New Directions

I always feel like I need pictures in order to post on my blog, so here are some pictures:

I think the dressed doll looks a little funny. She was the last one I got because I couldn't decide if I liked her or not. I'm still not sure about her.

I have a new business plan that might actually bring in money. I'm going to start making patterns of my doll clothes to sell, and I will also sell fabric that I have dyed. Well, I will offer to sell. I don't know if they will actually sell or not. I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself. I've written out instructions for the undergarment and I want to follow them while making one to make sure it works. Although I do have a pattern tester ready. I also want to redesign the shoes and do instructions for them. Hat, too? Maybe. Let's not try to do too much at once.

About the pattern testing. I'm planning to provide all the supplies. Should I pay her and keep the dress, or should I not pay and let her keep the dress because the supplies have value. Or should I pay her and let her keep the dress. I just don't know. Do I even need a tester? Does Magalie Dawson have pattern testers? Maybe I should ask.

I have other plans, too, but I'm keeping them secret for a little while because it is such an amazing idea!!

The photos show my latest outfit, the sweater is made from a Becky Colvin pattern. The third shows all my 14" girls in underwear! Yay! The fourth photo shows my crazy small knitted socks. Two at a time magic loop doll socks. Go me.

Project Progress

I've been knitting socks with my new thread and it's working out really well. Except the thread is only 10 meters, not enough to finish one sock. I'm stuck now waiting for another shipment. After payday, I'm going to try to buy a whole box of this stuff. It is DMC Coton a Broder size 16. I'm using a 5-0 32" circular needle to knit two socks at once. For the most part, it works GREAT. I just had trouble keeping the stitches tight on the decrease section. Hopefully a better experience next time.

I recently rearranged my sewing room. I removed a table I used to sculpt on. I'm not really sculpting anymore, although there is this one project... Anyway, one less table gave me room to put a chair and chest of drawers in front of the very sunny window, and I love to sit there and knit in the glorious sun. I'm going to get a footstool from Ikea next week, which will make the stitching area perfect! The footstool even has storage!

I finished embroidery on the periwinkle dress--little white bullion daisies with yellow French knots and green lazy daisies. It's very effective. I got some yarn in the color of the yellow centers and I'm making a shrug from a Beck Colvin Sew-Cool design. Little periwinkle shoes and a headband to come with additional daisy embroidery. I think it will be adorable and will hopefully meet with my collector's approval. And if not, I can sell it and make a little money!

I'm making just mental progress on my yarn dyeing project. I've decided on a less expensive swift/skein winder combo. I need to be able to wind off a measured amount into a skein for dyeing, and I see no other way to do it than with a swift/skein winder. Then I will need a canning pot and jars to do the steaming/simmering. I'm looking forward to the challenge of color mixing!

A Return, Perhaps?

Here are a bunch of pictures of my last design, then I'll talk about stuff. I think of this one as my masterpiece. The last one is the fancy underwear I made to support the weight of this dress, which was pretty heavy with embroidery and beading.

I've been thinking about the reality of maintaining so many crafts. I've been much more involved in knitting. I want to design my own dolls sweaters and dye my own yarn. The yarn dyeing is a long term thing, because it will cost so much to get started. Right now I want a totally frivolous Crazy Monkey combination hand powered swift and skein winder with a counter! That's like $700. I don't see that happening, lol.

But I thought I could sacrifice lace to get in more knitting and more sewing. It turns out I can't. I still love it, and I just bought a new pillow for the next project. Once I realized how I felt about selling the pillow, (in short, NO), I knew it wasn't gone for me. I may only spend 10 hours a week on it, instead of the 30 I was trying for, but that's still lace finished. I have two pieces ready to sew into outfits still that I haven't used yet.

I've had various money making schemes brewing in my head. One is to put together kits for my outfits, with hand dyed fabric and yarn and original patterns. Hopefully by the end of the year I can try it out. I wonder if I want to give out my patterns, though. Plus, many of my ideas are inspired from other artists, so I wouldn't be able to sell those. I don't know. I just know that I want control over my yarn colors just like I have with my fabric. I want the freedom to create my own knitted things. I want total control over the look of my work.

So today. I'm working on the third and final outfit for my doll exchange--three outfits for an expensive doll. Then I'll be able to actually sells things again. I think the lack of profit motive may have made me slower. I'm hoping I can move faster after this. I'm waiting on a new thread for knitting socks and a new color to knit the sweater. Plus I need to make shoes and a headband.

In the meantime, my big project is to make underwear for all nine of my dolls! I'm doing the six big ones first. I'm either going to gather ruffles or make lace today. It's a gorgeous, cool but not cold, day.

All this blog was inspired by Ravelry, that yarn black hole of time absorption. They let you link to your blog, and I thought how cool is that! So here we are! A blog post!

Hugs and kisses,
Simon

Return to Blogging... Maybe...

I've noticed that most of my Facebook posts lately seem to be about my doll costuming, so I'm thinking abut moving back to blogging. I hate to bore people on Facebook. Even the doll artists I know on Facebook don't really talk a lot about their craft over there. I think it's time to move.

Maybe I should return by saying I've given up, for lack of a more sympathetic verb, on making dolls. I've gone back to doll costuming, but this time it doesn't seem like second best. I am finally finding my heart in these details. I love the Kish dolls, and I'm approaching them like a collector instead of a means to a paycheck.

Also, I'm collecting again, and I'm obsessive about it. I get $150 a month from the paycheck, and I'm already spending next month's money in my head. Will it be Wren or Lark or Olivia? I'm leaning towards Wren today because she is rare and I've found her at an online shop where I can do a layaway.

I'm working on an outfit with some heavy embroidery. It is very satisfying, but slow, work. I am ready to stitch the next color, since i am doing all of the work in each color at a time. This is the second in a set of three dresses I've promised for a doll trade. The first dress was lovely and used some lace that I made. I think the third dress will be something simple. The value of what I've produced so more exceeds the value of the doll, but I heart this collector and enjoy doing the work for her.

Anyway, a photo of what I'm currently working on, and some photos of the last dress I finished, which I named Caitlyn, going with the alphabetic naming of the series.

Beatrice

I finished this a couple weeks ago and just forgot to post! I'm sorry! I call it Beatrice with a B, since it is the second one. The next will be Caitlin.

Right now I'm working on Wedgwood blue blue fabric, which, of course, I dyed myself. I'm using some lace that I also dyed, to an ivory, with another piece of fabric. I am working on embroidery in a color that matches the lace. I'm using the hexagonal piece as a collar and the straight piece at the hem. I'll post it when I finish. I think it's going to be awesome.

I'm working on a long piece of lace right now. I want 36" and have about 28" now, so there's not too much to go. I found that all of a sudden, I can work faster and with less effort.

And I've got some new dolls!

The dark haired girl is Raven and the little one is Bethany. Yesterday, there was a half price sale at one of the doll merchants, and Charles bought me a Shea! I'm so excited! She is done up as the older sister of this Bethany I have: her hair and eyes will be the same color. I'll be able to make sister outfits!

I'm also trading some outfits for a doll set, Olivia and Effie. Olivia is the same size as Bethany but with a much prettier face. Effie is a little doll. I'm trading the Wedgwood outfit and a sister set of white dresses smocked in variegated blue.

I feel so much peace lately about what I'm doing. Well, aside from the horrible constant wanting for new dolls. There is one more 14" doll that I really want (Lark) and a 14" doll that I sorta want (Wren). Then I also want another 12" set, Suchin and Sasha--Sasha being Suchin's doll. Then I want to find a doll for Bethany. Since I'm trading the next three outfits, I won't have money to buy those dolls, but I'll be getting a great one in exchange.

So far, Raven is my favorite. I think she is so beautiful!

Abigail

Here is my Abigail outfit:

So I finally finished something! The shoes and hat are something new to me with this outfit. This was sold before it was finished. My customer saw an in-progress pic and contacted me about it. She offered a good price, too!

I have been knitting obsessively for about a week. I tried out a pattern in a yarn I can't use. I ordered some yarn I could use. I altered the pattern. It took several tries to get it right. I'm still knitting, but the urgency has gone out of it.

I am working on a green outfit now. The cuffs were too small to go over the hands and the bodice didn't look right. I cut off the whole bodice and started over. It's much better this time, but I have all this embroidery to do over. I'm feeling a bit flat about it all.

I'm obsessing about dolls right now, too. I have one on layaway and I've picked out the next 2 dolls I'm going to buy. Well, and the two after that, too. And maybe two more after that. Plus there are these gorgeous porcelain dolls... But I won't get them. Too expensive and no market for the clothes. If I still had a doll cabinet... But no. No to the porcelain dolls.

I've had a day. We'll go out for nachos and margaritas at Taco Cabana. $6.23 for both of us because it's Happy Hour. Can't beat that!

sloooooooow...

I have finished NOTHING since I last posted here, which is why I haven't posted. I work VERY slowly, which is a little discouraging, but I'm very happy with everything I make. And I sold something before I finished it. If I just finish it, I can buy a doll I really want.

I'm working on two doll outfits, and of course, when I finish, I'll post photos. I need to make two dolls, two head ornaments, and two pair of white stockings. Everything else, including some awesome shoes, is finished. Nice to write it down to realize how close I am.

I'm working on a piece of lace. I have 14" and need 36". I'll post a photo of that when I finish, but maybe before that. It's a pretty pattern.

And I'm working on a knitting project. It's a sweater for a doll. I'm just working the pattern now as practice for the real thing when the real yarn gets here.

I got a new doll, the smaller Chrysalis doll, Bethany. My third outfit will be for the new doll, and it's all I can think about now.

Oh Louise, I'm thinking about skipping the dolls and the hats. I could list them today if I just stopped. But I won't. Maybe I'll finish the dolls today.