More fabric and more fun....

I've started work on my next doll. I bought some cream material with cream spots quite a long time ago and it was calling out to be used. I now have a stack of pieces of material on my worktable which all go together. Cream legs, greeny gold silk remnant pieces, a small piece of variegated orange soft material that just flows, and some green ribbon and pink roses. Not sure about the pink and orange yet - will have to see how it develops. I'm having to be self taught about doll making but it is so addictive!! The other thing that's addictive is finding material that will "come in handy at some point". Charity shops, ebay, material shop sales, upholstery fabric remnants - amazing what you can find for minimal costs. And a lot of the stuff I use is being recycled which is also good for the environment. I'm still trying to find the best stuffing as Miranda's arms haven't stuffed smoothly. More practice will help but any suggestions about the best stuffing to use would be great. Must be available in the UK though.

The next project...

Well, having slept on ideas overnight I now need to decide what to do next. Particularly as I have said I will make a doll for the next air ambulance charity raffle. I was thinking of making a doll in ambulance outfit but think that may be a bit difficult this early in my learning curve. Anyway I have decided to try another girl doll - possibly in gypsy outfit. I have also decided to make a gothic chick and her man as a wedding present for my son and his fiancee as they are both Goth's. I'd like to say it's a phase but he's been Goth for over 10 years now so I'm guessing probably not!! Fortunately the wedding's not til next year so that gives me a little time.


I'm also still waiting for suggestions for the green material - I thought maybe cushion covers or perhaps even a designer bag of some sort. Think I'll just have to play with it and see what happens!! Husband's out all day today (we've both been on leave all week) and I'm really enjoying having the house to myself. Hopefully it also means that the fabric I bought on ebay will arrive today while he's out so that I don't have to explain why I bought more material when I have lots in the cupboard. Aah he just doesn't understand the way a sewer's mind works. Or a woman's to be honest....

Marina - the almost finished doll

I say almost finished because I can't decide about the shawl around her shoulders - and should she have a necklace on, and maybe a second net petticoat.... Is doll making always like this I ask? I suppose to some degree it mirrors real life - when we think we've finished something and then we decide to change it, or add something or take it away. Anyway I'm kinda pleased with her as my first ever attempt. I learnt a lot of things on the way and there will be things in the next one that I do differently. In the meantime I need to stop debating the alterations for Marina and decide what to do next. I've thoroughly enjoyed buying fabric for this project - and the next 25 I think it the amount of fabric in my cupboard is anything to go by!!! Forgive the awful picture taking - need camera practice too I think!!

When things don't go quite the way you expect... And the joy of charity shops

Things on the doll front had a slight hiccup today when one of my manic springer spaniels decided to run away with one of the legs!! I had to chase him round the house to retrieve it, but fortunately he doesn't seem to have done any damage to anything except my nerves and my temper!!! As I had then to go into town to the opticians for new glasses I decided to have a walk around the charity shops - ideal for fabric and odd balls of wool I've discovered. I try to support our local air ambulance shop as it was they who picked me up after my riding accident and took me to hospital, and am on first name terms with the lady that runs it so when I went in and was met with "Ah I've got something you might be interested in" it rather piqued my interest. if anyone has any ideas on how to use about 30 metres of beautiful green/silver slightly shaggy material (see photo above) please send them urgently as I haven't yet had the courage to tell the husband!!! I also have about 2 metres of the same in a darker blue - equally nice but rather more than I really needed. Still looking on the bright side it was a bargain as I only paid £20 for it.

As for charity shops, although I am very happy to support them on the one hand, my sense of morals and ethics suggest that certainly some charities shouldn't need to exist if the government managed services such as the NHS for example in a much more efficient manner so that charities would not need to "bail out" the local hospitals, hospices or cancer related needs. Oh well, soapbox rant over for today - back to the material quandary...