My Twinn "Mallory" as "Emma Woodhouse"

I bought this doll a couple of years ago because she reminded me of Jane Austen’s Emma Woodhouse, right down to her “true hazel” eyes!  I finally got around to sewing a dress for her to model.  I used a heavily modified Morrissey pattern and a vintage floral chintz cotton print.  I added a tiny metal cross to a jump ring and ran a length of organdy ribbon through and tied a bow at the back of her neck for a quick Regency style necklace.

"Cozy"

"Special Relationship"

I’m still playing!  On this one, I used a combination of commercial prints, a little silk and a print I stamped on Kona cotton with a hand carved stamp a few years ago.

"All Warm and Loving"

This 6" x 8" collage consists of textured linen, smooth cotton, satin and a flannel coffee cup.

"Handsome Reserved Male"



Garden Mannequin

Still playing fast and loose!  This is my interpretation of a garden mannequin.


 

"Carry Me"

This little piece (7” x 10”) is made from fabric scraps glued to a base and stitched down by machine.  It was inspired by Oregon artist Bonny Gorsuch.  In fact, these are some of her scraps I purchased on Etsy (from MyBonny).  A few years ago she was featured in Sew Somerset magazine (Winter 2010) and told how she created small artworks from scraps of fabric glued to tag board, then stitched.  Her work is a joy to behold!  Her wearable art is amazing!

Some of Bonny’s scraps I used were cut from thrift store clothing such as the dove (originally a sweatshirt motif, I think) and the button tab from a roll-up sleeve shirt!  Other fabrics appear to have been snipped from decorator yardage.  There were words cut from fabric, too.  I just started arranging a few pieces and a bird cage magically appeared (to me, at least!).  I cut out the words “carry me” for a title.  Then I added an old St. Christopher medal I had found in a box of buttons.  Legend has it that St. Christopher (patron saint of travel) would carry people across a raging sea and one of them was Jesus as a child.  Part of a Catholic prayer for protection ends like this: “Carry me safely to my destined place, like you carried Christ in your close embrace.”  The dove made me think of how we carry the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

       

Santa Oceana

Here's another Santa, just finished and photographed.

Old Hippie Santa

He's finally finished and uploaded to my Etsy store.  His paisley shirt is made from a vintage tablecloth.  I made him a little macramé belt consisting of square knots of leather and string.

Raccoon

Isn’t she adorable?  She follows DH around the yard every night.  If he’s not outside by a certain time, she waits for him in front of the house.  And we think she has five kits!  They all live under the little grey barn.

From My Workbench...

I made a pair of bell bottoms for the Hippie Santa.  The denim was recycled from an old dress.  The dress was out of style, but the fabric was still in great shape.  The floral trim was from my mom’s old sewing box and hand appliquéd to the lower edge.  The lace trim was taken from pillowcases that had seen better days.  I just couldn’t bear to throw the lace away. 

Hippie Santa WIP

I've begun to work on a Hippie Santa doll.  I used Shisha embroidery, couching, straight stitches, lazy daisy stitches and buttons to embellish his wool felt vest.  The edges were trimmed with up and down buttonhole stitches.  The peace sign was cut from embossed craft felt and sewn by hand to the back.  Embroidering on wool felt is pure joy!

Regency Dress for Miss Elinor Dashwood

I made Elinor's dress from the same modified Morrissey pattern as Marianne's (see previous post) with two alterations.  The sleeves were made from a contrasting fabric (to give the appearance of separate pieces) and the skirt was gathered in the back, leaving the front straight.  I have a doll who wants to pretend she is Austen's Emma Woodhouse - so it's back to the sewing machine, I guess...

A Little Sewing...

It’s rainy and cold, today – and hard to believe that temperatures reached into the upper 70s just a couple of days ago.  The weather is supposed to warm up again next week.

I haven’t posted for a while because I’ve been really busy with our courtroom presentation business.  But, I have begun to sew again, just a little.  I made a pretty spring outfit for my American Girl doll, Saige.  The fabric was from an old photography backdrop that DH no longer needed.  It is some sort of synthetic but it looks like slubbed silk.  I made the gathered ribbon flower from the same satin ribbon as the sash.
 

 

And I finally got around to making a Regency dress for one of my 23” dolls.  I used a heavily modified Morrissey pattern and some leftover coordinated fabric I had used for bedroom curtains in the 80s!  So, here is one of my favorite dolls posing as Marianne Dashwood from Jane Austen’s SENSE AND SENSIBILITY.  I was so pleased with the results that I added it to my Etsy store.  I intend to create a couple more of these.  At the very least, I need to make an outfit for Marianne’s sister, Elinor.