Dolls and stitches

This little lady is going to be a gift for a certain someone... As soon as I manage to make some clothes for her, that is! I'm trying to find more time for sewing, it's so much fun but a little time (and space) consuming... This doll was made a couple of weeks ago. My inspiration came from the lovely and talented Jess Brown, though my doll-making skills certainly don't measure up to hers! I tried tea-dying the fabric for the body, to give a bit of an aged look... It was my first time tea-dying, and it worked great! The hair is a thick wool felt (vadmal) stitched on with embroidery floss. The arms are button-jointed.


And this is the view from the window sill! Spring is slowly approaching...


My mom visited last month, and she taught me something I've been dying to learn for ages: free motion stitching! I love it! I'm already experimenting with a major free motion stitched project, which will have to remain secret for a little while... The test piece above reads "Karin loves Keith" in my own very wobbly stitching.

Molly Monkey Doll

Hi all! This is a scheduled post, because I am way too busy this week to find time for blogging... Baby Stella and her parents are in town visiting us for an entire week! Yay!

I decided it was about time I made Stella a nice doll (she's over a year old now you know!) and I decided on this pattern from the talented mmmcrafts. It came out so well, I might have to make another one!

The little monkey doll is a free pattern on the mmmcrafts blog, and it was just a joy to make! Really clear instructions, even for someone with limited sewing skills like me! :-) And I just love the pattern, the proportions are perfect... Those long skinny legs are too cute!

Here is Molly packaged up and ready to go to... Along with some more goodies for Stella. Being an auntie rocks, I love making toys and playthings and now I have the best excuse! :)



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Welcome to the doll house

I promised myself last night that today would be the day I actually sat down and read the thickest one of my schoolbooks without falling asleep after five pages. I swear to you, this book is the perfect cure for insomnia - it's impossible to stay awake once you open the thing! But of course, I couldn't bring myself to do it... So to drown my guilt, I thought I'd lose myself in my crafting for a while, and made this:

Isn't she the cutest? The pattern for her comes from an awesome blog called inside a black apple and it has even been featured on Martha a while back. This is my first attempt at a black apple doll, and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make. The only tricky part was positioning the arms and legs before sewing up the body - notice that her right arm is lower than her left? But hey, it was only my first try. The pattern is supposed to be enlarged 150%, but as that would have meant me having to actually leave the house (I haven't even opened the front door today) and ride the tram all the way to the library, I decided to make a mini version instead. Once I get the pattern enlarged, I plan on making a larger and more elaborate version for my soon-to-be-born niece. As my sister's due date approaches, I've been thinking a lot about stuff I want to make for the baby. There are so many possibilities! If you've had experience crafting for babies, please leave a message and tell me what you made! I would love to get some more inspiration.

My recent obsession with kiddy-crafts is also one of the reasons I decided to buy 20 sheets of wool mix felt from Laura of bugs and fishes. She creates the most amazing things out of felt, and up until just recently has also been selling pick-and-mix felt squares in her etsy shop. When she announced that she wasn't going to be selling her larger squares much longer, I rushed to buy one of the last listings. These squares are the sort of colors that are near impossible to find in Swedish craft stores - willow green, ginger, pistachio and a really lovely salmon pink. Look how great they look all laid out together:

I've got some really neat projects in mind for all this felt. I'll keep you posted! ;-)