Happy New Year!

Oh, I can't believe it's already 2014!!!

I have a lot to catch up on.

I made this 18" Waldorf doll for a sweet little girl who loves purple and ladybugs over the summer.

I designed the smocking pattern for this dress. It took a few samples but I am happy with the way the final turned out. I found this beautiful cotton calico at Patricia's Fabric House.http://www.patriciasfabrichouse.com/ 

which is also where I found this adorable ladybug button.

 The sweater I knit out of Sublime (75%extra fine merino, 20% silk and 5% cashmere). It was wonderful to knit with. I'm sad to say that the shop I bought this yarn from The Yarn Boutique closed it's doors for good this past week. If I could encourage everyone to purchase from locally owned and small owner operated businesses when possible so we don't lose these more these gems.

Julie

Julie is so happy her clothes are finally ready! 

I remember when she had trouble choosing her hair colour but everything else has been an easy choice for her. She is full of life, and just can't wait for Spring weather!

We tried to go outside for her photo shoot but being typical Upstate New York weather it was very grey and dreary. I was going to put it off for another day but Julie was just too excited and I didn't want to disappoint her.  My husband was very sweet and let me take over the kitchen and turn it into a photo studio. With the white walls and three windows it seemed like the best place. I grabbed some extra lights and we were ready to go.

 

Julie is 18" tall and is made from a double thick organic cotton interlock and sewn with 100% cotton thread which I use for both the doll and her clothes. She is stuffed full of eco wool from happy wandering sheep with no yucky chemicals. 

Her waist length hair is made from an Ultra Alpaca yarn that I first crochet into a wig cap and then hand sew each individual strand to the cap.

 Her features are hand embroidered with cotton embroidery floss and her cheeks are blushed with bees wax.

She is wearing a sleeveless dress with a full skirt and a peter pan collar. I found(correction, my daughter found) this beautiful Japanese floral print cotton at a local fabric store.( I like to purchase my fabrics and yarns from local, independently owned shops). It is fastened in back with two buttons and hand smocked at the waistline.

Here is a close up of the smocking.

 

Julie is modeling her sweater which I knit from a Worsted Merino Superwash yarn. I crocheted her Mary Janes and headband to match. 

The headband ties in the back and can also be used to put her hair in a pony tail.

She is also wearing a pair of white cotton bloomers with a little blue bow.

I used a pair of vintage buttons to fasten her shoes, and a matching one in a slightly larger size for her sweater.

Julie is looking forward to finding her forever home. She has been a delight to make and has lots of love to share. 

She will be available for adoption through my etsy shop tomorrow morning 3/26 at 9:00 am eastern standard time♥

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! We got to spend a lot of time with our family and had a great time.
My children were so surprised to see the presents I made them. You can see the little Trio I made for my son and  the Friends I made for my daughter.  As they get older it keeps getting harder to make gifts on the sly!

My daughter had also requested another 18" doll that could play with Ella (I named her Patience while I was working on her but my daughter named her Ella after recieving her). So I made Anna, pictured above.

I used the same methods as with my other Waldorf style dolls. For her hair I used Eco Alpaca by Cascade Yarn. It is a wonderfully soft undyed Baby Alpaca.   I love the fact that it hasn't been dyed. It gives it a very nice natural looking hair colour.

 For her dress I found a beautiful white cotton at a local fabric shop. I like the weight and body and thought it would work well with the full skirt. The bodice is lined with the same material as the dress and the hem is hand stitched.

This is the second dress I have used smocking on. It's really a lot of fun and I can't wait to do more. I like the way this dress pattern turned out. I'm thinking of using it for some Easter dresses.

After making the dress I thought a little cape would look cute. I had never made one before and my first attempt was way to small. I'm glad I had time to redo it before Christmas. It is a basic stockinette stitch with a garter stitch border. I crocheted ties and added the little candy button. I attached it with a safety pin so it can be removed.
She also is wearing a pair of cotton bloomers and little crocheted Mary Janes.

My New Years Goal is to post more than once a month!