I've not done much...

I've had a lovely weekend, thanks to the boyf and Mr & Mrs B, lunches in pubs, bbq's, rides on the motorbike and my first attempt at a lemon meringue pie!

In the interim, I made dolly some arms.  They were as frustrating as the legs I'm afraid!  I did, however, change the foot on the sewing machine to my zipper foot and found it much easier to sew (as close to the seam as I dared) around the trickier outline of the hands.

Stuffed, and with fingers sewn in, a pair of arms.

I also decided to do something with the feet and removed some stuffing from the larger foot.  It went much better than anticipated and whilst one is still bigger than the other, at least it's not quite so golf-club-like!

And finally, I got to start on the good stuff: a hand-sewn ribbon covering for the seams at both front and back, and black embroidery thread stitched to create boot laces.

Arms and legs... fingers crossed the body and head are easier!

But, there will be nothing done for a while.  The projects at work are going to take up every spare minute until I go on holiday.  It is a shame, I am anxious to see her progress... but unless I am truly sick of code and webpages, I will have to concentrate on that first.

Legs...

Should not be this difficult!  I worked from home today and started early so that I could take an early lunch, which was actually elevenses, with the wonderful Mr S.  As we drank tea and ate biscuits I decided to try the first of my doll's legs.  In theory, nothing more than a straight line of stitching, turning the leg inside out and stuffing it... instead I watched all 6ft-something of Mr S wrestle with a scrap of material and various implements before finally giving up when the leg won, hands (or is that feet?!) down: it was time for plan B.

I have to say I am disappointed with the instructions that come with Phang; they are almost indecipherable.  I wouldn't normally be bothered, but the limbs of this doll are very narrow and the feet are supposed to be lined with cardboard which you patently can not turn inside out in the usual way.  Any tips on their construction would have been useful.  I gave up trying to figure out the instructions and did my own thing.

 To make boots, I inserted two layers of black silk in between the legs, before stitching down each side - leaving the top and bottom open.

I trimmed the spare fabric and lined up the base of the boot (black felt, a little habit).  I then sewed most of the way around the seam, leaving a third or the circumference open so that I could turn the leg inside out.  Turning was a nightmare, particularly where the layer of black silk was... I think stuffed the foot, handstitched the back of the boot closed and stuffed the leg.  Two thirds of the way up the leg I sewed a seam for bend it and the finished stuffing.  

The first leg was more error than trial... the seam split near the top of the leg and had to be hand sewn.  The second went easier, but as following the given seam allowance wasn't working I must have been too cautious.  As the picture shows, I have very wonky legs!!  I am going to live with them for a day or so before deciding whether or not to try a fourth leg.  I am not a perfectionist about my dolls, they are usually better for having a little character; rather like those good self-portraits.  A little handsewing on the legs I don't mind... little and large legs?  With a lumpy ankle?? Hmmmm..... 

The round-head cloth doll

What a name!  She will need one eventually but not until she’s finished.

I have always had a soft spot for dolls; growing up in Oman and Hong Kong in the late 70s/early 80s dolls were not readily available.  My first doll, Clementine, came with us to Oman (and lives on the 10yr olds bed now) and was my only one there as far as I remember.   In HK I had others, most notably the Sindy doll who had lots of heads, which I could buy at a tiny hole-in-the-wall shop in Jordan Road!  As I got older, money was saved for the holidays in the UK where I would buy old porcelain dolls.  I have always preferred old dolls to new, they have more personality about them. 

I started making dolls in my early teens, but both the dolls and the interest in them disappeared during college etc.  When Indy was born I wanted her to have a Clemmie of her own, and my interest in sewing was returning, so Wednesday was created - sat with Clemmie:

There is something special about making dolls; they have the potential to be an extension of the self, a self-portrait in cloth.  I don’t make them often, I have only made another six since Wednesday, but I find them very satisfying when I do.  They are always my go-to project when I need something that will keep me engrossed, engaged and distracted for a few hours.  I never make the same one twice and couldn’t make them any more frequently than I do, I would hate to dilute the experience.

So, a new doll.  I had seen Ruby on mollychicken a few weeks ago and was taken by her, but a quick google image search brought up a couple of other dolls/ideas that I like the look of too:

Thank you to the fabled needle, sew faithful, blackeyedsuzie and the little house by the sea.

What I did want to do was make a round-head doll, with long legs and shaped hands/fingers.  I usually use free patterns and eventually settled on Kate Erbach’s Phang vampire doll pattern as a template for the body.  I also found a stash of shot silks that I was using on an experimental quilt piece that I was never completely sold on.  I would never have remembered them, but pulled it out of storage as a possible something to do when I was fussing at the weekend.  The project’s gone back into storage (can’t throw anything away…) minus its fabric and some beautiful shell buttons which are too pretty to stay hidden away. 

New doll = another thrift project = far too much stuff!      

       

           

I started cutting out the body last night but, as you may note in the photo, I didn’t have my usual scissors – I stupidly tried to sharpen them and ended up rendering them unusable!  I was able to get some bits cut, but eventually gave up and have just bought myself a new pair of Fiskars.

I need something to do...

in the downtime on the Victorian Costume...  I have twitchy fingers.  I just don't have any idea of what to do.

Work is all code and Photoshop, I love it and it's creative in it's own way, but I'm learning as I go and it's mind-numbing most days.  Home is a three-quarter dressed mannequin and a huge project ahead of me (one I can't start till I've stocked on lots of bits and pieces) and plans for Halloween which I can't talk about yet!

I need something quiet and simple and consuming... it may have to be a new doll.

A chance to stretch my legs

Of all the things I love to watch the 10yr old do; running and swimming are near top of the list.  It’s not just an appreciation of her talent (or those gazelle-like legs!) but also a chance to wallow in some good memories.  At school, I loved to swim and sprint.  Precious little else about sport interested me, but swimming and sprinting gave me a sense of freedom that I relished.  That freedom was cut short and proper exercise and I parted ways. 

Now particularly, I am more used to my body feeling like it is clad in an old deep sea diver’s suit as the thyroid can make everything feel achy, heavy and listless.  Added to other delights, such as dizziness and palpitations, and I have long stopped thinking of myself and sport in the same sentence.  My only regular exercise is my morning walk with the dobe.  It is more a determination to shake my body out of its lethargy than an appreciation of the time itself and most days leaves me exhausted rather than invigorated.

So, it was with some trepidation that I looked at the programme for Sports’ Day yesterday and saw the “Mum’s Race”.  I have been long overdue a visit to Sports’ Day, but as this was the 10yr old’s first at the new school some hollering and photographs was in order.  It was a lovely sunny day, I was dressed appropriately and could run barefoot, and the 10yr old was frantically waving at me to stand up and volunteer; so I did. 

A 50m flat race dash: I would have been happy just to finish, placing 4^th (or thereabouts) out of 7 would have made me very pleased.  As it was, following a small stumble in which I managed a cartoon-like cartwheel of my feet to keep my balance, I found a speed and dexterity that I didn’t know I possessed any longer.  The realisation came with such an intense delight that from then on it was a race I wanted to win: head down, arms pumping, legs stretching… for a few seconds I regained a measure of the girl I was 20 something years ago.  I won with a whoop and a skip that does not go down so well in a tiny village that typifies our fabulous English reserve; but, sorry folks, I could not help myself.  If it’s any consolation, I can barely move my legs this morning; but even that’s an experience I am enjoying… if it is through gritted teeth!