Posted on 2 Comments

Experiments in natural dyeing for doll clothes

I like my crafting experiments to be low risk. Dying fabric with natural ingredients fits that bill. I’m not going to accidentally stain my counters, no gloves needed, I can use my regular cookware for most of it. And I don’t need dramatic results or for my fabric to be colorfast. I never wash doll clothes because my samples are not getting played with and if it fades thats ok. There’s really no risk of the dyed fabric coming off … More

Posted on 7 Comments

New! Chloe and Louise Pattern Redesign

Kit, Chloe and Louise are refreshed and ready to go for 2020. I made this pattern back in 2008 and I’ve always loved these spunky girls. They were originally offered as a printed pattern booklet and I had a bio questionnaire listed for each of them on the cover. My favorite question was what WB heroine do you most relate with, Louise’s was Rory Gilmore, Chloe’s Veronica Mars and Kit’s was Buffy! 😂They were aged 9-10 and were sort of … More

Posted on 10 Comments

Body fabric for Kit, Chloe and Louise dolls

I love to make my Kit, Chloe and Louise dolls squishy and soft. I think of them as my baby dolls. They’re chubby and toddler like with wide cheerful faces and they give great hugs. The stiffer, more tightly woven your fabric is the less it will give and it will give more structure to your shapes. And that will totally work for this doll design too. It will make the dolls a little easier to dress and a little … More

Posted on Leave a comment

craft room re-org

Happy Saturday people. How are your Saturdays? Mine are a little stressful honestly. I am a “it’s the weekend let’s get things done” person and the rest of my Langs are “it’s the weekend what’s the least productive thing I can do” people. Hm. Sigh. Eyeroll. I shall ignore them and persist with my list. First thing up, a little bit more craft room reorganization. I’ve decided to tackle one area at a time. It’s sorta working. I still hit … More

Posted on 5 Comments

Project Bags for Cross Stitch

Filed under things I didn’t know I needed but are absolutely essential: project bags for cross stitch. I have, for years, had one small tote bag with all my cross stitch stuff in it – a few patterns, small hoops and some pieces of linen. Recently Phoebe and I both got started on projects and it became clear we outgrew sharing the one cross stitch bag, so project bags! Project bags seem like they can get pretty fancy with handles … More

Posted on 12 Comments

a new year

Back to work! The kids went back to work on Monday which was also my birthday and that was a great present, just getting back to a normal routine and starting to dig into some new projects. I spent the first half of the day writing out a bunch of ideas and plans in my bullet journal (I’m using that term very loosely – more just like a book of lists)

So the first thing on my list for 2020 … More

Posted on Leave a comment

Handmade Christmas Ornaments

Phoebe and I got a little crazy for Christmas this weekend. We got out the hot glue gun, the “Christmas Craft” bin (which I’ve been steadily transferring over the years from school party supplies to craft store bops and vintage fripperies), some glitter, and went to town.

Here is vintage santa head on a ornament ball riding an ice spear and holding a candy cane.

vintage cotton spun and pipe cleaner elf with a flocked tree on a peppermint sphere.… More