Almost 11 months ago I decided to make a fairy costume for my 1870’s French Bru poupee, inspired by this early 17th century drawing by Inigo Jones. The doll stands just over 14″ (36cm) tall and has an articulated wooden body. The first layer of her costume is an embroidered smock, inspired by Janet Arnold’s book, Patterns of Fashion 4. The embroidery pattern was found, last June, on the wonderful Flowers of the Needle … Continue reading
Yearly Archives: 2015
My next step toward making more doll-sized 17th century embroidered caskets is to finish the inside of my first one so that I can make sure all my measurements work. I ordered miniature marbled paper from Jemma Lewis in England. I requested a mainly pink design, specifically a medium warm pink. I had collected silk and silk velvet in a medium coral pink, so I wanted the paper to coordinate. … Continue reading
Share this:
Last summer’s mega hit song, “Blurred Lines” just got slammed with a legal judgement for “copying” a Marvin Gaye song. This case brings up all sorts of issues about what constitutes art. I am not naive. I know it is all about the $$$. But it also sets a dangerous precedent. Isn’t all art influenced by earlier art? Does an artist ever work in a vacuum? Can a copy/reproduction be … Continue reading
Share this:
Don’t you just hate it when two of your leisure-time hobbies conflict? Me too. Here’s the deal. In October, in conjunction with my Cabinet of Curiosities classes, I have the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to Scotland and England to get a behind-the-scenes look at 17th Century embroideries. And to go to Scotland and England for the first time! But it’s terribly pricy. And, of course, DH would … Continue reading
Share this:
I am finally getting around to dressing my doll who lost her head a few months ago. She’s a Simon & Halbig 890, size 3, and she’s 7 inches tall. Her coat dress, inspired by this 1885-1890 child’s coat from The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website will be made in the periwinkle blue wool gabardine seen above with the doll. It is a very light-weight, fine “designer” wool. Her undies and dress/chemise … Continue reading
Share this:
Besides my cold feet (and everything else) from the cold weather and my old drafty house, I suffered from emotional cold feet last week after finally getting the silk for my trinket box’s embroidery framed up and ready to stitch. After I had drawn the pattern onto the silk, I tried to attach it to the slate frame, but found that the twill tape that came with the frame was flimsy. … Continue reading
Share this:
I haven’t been on Facebook for very long, but sometimes it can be depressing! Do you have “friends” who constantly post sad or angry stuff? Is your Newsfeed crowded with pictures of injured and/or homeless animals? Luckily, I have found some ways to brighten up my Newsfeed page and I want to share them with you. To make my list, the sites must post eye candy, post often and post … Continue reading
Share this:
Sorry I haven’t written recently. I’ve been busy with 21st/17th century pursuits. I finally finished the dimensional drawing of my doll-sized 17th century embroidered casket. Here’s a cool X-ray image showing some of the 161 pieces. It took me about 1 1/2 weeks of working 4-5 hours a day to get this far. The program I used was SketchUp Mark, a free CAD (computer-aided drafting) program. The learning process was slow … Continue reading
Share this:
Last weekend a doll friend and her husband came for a visit. So, the week before that I cleaned, dusted and reorganized a couple of my doll cabinets. I wanted to share pictures of how nice they look, but I have not mastered photographing big stuff yet. Here’s a fuzzy picture of my big cabinet. It was my grandmother’s china cabinet which my mom had professionally refinished when she inherited … Continue reading
Share this:
21st Century Issues: My new digital mini table saw came last Saturday. I was upset to find that the box rattled. When I opened it I found bits of broken black plastic inside. A support piece under the table had broken off. So I am waiting for FedEx today to pick up my broken saw. However, checking out the saw and reading the manual made me really happy and itching … Continue reading
