A New Wispy and a New BLUE

The first weekend in December I ticked two of my favorite collecting boxes at the Gaithersburg doll show. And I saw and talked with several doll friends that I haven’t seen in a while. It was a good day. First, I found this charming French papier-mâché doll with the short, wispy hairdo that I find so appealing. She’s my first papier-mâché doll and I have to admit that I don’t … Continue reading

Please Pardon the Delay

This has been the year of bumps in the road and another one has reared its ugly head.  I’m under the weather, but will be okay after surgery later this month. Until then, I’m taking brain-fogging drugs, so writing coherent posts might be a challenge. In the meantime, if you would like to read about the UK Casket Tour that DH and I just returned from, check out The Embroiderer’s Story … Continue reading

I’m a Jet Lag Wimp

DH and I returned Monday from 2 weeks in the UK.  Yesterday, I thought I was dying. Jet lag. Hopefully soon we will stop waking up every morning at 2:30 or 3:30 am.  Hopefully. We went on the Thistle Threads UK Casket Tour 2015 with 40 or so other people for 10 days, then spent an additional 2 days in London by ourselves. This was our first experience touring and traveling with a … Continue reading

An Historically Accurate “Loser”

When the UFDC National Convention was last in Chicago (I’m not sure of the year), I chose to enter a doll costume into competition. My entry did not even receive a “thanks, but no thanks” ribbon. Kind of like it didn’t exist to the judges. I had entered dolls into the Antique category before and had weird, oogy feelings about being judged on and getting awards for something I bought. Yes, … Continue reading

Sewing for Supergirl

Long ago, before Supergirl (SG) was born, I dreamed of sewing for a granddaughter. I was going to make her such lovely lacy, dainty dresses. Never happened. I started taking care of her when she was 2 months old while her mom worked full time. And was just as busy as I was with my own kids. Lacy, dainty dresses may be cute for pictures, but serve no practical purpose on a … Continue reading

Sleeves!

This post is part tutorial and part cautionary tale. I am not a hand-sewing or doll-costuming expert. I merely share with you the hard-won lessons I have learned by making a multitude of mistakes, perhaps helping you to have a smoother sewing journey. There are easy ways to set in sleeves on tiny doll costumes. This is not one of them. Several months ago, I challenged myself to make a … Continue reading

G Street Sucks

Long ago, G Street Fabrics was far, far away. Then they opened two stores in Northern Virginia. My house was smack dab in the middle of them. So I could choose which one to go to depending on which direction had less traffic at any given time. Once upon a time, they were the best place to find natural fiber fabrics and threads, books on sewing and crafts, fabulous trims … Continue reading

What’s Happening

Today, I am going to share with you updates on several projects and some of my summer adventures with Super Girl. First, I got goodies today. The second kit in my Cabinet of Curiosities course arrived. It had been delayed because of manufacturing and shipping issues, but it’s finally here and I can’t wait to start playing with all the goodies. Along with the other goodies, I got silk gimp … Continue reading

Painted-Eye FG

I have written numerous times about how good it is to whittle down a collection. But, over time, it seems that the numbers have increased again.  Best laid plans… My collection isn’t as large as it once was, nor as small as I had planned, but sometimes I just NEED another doll. When I bought my Huret, one of the dolls that I sold to pay for her was a … Continue reading

Super Girl Summer

Day 2. I’m pooped. I have been out of town with family, so my summer with Super Girl (SG) just started yesterday. She came in ready for limitless fun. Me, not so much. My stitching/woodworking/sewing mojo has been a bit underwhelming lately. I’ve gotten a bit done on several projects, but not as much as I could have. Now it seems I will be spending my creative time on SG … Continue reading