Doll Clothes and other Thoughts and Doings ~

 

Hi everyone! I feel like this was another lost week, as I reeled with current events and endless cold weather. Sure it's winter but , well, sub zero windchills? Snow? Oh I was dismayed and boggled.

" I WILL sit out in the sun, mommy. 

10*? Not a problem, 

I am an ancient Tibetan dog breed with a dense double coat."

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Did you read there was an earthquake in New Jersey? Nope that was my one year old washer with the madly raucous violent spin. Glad the neighbors moved and new guy is renovating. I blame all the noise and vibration on him.

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Doll clothes! I dusted off my unused tiny clothes sewing skills and sewed the first tryout outfit for my little friend's doll.  Sooooo fun. But a very different skill set from quilt piecing. Everything is so small.

The doll is an American Girl Doll meant for younger children. She is 14" tall instead of 18'' like the more elaborate regular AG dolls. I think the smaller doll is harder for a 4 or 5 year old---those tiny shoes, itty bitty hair bows etc. And harder to sew.

This is the book I used. Usually I'd make my own patterns but since I didn't have the doll with me, I needed basic ''slopers''---a bodice, a sleeve, a skirt length, pants. 

This is what I made. Luckily I  have bits of trim etc but a trip to the craft store may be needed soon. Especially since my friend's taste runs to sparkly tulle and shiny stretchy fabric. The craft store is a big deal bec it's far away. 

Her Mom said No shoes or accessories but how is that an option? So what if they go lost, it's the idea that counts.

Outfit was a success and loved by the little recipient. It fit! It looked cute! It was easy on and off.

Yay! Next a sundress? and a Valentine dress.

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No quilting, just brainstorming about how to make the tiny squares for Whatnots quilt. Thanks everyone for ideas! I put it aside, discouraged, but now am feeling the challenge. We'll see.

And for those who asked me about the bright quilt used on last post's header, it's a Humble Quilts sewalong from 2018-19. Here is my blog post. Oh my, such happy times, pre-covid and other life challenges. So unaware and happily sewing away. Which I guess is/ was just fine. My brother loved vintage MAD magazine, the motto was: What, Me Worry? Quilt: La Grande Sajou"

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I haven't seen my best friend L in ages, we are both hibernating a bit. She and I texted about feeling so cold, even in a supposedly warm house. No pics but some of my suggestions  [let me know if you want actual links]:

-Old Navy makes [on sale] wonderful fleece lined and all fleece leggings.. Cheap! And an active wear thermal but thin [like Cuddleduds] tee shirt. So soft! Thumbholes!

-Invest in good wind block/ waterproof overpants, mine are hiking pants from REI. 15 years old, couldn't live without them. Wear over sweats or the above leggings when you go outside.

_Wear a down or thermal outerweight vest under your parka. Wear a warm scarf!

-Embrace leg warmers. No sense wearing warm layers if the wind howls up your pant legs. Mine are Under Armor and I think any ballet supply would have; also saw on Urban Outfitters and Amazon. OR: cut the arms off sweaters and hem the tops. Reuse instead of donating. Cashmere and thermal waffle sweaters are great, also for fun a bright pattern, look for fair isles. You're only gonna wear them outside unless like my house, your home is super drafty.

-I have sheepskin UGGS and also sherpa Allbird sneakers. So toasty and on sale now $60.oo.

-If like me you love fingerless gloves, think again or you'll end up with cracked finger tips. I know personally. Leather gloves lined in cashmere instead.

-Wear a headband ear warmer under your bobble beanie.

-Hot tea always. Good to hydrate and oh so warming. Doesn't have to be dark and strong, we want the warmth, the comfort. I like a fragrant Double Earl Grey from Stash. Maybe add a tiny bit of lemon or honey.

-AND: Warmies! These are microwaveable lavender and? flax? pillows. Mo and I each have a heart pillow. So comforting, my back relaxes as soon as I lie down to sleep w the warm pillow. Mo snuggles right up to his, which i wrap in an old sweater and tuck under the lining base of his bedtime bed. Mo doesn't scratch or chew or play with large toys so he is ok. The pillows are child safe but consider your dog's temperament before using. They also make adorable warmable stuffed animals but I can't bring my self to put a ''creature'' even if just cloth! in the MW. A lovely product, great value. WARMIES

What did I forget? Let me know. 

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And---did/ do you love making doll clothes? Have a special beloved doll? Blog friend Julierose and I had fun remembering ours, so please share your stories too.

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Now: Walkeroos for Mo. Snow still covers the ground here. The salt is hard on his little feet. [NO! he won't wear boots!]

Sunset is after 5 now. Good times ahead!6-ish months til summer.

PS Yes I got the stew going finally. So much chopping, I'm an idiot. Bet Lean Cuisine's is just as good.

Have a great week. Photo below just for pretty, a collection on Instagram. I love everything and how the items are displayed.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

ribbon clouds.....tattered banners, glowing as the day ends.

Quilts etc_ Looking Forward, Looking Back. 2024-25 PART 2

 

Okay, gang, I'm back! Time for the rest of this annual post. I did notice I do the same thing every year, but then never refer back to my plans and lists. Oh well. The funny thing is I got a spam comment this morning on last year's post---offering me a special deal on Dumpster rentals. Hint, hint, hahahaha.

To do list---as soon as Silent Night is ironed and sent to my quilter--- or even if NOT! 

(1) Put the recycled borders on Bramble Berries One. Again this is mostly  the daunting [pain, pain!] task of pressing the funky vintage top I am using, an eBay find. Some people are contemplating BB THREE! Imagine that. I love my center still, very much, but one is more than enough.

That said, I have loved following along and learning from Audrey who is so creative and prolific. I love her advice, suggestions, ideas. Thank you, Audrey!

Then--- (2)this will be fun, I hope.

My little friend who I get to be ''auntie'' with now is old enough to want us to make doll clothes. I haven't made doll clothes in years, but I love the idea. A trip to a craft store for glittery fabrics and small notions like snaps may be necessary, also fun.

Then these are the quilts up next. 

(3) The TQC string quilt should be doable as a pick up/ set aside, though it contradicts my plan to make only tiny quilts now.

I will make the large 10" bullseye blocks differently using blog friend Julierose's Ojos method. The components will be cut 6" , for a final 10.5" block.

Then (4) the Cheri Payne Whatnots small folkart quilt.

I've been stymied by the 1" finish squares. My sewing machine chews up tiny bits and spits out a wad. Not fun. But I had the bright idea: put something else. Maybe  a 2" checkerboard, or a mini log cabin, inspired by this TQC project that I love, or?

I even considered Baskets. or Chinese coins. The applique borders, probably a mix of wool and raw edge cottons, will be perfect for outside sewing if and when spring arrives. At which time I'll also pick up Noah's Ark again

(5, 6) Noah's Ark needs 5 - 7 more animals, 3 whales, dove, Ark, the sky. I estimate  as of now the needleturn/ prepped edge applique work is maybe half done.

And if time permits, or a snow day, start on the Jacks' faces.

So this all seems hopeful and not too daunting. I get nervous and freeze if too many projects loom. Though as I set the winter's plan out, I realize it's far too ambitious. I'll be thrilled if I finish Bramble Berries top, I guess.

I'm still finishing December in my perpetual notebooks. Recent work is very poor, I don't draw or paint well if feeling anxious or unwell, it is for me a happy endeavor usually. . [that's my excuse, lol].

Off for Mo's walkies, sunny and 40*, though a south wind gale is due tonight, followed by the Polar Vortex. [cool picture book for kids!]

I made matzo ball soup, found the dumplings box during pantry rotation. Monday is both Martin Luther King Day and the second Trump inauguration. I wonder what MLK would have thought about Mr Trump's agendas and the state of our country all these years later.

Time to plant the winter bulb garden, next post. This was a Christmas gift from me to me. Love the tiny daffs, but the white amaryllis is just a nubbin still. More to come.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

late summer, a few years ago, summer days to savor!

Quilts etc_ Looking Forward, Looking Back. 2024-25

 

Hello, hello! Time for the annual quilt retrospective. I mentioned on Nancy's blog that I too have no finishes, or so I thought. On scrolling through photo files I see perhaps a better output than I realised.

First up is a BIG finish! Winter Marsh has been showing up on my blog for years, definitely pre-covid 2020, but that was it's moment, when our world shut down and loneliness prevailed.

The words are from the Beatles song. Here Comes the Sun, as I am an ever hopeful type of person. This is the Sun.

Yet the words still make me cry.

I finished the binding right at New Years. I was very un-thrilled with the Kaffee Fassett woven stripe I used. Thin, flimsy, ugly, expensive, invisible. Any black or dark blue would have worked better.

I forgot to take a pic but the back is a midnight blue and soft grey white print of mason jars with fleeing fireflies. I won't repeat the design's meaning, but it is filled with imagery and symbols of winter in the saltmarsh, winter in one's world, in life. Based on a pattern by Jan Patek, Morning Has Broken.

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Then another Jan Patek small quilt, ''just for fun''.

I loved the humor in the Fourth of July Pumpkin reference. Some people crazy rush each season and holiday. But after the recent election, I rather do not want to ever see another patriotic piece; I am, months later, still in shock that our country is so divided. [No political comments please, btw.]

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and last Parsonsfield,

a little quilt designed by Lori D of Humble Quilts. Her 2023 sewalong. The challenge for me was to use the pale, ''low volume'' palette. I think it is successfully done, if not a "Lizzy Quilt" in its style. Even the camera struggled to capture the subtle vanilla ice cream tones of the fabrics. I see neither of the small quilts has binding in the pics. I'll try to get better photos  after clinic .

                                                              "Try, learn, grow."

All three quilts were beautifully longarm quilted by Lori C of Quilters Imagination. She does such beautiful work and is such a lovely person to work with. [bulbs-- not yet!]

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Top completed "Silent Night'', again a pattern by Jan Patek,

though her name is different, Midnight Clear. I was determined to finish this, because finishes are a big deal to me. I truly hated every minute of making this, lol. It has put me off sewing and quilting almost irrevocably, I'm sad to say. I still have to iron it and send it off.  Blog friend Juliann sent me lovely wool pieces for the to-be-added [after quilting] children's snow suits and sled.

I do still like the design! Just hated the sewing and some choices I made before I understood the construction.

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Must stop now to walk Mo. Perhaps part 2, Looking Ahead should be a second post?/// Okay back....After cold and gale winds, today is lovely. Great walk!

It was so nice Mo sked to have his playtime outside while I prepared food to tide me over during IV recuperation week. I always make ham salad and Mo adores ham, but he loves a sunny sit out even mre.

Note above sunset time, then view from my windows at 5.20! Yes steamers of color still at five thirty now. Hopeful. Seven months til summer.

I do apologize for not responding to comments this past week. I will do my best! It was just a sort of miserable week, w pre-procedure lab work and other stuff. And Mo finally has a new groomer. Our beloved groomer in her spa van has retired. What a shock, she looks barely late thirties. The new groomer was very successful though, so that is okay. [I didn't sleep all week, worrying. For almost eleven years, Mo has only been bathed and pampered by dearest Sherry. Miss her but send the very best wishes.].

And then the high winds! On the day w 50+mph gusts, first the platters and white ironstone pitchers all jiggled and toppled  off the sideboard. So scary. Nothing broke this time though. Old pic here but you get the gist.

And then I saw that the high shelf in the utility closet had fallen.

Onto the pipes of the hot water heater and other plumbing, including pipes to the washing machine and second bathroom. And the pipe for the dryer vent feeds through it. It's high up, dusty, ugly, like my miniature attic. I was horrified. My friend came a few days later and fixed it all, plus he helped me with major declutter disposal. Next week he says he will install a new TV, a cell booster/ modem?, and new light fixtures in the bathroom and vanity areas. The buildout and sliding doors that will allow access to this utility space [so I can clean/ dust, yikes!] is a much bigger job, maybe for this spring or summer. I am so blessed to have such a friend. We also made a plan to start selling my collections, because of course he knows some dealers who may be interested. Hah! I'd pay them to take stuff away, who knewwwww!?! 

Anyway, my mental chaos w these events and various other things kept me from writing Christmas thank yous  and blog replies. My apologies, I so love each and every comment.

On a lighter note---this is so --hilarious/ awful. A friend sent it to me after I was so excited about the QM2 ship. Omigosh. I'm seasick. This was filmed on the actual voyage I saw last week leaving NY Harbor. Winter Cruise QM2

Part Two of Quilts etc_ Looking Forward, Looking Back. 2024-25 posted soon!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach.....

no beach, bec---that wind! Instead clouds and sunset for Nancy who likes clouds and you all.