Friday, January 17, 2014

Iris

Here's my second 18" doll. She's getting donated to Sprout City Farm's "2014 Sprout Down" silent auction. I think Iris is a little freckled farm girl who likes feeding her chickens and going barefoot in the dirt. Hopefully, she makes a little money for our little urban community farm. I am thrilled with how much better she turned out than Josie (my first 18"). Her head doesn't wobble even a little and her neck and shoulder seams turned out nice and smooth on the first try. 

She's stuffed with wool and has cotton interlock doll skin. Even though her hair is sewn into ponytails, I really like crocheting a cap and then individually knotting in the hair strands. I think it gives a fuller head of hair and it's impossible to get gaps of scalp visible.

All of her clothes are "upcycled" from old garments I had in my supplies stash.



 Pants from a discarded twill shirt. (I'm happy with the little hem embroidery detail from my lovely old sewing machine.)

 Sweater and shoes from a felted thrift wool sweater (and a button reclaimed from something that I assume I made into rags years ago).

 Tee shirt from some thrift store fabric

 Underwear made from an old slip.
(Love the little lace insert panel salvaged from the slip's hem edge.)

Before she got tucked away, Iris got a little tea party with Willow and Josie. Wil has a rule that each doll I make has to get a snuggle and some little girl love before "mama's doll" gets put away.

2013 Crafting Album

I've been really bad about documenting any of my crafting for the last year. I'm trying to get better about it again because I've found it useful to be able to look back sometimes. Hopefully, things are settling into a rhythm where I can update again more frequently. I've got about 4 or 5 posts in my head that I want to do. We'll see. Anyway, here's the highlights of 2013.

January
Bamboo newborn sweater and booties for a friend's baby shower. Both patterns (Ruby Slippers and Matinee Jacket - my favorite girl sweater pattern) are in Vintage Knits for Modern Babies by Hadley Fierlinger.

February
 Stone carving class at the February Regional Waldorf Teacher's Conference at Shining Mountain School in Boulder. (It's an owl.)

March
 A baby quilt for Clarity, my first experience with crazy quilt foundation piecing on muslin and with free motion machine quilting

 During the worrying about Clarity time I knit this headband, a knit hat, and two pairs of booties. (Which she eventually wore a couple months later)

  
 
 Baby sweater and stuffed alligator (upcycled from an old sweater) for our newest nephew, born in April.
Hopefully, I'll get the sweater pattern posted at some point.

April
April was the month with no projects that needed to be made so I just used up leftovers.
 Modern Baby Bonnet from the Vintage Knits book (leftovers from the baby sweater)

Vintage Pixie Hat and Matinee Jacket (sized up to a 2/3T) from, you guessed it, Vintage Knits for Modern Babies. (sport weight Lamb's Pride Superwash left from Quentin's sweater)

May through August - busy having baby

September
Quick knit on the drive up to Mitchell, NE and back one day with Mom and the girls to go to the Brown Sheep Fiber Festival. It has turned out to be Willow's favorite hat and I've made several more to sell with leftover bulky yarns.

October
I quickly made a whole bunch of things in October for the annual boutique (1st weekend of November) because Mom had been worried that she didn't have enough stuff made. Apparently, she had spent the last four months watching her dear granddaughters as a help to their mother. :)
 The ubiquitous Matinee Jacket







Upcycling wool sweaters to make dragons!

November
First foray into doll making. Mom started commissioning me to make these little bunting babies for the extra large quiet books she makes.

.December
Clarity's stocking

Willow's 18" dressing doll, Josie

Willow slippers (upcycled sweater and pre-made sheepskin/suede soles)

Dad's handmade journal

Hat and cuddle doll for cousin Emmett (Wil had to model the hat.)

Cloth storage bins for Andy and Aimee (with some canned goods)

Knit shawl for Aunt Debbie (Q made the shawl pin and I'll post the pattern soon)