Wee Wonderfuls

little lois

Since I started making dolls and stuffed animals I've been wanting to make something more abstract. This is what I came up with. I was inspired by the Omiyage I made. Also by this tiny round clay doll from a book at Kitty's Oriental Craft Shop on ebay. I was also very inspired by the army of cutie birds by Jill Bliss and the beautiful dolls Rosa Pomar creates out of such stunning fabrics and trims. I really envy her wool/cashmere blends and William Morris fabrics! The medium I chose to work in is cut up grungy kids clothes from the 70s.

I named her Lois and embroidered it on her butt. I really need to work on my embroidery! I filled her with heavy lentils on the bottom and then clusterfill to puff her out. The lentils do the trick! She's perfectly weighted for tossing around. Just ask Oscar.

Count em! 6!

Yesterday was a fun day. Tim and I got to go to the movies while my parents watched Oscar. That makes at least 6 movies we've seen since Oscar was born in December. woohoo! We saw Garden State and I really really enjoyed it. Zach Braff, who knew? Next I have to see that Napolean Dynamite.

Back at Grandma and Grandpa's Oscar was entertaining himself in this!

My Mom has been a woman obsessed ever since she spotted this Little Tykes Activity Garden on some tv show about child development. Then she asked around, figured out what it was and that it was no longer being made and it turns out it is a red hot item on the garage sale/ebay circuit. She had one of those ebay sagas but after a few tries found this one. "Complete with all the mail and vegetables!" she gleefully informs me. I have always been skeptical of these huge molded plastic paradises but he loved it! And it was so much fun to see him exploring it. Now if only I had a McMansion and an SUV I could stock up on more toys like this. But I'll leave that to Grandma and Grandpa and Oscar will have to make do with tiny little apartment toys when he's home.

Got home last night and checked out some cool ass sites thanks to this neat site of links pdm.pitas.com. Like some very cute illustration by Tania Howells and another crafty shop and so much more.. Then we watched 6 Feet Under. I am dying to know what's up with that photo of Lisa. dying

Cashmere Kitty

Finished Margot's kitty this morning. I made it out of a cashmere men's sweater vest I found at the thrift store. It's soooo soft! Not perfect for babies but I think Margot's Mom will appreciate it. Oscar's puppy Fabian is, of course, made out of a machine washable sweater because he's fond of rubbing him all over his snotty face. Petite Margot is more sophisticated than that!

So, yes, nice and soft but kind of a bear to work with. It was harder to stuff because the cashmere had so much give. I could have squished an entire bag of ClusterFill in there. ClusterFill is the best stuffing in the world by the way. I found it at Hobby Lobby. It comes in little clumps and is so easy to work with. Just toss it in there willy nilly and it turns out perfect. I didn't realize there was such an art to stuffing things until I started making little animals. They were always all bumpy and wrong until I found this stuff. I also had all sorts of trouble embroidering the face. Again because of the give of the sweater's knit. Kept getting all bunchy. So a few troubles but in the end a very soft little gal. And her sideways tail makes me giggle.

I heart Hobby Lobby

Have to praise the all wonderful Hobby Lobby! Joann's has betrayed me, Hancock has turned into fleece hq, Michaels, while good for other things, can really disappoint in the sewing/knitting arena. Then there is the Hobby Lobby, a store I've come to depend on. They always have what I'm looking for.. this time around: the good stuffing, the magnetic snaps (although they're a fortune!), the grosgrain ribbon by the yard, pretty tea colored muslin and some other broadcloth solids and some beautiful Swarovski sew on crystals. Not sure what to do with them but they're so pretty I couldn't pass them by. must bedazzle something!

here they are..

Bits of inspiration

I was able to finally get to some of my fall magazines these past couple of days. Instead of tearing out pages I decided to put my digital camera to use. That way I can print out bits for my inspiration board and still have intact magazines to offer my guests (sister).

Yesterday we went to the thrift store.. finally! It was really only one weekly visit skipped but it felt like forever and I might have gone a little overboard to compensate. I wiped out poor Tim & Oscar. If O's not at the 26 lb baby bjorn limit yet he will be any day now! Then I don't know what we'll do. He has no patience for his stroller. He likes his vantage point in the bb, up high in the action where crazy people can grab at him and he can get at all the racks. So anyway, huge bags later I'm still washing, sorting, scheming...

Here's one of my thriftscores from yesterday...yea!

Was just browsing on girlshop/totshop this morning. Haven't been there in a while. Here's a cutie fabric flower. And here's a fantastic diaper bag. Think I might have to try to make something like that for myself so I can stop beaning Oscar in the face with my tote diaper bag when I lean over to put him in the stroller. And THIS! This is giving me such a strong deja vu. Just like when I see a book or toy I'd forgotten I had as a child. And it isn't just because I ate popsicles all summer long. I think I had some kind of popsicle jewelry. Must undergo some regression hypnosis or, easier still, call Mom.

what the?!

a few of the wimpier trees are giving in already and going Fall on us...

ok! I get the message. I've started Tim's pumpkin hat...

although I may need to frog it and do some yarn reassigning as Tim is already pretty pumpkin on his own.

I think I made it cry

I feel bad that I picked on the bag. It's cute! I just wrote a post dissing on it but I'm looking at it again and I think it's not so bad. So I embrace the bag, I'm taking down the photos of its flaws, I'm going to stop whining about its puckered lining, I'm going to put my wallet and keys in it and take it to the library!

the bag thanks its supporters!

Rookie mistake

bah!

I'm working on a new quilted bag and I botched it. Well sorta botched it. If I'd totally screwed it up it'd be so much easier but instead it's just off. So do I complete it and never like it because its off or do I scrap it.

Here's what I did.. I made the flowers, cut out the outer, inner and batting, laid the whole thing out with the ribbons in place, attached the flowers, quilted it all up (taking special care this time to have my quilting match up at the side seams), then I sewed up the sides, plopped it down to admire and dammit! My flowers are totally misplaced. The green flower is falling off the bag for chrissakes! The whole thing actually should be higher up on the purse. It looked right laying flat but I didn't take into account how much space would be left when it was folded up. I'm such a dufus! Perhaps the goddess of originality is punishing me for making another bag so similar to the first. Perhaps I'm just a big spaz.

Quilted Bag

I made this quilted bag last night and I'm really happy with it. And not just because it's pink! I had the outer fabric and lining picked out, the flower made, the shape cut out and then at the last minute it occurred to me to quilt it. yeah! I'm all jazzed up to make a hundred more now. Next time I think I'll splurge on one of those fancy magnetic snaps, put some batting in the straps as well and maybe make the shape deeper.

fuzzy = cute

Here is a slightly fudged version of the flower in the Rowan babies book (thanks for the tip Claire!) I think the key to cute in a knit flower might be the fuzzy yarn.