comfortably in the straw and hay on the run floor.  I re-purposed the used straw and hay from the chicken coop, cleaned out yesterday, to put on the run floors for the ducks and chickens to scratch and play in.  I don't let the coops get so dirty that the straw is too dirty to play in.  It seems to be appreciated.  I never cease to wonder that the ducks do not mind the cold.  Even when it was -6 the other morning, they all tumbled out of the duck house and made their merry way to their water bucket to swim.  Little Duck (Daisy) is not in this picture because she was too busy trying to eat my camera cord instead of posing nicely.

This is what passed for afternoon amusement in the chicken coop today.  That's a cabbage there, hanging from a chain.  I've found the best way to hang it up is to use a nail to stick into the cabbage, which I wrap a bit of wire around and then hook the wire to their chain which is hanging from a hook on the ceiling.  The chickens really enjoy having a cabbage.  They swarmed around when I hung it up.  Their feathers are looking much better after putting on the pinless peepers, as seen on a few of them here.  The only ones that still look awful are Matilda, in the front, and Rhoda, just in front of Matilda.  They look terrible, not because anyone is picking them, but because they are molting!  I'm not sure what possessed them to molt in the middle of January, but they are staying warm inside the coop.

 

And this is what waited for me inside after checking on the ladies.  I had a nice cup of tea and read the last of my issue of Mary Jane's Farm, which I picked up at the farm store with the chicken feed the other day.  I wish I had room for goats and a nice small barn.  Now, back to my tea and relaxation.  Enjoy your weekend, all.

New personality

New personality
Originally uploaded by elizabeth's*whimsies

My Dollmore Narsha was just not right. I couldn't seem to like her, no matter what I had her wearing. So, I erased her face, again, and repainted her for the third time. I think the third time's the charm, because now I like her face a lot better!  Her wig is ordered from Dollmore and fits correctly because it's made for her.  It's hard to find things to fit this doll.  Her torso is similar in width to Bitty Bethany Kish's torso, but her limbs are much longer.  She can share some clothes with the Effner Little Darlings, but they are loose on her, which does work well for certain styles.  Below, she's wearing an outfit I made for Emma Leigh Addison, which I will be listing on Etsy very soon. 



Here's a full view of the outfit, without the matching coat.  More about the outfit later--I'll blog it with Emma wearing it.

A reminder of spring

The eyes of this doll just called out for a green themed dress and the color reminds me of springtime.  The flower seemed to be just the thing for her hair.  I asked Lana to leave the wig detached on this doll, in case I wanted to rewig her, but I can't imagine her in any other wig, so I might glue it down.  Her coloring and personality fit this particular style of hair.

The dress is made from quilter's cottons.  The jacket is, as well, and I happened upon the tiny buttons at Joann Fabrics and knew I would use them eventually.  The jacket pattern is actually sized for Bethany Kish but worked well on this doll.  It's fully lined and matches the dress.  She has little pantaloons underneath.

Another New Year

Another year has gone by and a fresh, unwritten year is before us all, waiting to be filled with whatever we want to fill it with.  It's time for my annual look back and look ahead.  Here are last year's resolutions:

1. Have a successful starting year for my new veterinary practice.

I seem to have accomplished this, thankfully.  The place is still afloat!

2. Make time to craft lots of things and keep my etsy shop stocked.

I haven't done too badly with this one, although I think all my etsy listings have expired!

3. Visit my family!

Managed to do this in March and at least one of them has come to visit me this year, too. 

4. Paint my darn craft room!

Hooray, this is done and I love the new room.

5. Work on my new dollhouse

I have made it to the living room.  And now I'm stalled...better get back to work!

6. Eat more vegan meals.

Well, I'm glad to announce that I have managed to eat almost entirely vegan.  I do still have a little cheese now and again, especially when I'm eating out, because there aren't too many other options.  I also eat my chicken's eggs, mostly in recipes, but I know they're spoiled and happy so I don't worry about the quality of their lives.

7. Continue to play my dulcimer. Perhaps get a new music book because I am bored with the few I have.

 I haven't played it as much as I would like, but I have picked it up now and again.  I need to get a new song book!  I'll have to add one to my amazon cart ASAP.


Overall, it looks like I've done OK with last year's resolutions.  So here are a few new ones.

1.  For the veterinary practice:  get the practice more into accordance with my own personal philosophy and away from the past owner's philosophy.  The good thing is that mostly, we share philosophies, but there are a few things that need work.  A new sign and logo will help to accomplish this goal, and I have an artist working on a logo.
2.  Be more open with my communications with everyone.  By this, I mean that if something is bothering me, I need to communicate about it rather than figuring out non-confrontational ways of dealing with things.  This should help my management style and my overall life.
3.  Continue to craft and sew and keep my etsy shop stocked.
4.  Finish the interior, at least, of my dollhouse.  The length of time that it's taking me to get this done is getting ridiculous!
5.  Participate in more craft and dollhouse swaps.  These are fun and a good way to motivate me to work on things for myself.
6.  Read more.  I think the lack of reading for fun is impairing my imaginative processes, and that in turn makes me less creative with things like my miniatures and dolls.
7.  Keep working on the dulcimer, as mentioned above.
8.  Sculpt some.  I haven't sculpted in a while and I was not so bad at it and miss doing it.
9.  Make some stuff for myself.  I always make things for other people, but I've wanted to make tons of things for me but I never get around to it.  I want a sweater, a garland of hearts for the mantle, curtain tie backs, etc!

So here's to a fresh new year and all the good things it will contain!

Emma Leigh Addison

Emma arrived on the same day as Willa.  Emma is painted by Dianna Effner and is #2 of 6 for Everybody Loves Dolls.  Her dress was made by Janet Wysong (owner of Everybody Loves Dolls) and she has the cutest little underthings.