When Everything Old Becomes New Again

While I can enjoy technology as well as the next person, I try not to think about what it means for our future....

I've been embroidering for Lolita, finishing some projects she had stacked.  I don't recall when I learned to embroider nor who taught me.  I am old enough to have had Home Economics in middle school.....hated sewing the apron we had to do but I am sure I enjoyed a lot of the other skills we were taught.  Perhaps it was the teacher who stressed me out?

Was I just drawn to handwork and most girls my age weren't?  I do recall learning to crochet when I was 14...thus starting my obsession with just about any handcraft I've ever seen.  I don't know many people locally who make much with their hands.
(Farming doesn't count, though it is a lovely skill!)

What do people DO with their time??  I laugh as I read that sentence, remembering that I can't comprehend not having several projects awaiting me, nor the glee I feel when faced with being cabin-bound due to a snow or severe thunderstorm...for many projects patiently await my completion and bring hours and hours of deep satisfaction.

I will admit that I like to find old British comedy movies from the 30s and 40s to keep me company while I embroider since "redwork" (in my case, blackwork) is pretty brainless.

I was in a restaurant the other day and watched a family of three not even look up once into each others' eyes.....they were glued to their IPhones, and the teen (with mom and dad texting at breakfast) tried so hard to get her parents' attention.

The loss of handcrafts pales in comparison.
We are in danger of losing ourselves.

The Gnomist

Many things going on in my life right now; things that run deep in my soul and cause me to grab hold of and hold on to whatever isn't blowing over.

I just saw this short on YouTube and though I found it very sad, it was also uplifting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLoBWpiOczQ

Hope, wonder, and miracles are the BEST.

Lately

Busy designing "this and that" for Lolita's quilt shop.....see the 36 YARDS of Civil War reproduction fabrics that are mine!  I used to have a collection of CW fabrics; quilts have minds of their own and alas there is little of that original collection left.

I've been plotting the next group of quilts, though.   Lovely thoughts.

 

Here is the miser's purse (used in the nineteenth century) that I designed:

The purse is 12.5" long.  The fabric is a repro from 1830.  The gray is really a lovely plum, as are the beads. 

 

 Miser's purses usually had two different style pouches as you see above....one squared at the bottom, the other rounded.  If you had to get money out of the coin purse you were able to feel which side you needed for your denominations.

After all, there were no streetlights to assist when it was time to pay the coachman.

 

The copper rings slide to each side, allowing the split in the fabric to be opened so you could access the coins.  It is said the purse got its name due to how hard it was to retrieve the coins from the narrow slit.  Miser's purses are a great Civil War reenactment accessory.

 

 

This spool and needlecase are worked in Civil War style.  "Moses" refers to Harriet Tubman.

I designed this especially with Osnaburg fabric in mind.  Osnaburg is the fabric the slaves wore (unless perhaps plantation house-slaves?)...the thread count is too small for my eyes to see, so the cross-stitch is a guestimate.  Sort of out of my comfort zone but fun nonetheless.  The ends of the tubular case close like a fabric yo-yo.  The spool of thread can be dropped in, then the ends are closed and knotted.

 

I didn't put needles in the case in the above picture....but therein lies the ingenuity of this case.  You line up the needles, pinned to the printed fabric, then run the thread through each of the needles (or vice versa)...now all of your needles are pre-threaded for easy access for the speedy quilter.

 

Antique button closes the case.

 

End of the case----note I have a twisted thread (used in place of ribbon) going through the spool hole----so the case can hang from a quilting frame.  No more "where did my thread get to?" wasted quilting moments.

 

 

 

The below pics are of Brook's Bleuette wearing the dress and sweater I designed, crocheted, and knitted.  The maroon socks are from a previous outfit I made her, about 15 yrs. ago. Ahem....time for new socks.

Doesn't she have a precious face?

 

 

 

 

 

Seraphina

A dear friend sent me a Sarah Cole resin Hitty.  These are clever kits that you must paint; interpreting your own Hitty.

There are many challenges to this. First, I personally am not fond of the color of resin the doll comes in. I wanted her to have more of a "made of wood" look.  I like the color I chose, but it lends itself to all sorts of problems....

If you paint a doll a different fleshtone, you have to seal the doll before painting the details.  This is not acceptable to me as the sealant usually leaves a residue----this doll is so small that each eye is the size of a grain of rice (uncooked!)......so extra residue is out of the question.

So that means I have to paint right out of the starting gate-----if I make an error, I have to try to cover it up or wipe it off, resulting in the fleshtone coming off, too.  Then it's back to square One.

I usually put these types of projects aside---visible but not in my path.  Today I picked her up and thought, "Meh, I can try" so here are my results.
I'm not over the moon about her, but I am satisfied with the results.  My eyesight is not what it used to be----I am grateful for a steady hand as well as good brush!
The cheeks are blotchy because of several reasons.  I figure is she is supposed to be an old doll (the original Hitty is well over 100 yrs. old) then blotchy is fine.
Do you like my talent regarding excuses? ha ha ha

Her black hair wasn't dry; so into a button jar to "swing" while she dries.

A bit disturbing when you think about it.



Blizzard of '78

When I was in college in Indiana, there was a terrible blizzard that caused the schools to be closed for several weeks. 

I had no project to crochet and felt cabin fever sorely.  I decided to walk across the street to the Ben Franklin store while the blizzard raged.  My "suite mates" (dorm-mates) were quite upset by this proposal.  I told them it wasn't negotiable.

"You'll die out there in this storm!" they bemoaned.

"If I don't go get some yarn to work with, I'll make all of you crazy and you'll KILL me!" was my response.

I remember most the knee-deep snow that I trudged through.  It never occurred to me that that store might be closed.  Miraculously, it wasn't.

I crocheted a fuzzy dog with that yarn------and was so content to work on it while the storm continued to rage.  My classmates concurred that I was more pleasant to be around if my hands were busy.

I don't know what happened to that dog but the memory of getting that yarn has cropped up each time I face a winter storm (again, in Indiana).

Need I state that I am NEVER without a dozen projects I can work on if I am cabin-bound??
These short-sleeved sweaters were worked on during this recent storm----with six more made, to boot.  My Bleuettes are happy with the results.

 

 

Added to the fray

Two new Bleuettes were bequeathed to me recently.  I purchased a Jumeau Premiere Bleuette (reproduction) somewhere around 2003.  I also purchased for my DD an SFBJ.

Upon the arrival of the two new Premieres (again, reproductions) I commenced to design a yoked dress.  I've done about a dozen crocheted yokes (Bernat Handicrafter Crochet Cotton #5). 



My first Premiere (one on the middle) suffers from a wig complex------or rather, I do for her------so I keep changing her hair.

Eventually I want to make shoes for these gals, out of kid gloves I hope to find at thrift stores.

Just So Cosies

I've been making some cosies for a friend.  (She needs several.)
These fit a 4-6 cup teapot.  The first two have attached or embroidered flowers...

Baby blue with crocheted flowers added on.

 

 

Lavender/cornflower color with embroidered flowers.

 

 

Baby Pink

 

 

Baby purple

 

 

Butter yellow

 

This pattern was modified from one on Ravelry called Shamrock Tea Cosy.

Though it looks crocheted, it is knitted in a Fisherman's Rib and is very stretchable.

More doll knitting

 

So BabyII in a new baby gown and bonnet I designed.

This is Tisha's doll and will be returned with knitting to her.

 

 

 

BabyII in another outfit.

 

My fingers are all done in-----no more tiny knitting for at least

a few days.

 

 



WHOA

You'd think they'd HAVE to be good friends!!
I love this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx7DjRcoNIE

Food voted most popular in every state

I found this interesting....

https://www.yahoo.com/food/50-foods-represent-every-state-033617389.html

Bleuette and Hitty Patterns Designed by me

Amazing how an additional 3/4" changes the look...

 

Bleuette cape and beret sets, sans closure hardware.

Knitted in sock wool.

More cape sets and a sweater set.

 

Hitty aprons, or for 6-7" dolls.

 

The top, turquoise beret is a Bleuette beret.

The others are crocheted in sock wool and are "small" berets for Bleuette or Bambino.

Priceless

Fitness Parody to Adele's "Hello"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ6-nCLeDsI

Dollies and more paper beads!

This little trunk is from Hobby Lobby.  I lined it with scrapbook papers, using a tape measure, scissors, and glue.  One of my doll groups is having a challenge on "doll presentation boxes" and I'm thinking about it.  I certainly have several 5" dolls.

 

 

Here are several pics of wire earings I've made using my paper beads....

The above paper beads are only 1/4" long.  They're my favorite beads, made of catalog pages....they are really dainty.

This ForgetMeNot doll is wearing a new ivory dress with lavender duplicate stitches.

This is Dianna Effner's Bebe wearing the same dress.

 

 

Slight changes result in great versatility.  I love how soft the merino sock wool works up.  It feels like fabric (flannel) instead of yarn.

 

Oddments

 

 

Two ForgetMeNot dolls, approx. 4.5" tall, done by Tisha Ritter.

The pink dress isn't embellished yet.  This is the same dress I designed for the Diana Effner Bebe.

 

One of the 10-mesh plastic canvas needlepoint patterns I designed, for dollhouses use.

These dollhouse pet beds were made for a friend.

She has several real rescue cats, so I bought cats and

needlepointed away!

 

 

Paper, paper everywhere!

I've been spending some craft time getting my Christmas tree ready. It all began with those paper "icicles" I did; then I graduated to the Victorian ornaments (paper) and finally did some peppermint sticks (paper again!).....I'm happy with the results.
I achieved the look I was after; Christmas trees and quilts often elude me....I can see in my mind's eye what I want but often the materials are not available.  Paper is cheap so best of all this wasn't costly.  I ended up with 99 icicles, 23 peppermint sticks, 15 Victorian ornaments, a few oddment ornaments we previously had, 12 silver balls and white lights.  One hundred percent fun and 90% free!

These sticks are two inches long and were wrapped around a size 7 knitting needle.

 

Believe it or not, I'd still like to put another 99 icicles on!

The tree took 4 hours to decorate---and it is only 4 ft. high.

 

 

I wanted the icicles to show up----and I often turn the lights off when I am decorating to see what spots look empty.