Thrift to fantasy

Started reading this beautiful book back in October and finally finished it last night. It wasn't till this morning that I realised that one of the vintage dolls pictured in the book was living in my sewing room. This topsy turvy doll with her friends, Golly & Ted, came to live with me last year when I bought a 1950s cane dolls pram.

It's lovely to think that someone lovingly made this doll years ago. I'm inspired to create my 2 daughters a handmade dolly each for Christmas.

Chocolate chip cookies

Here's our favourite family recipe for the yummiest chocolate chip cookies ever:

115g butter
1/2 cup sugar

Cream butter & sugar, then add
1 tablespoon Golden Syrup (or molasses)
1 tablespon milk
1 teaspon baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
chocolate chips or buttons, or MMs etc (approx 1/2 cup)

Combine wet and dry ingredients and then make round balls of cookie dough and press down with a fork on to the baking tray. Makes 10-12 small biscuits or 8-9 large cookies.

Cook for 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees in a standard oven or 9-10 minutes at 160 degrees in a fan forced oven.

Enjoy!

Knitting needle holder

With some left over fabric from lining my craft bag, I made myself a knitting needle holder. Although I like to use the shorter length knitting needles that are about 25-30cm, I've left enough length for the holder to acommodate the longer needles, and there's also space for 4 crochet hooks. Getting the bias binding right was a bit of a challenge at 4am and the ribbon makes a nice touch. Very pleasing result!

Kiwi christmas ornaments swap

I'm currently working on my handmade christmas ornaments for the first ever kiwi craft bloggers swap. I've decided to go with traditional christmas trees and add a modern twist. All the trees have been cut out and now I'm working on embellishing them. Got to have them finished and posted by 12 December.

Just noticed this morning that our little Fijian hibiscus bush is in flower.

BJD wigs for Limhwa Mano (Adam)

In this morning's post was the grab bag of size 9-10 fur wigs that I bought last week on ebay from beachgirlnikita. I had absolutely no idea what colour the wigs I'd bought were and so I was pleasantly surprised when the bag was opened. The wigs are very well made plus they look and fit just great. Yes I am able to make the wigs myself but having done the maths, it works out very expensive to buy the faux fur I like just to make a single wig. I'm all for supporting the creative talent of others.

Retro poodles and Maori Dolls

I've been on the lookout for a poodle family and vintage Maori dolls for a while and when these came up on Trademe, how could I resist? they're simply gorgeous! They'll look great in the china cabinet, which if I'm honest, is getting very full. I'm also on the lookout for Pacific Island dolls.

Haven't had any sewing time for the last day or so, as I've been very busy with Miss almost 2, whose still not feeling her very best yet. (Although I have been able to do some of my charity knitting during her many naps.) So we're off to the doctor today!

Etsy store now open

Yesterday afternoon while Miss almost 2 was sleeping, I managed to take the rest of the photos for the bjd items going into my etsy shop. My least favourite thing is having to dress and undress dolls for their photo shoot. My teenage daughter usually does it (she has the most amazing slender fingers!) but she's flat out studying for school exams at the moment so the poor bjds had to put up with me instead.

Anyway, after much procrastination (I joined etsy way back in July 2008) the etsy shop is at last open. I'm planning to list new items each weekend. I used to have an ebay store a while back before my youngest was born in February 2007. Decided to close it down when the ebay fees increased. Now off I go to do some shameless self promotion!

Aprons

Having seen these 2 apron patterns by Simplicity, I ordered them straight away and then came home and searched through the stash for my fabric choices. Both patterns were instant reminders of outfits that my mother made me as a child.

2950 reminds me of a similar smock that I wore to keep my clothes clean. I've chosen the cerise pink/orange tropical flowers combo. This smock styled apron is definitely going to be 'inspirational' in getting my creativity flowing as well as generally brightening up my day.

2932 again takes me back to when I wore a wrap around dress that wrapped in the back rather than the front. So the orange/black/white combo will be ideal as my 'motivational' apron. I just love the retro feel of this fabric.

I hope to start on these tonight after the children are in bed. During the day, my two older children are at school, while Miss almost 2 is at home. She's teething at the moment, so she's not her usual sunny self.

More knitting for charity

I've also been knitting baby beanies for the HIV Aids babies in Africa. Here's the pattern for a basic beanie:

Materials Needed
8 ply wool
4mm Needles

Cast on 64 stitches and work 14 rows in rib (K1, P1)
Work 24 rows in stocking stitch or until work measures 11 cm from cast on edge.
Shape crown as follows:
Row 1: *K6, K2 tog, repeat from * to end of row. 56 Stitches
Row 2: Knit
Row 3: *K5, K2 tog, repeat from * to end of row. 48 Stitches
Row 4: Knit
Row 5: *K4, K2 tog, repeat from * to end of row. 40 Stitches
Row 6: Knit
Continue decreasing in this manner until (K1, K2 tog) has been completed and 16 stitches remain.
Knit 1 row
Break yarn and thread through remaining 16 stitches, pull up tightly and fasten off. Sew up seam.

Bright coloured stripes look good and use up small amounts of wool.

Finished beanies & jumpers can be sent to: Wool N' Things, Onekawa Shopping Centre, Maadi Road, Napier, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

Upcycled craft bag

At last, I've made myself a craft bag to hold all my knitting and crochet projects. Up till now I've just used a plastic bag which does it's job (although I have to keep replacing it as the needles put holes in it and that isn't very inspiring!)

I used a vintage linen cushion cover and fabric remnant which I found at the local op shop. It's now a fully lined drawstring bag with inside pockets for my tape measure, needle guage etc and with mitred corners at the base. There's plenty of space for my notebook, several balls of wool (I usually have 2-3 projects on the go at any one time)and patterns plus room to spare.

BJD undies

I've still been able to fit in my BJD sewing. Last night I made up a pair of 'boy leg' undies to fit the 60cm BJDs from a self drafted pattern. (modelled here by Elfdoll Lydia's body) The pattern can be easily altered to be a lower line bikini and still covering the joints. They're snug so they won't look like Granny's bloomers. I'll be sewing up a few of these undies for sale and then moving on to work on some fitted & shaped bras for the 60cm BJDs as well. Yes these undies are in the same fabric as the stockings that I posted about last weekend.

Handmade gifts

Stayed up last night to crochet a Queen Anne scarf as a gift for my daughter's student teacher, Ms Joseph, whose leaving on Friday. I made it up in a denim coloured double knit with a 3.5 hook. Altogether it has 100 motifs (50 doubles). It looks about the right length for a scarf.

Then I made a fabric flower brooch using a tutorial by blairpeter. I used some of my fabric sample swatches in teal and pink tones. Very pleased with the result and so easy to make. I'll certainly be making more.

PS: Ms Joseph loves her scarf!

Vintage stuffed toys pattern

I couldn't resist this vintage 1965 toy pattern I saw on ebay. The naive shapes are so appealing, especially Mrs Duck wearing her scarf and her cute little ducklings. It would be such a shame to cut up the pattern, so I'll just trace off the pattern pieces that I need and then start putting the toys together. These are planned as christmas presents for my little nieces.

Tapestry sewing trolley case

I found this trolley case at Spotlights marked down from $129 to $29 on the weekend. I've wanted one for a while but I've always been put off by the price and the fact that I wasn't sure whether I'd actually use it, as my sewing machines are all set up at home & I don't sew anywhere else.

Anyway, I have found a use for it. The case was ideal for carrying around all the fabrics and haberdashery that I bought on Saturday. I did have a bit of a spend up at Fabrics Direct (my favourite fabric shop!) So much easier than the awful plastic carriers that tend to break and tear at the handles plus it fits perfectly in the boot of my car.

BJD Elfdoll Lydia's new faceup

Just had to share the photos I received today from faceup artist Meee of my Lydia's new faceup. When Lydia first came to me, she had issues with her eyebrows being crooked and she also had uneven shading around her forehead & temples. Lydia was a seond hand doll and I knew that she had issues with her face. Tiff's done a wonderful job of making her over. I wanted Lydia to have a sweet, sophiscated look and I think Tiff's captured that well. It's impressive how talented Tiff is, I admire the amount of skill that's involved in turning a bjd into a personality!

Patti Playpal

Although I have an authentic vintage Patti Playpal (she's the one in the photo with the shorter hair), I don't like to handle her too much. She's still pretty much original. So I found a reproduction by Ashton Drake locally to do the modelling from now on. (The repro Patti has the longer hair in the photos). Patti is approx 89cm tall. My almost 2 year old daughter thinks Patti is wonderful and has conversations with her, sometimes draping her arm around Patti's shoulders or holding Patti's hand. I guess that's what the Patti Playpal creators wanted when they were first creating this 'companion' doll. It's meant to be like having your own special friend. Can't wait to see what her reaction is when the new Patti arrives.

BJD stockings

Just stopped sewing to check out the roast in the oven and to take some photos of the BJD stockings I've just finished. This time I'm making both 'over the knee' and 'thigh high' stockings. The 'over the knee' style suits the grunge look when they slide down to the calves. The fabric is a printed mesh knit with paisley & spots. My model is a headless Elfdoll Lydia, whose body is still here with me in NZ while her head is in the US getting a new faceup by the talented Tiffany (Meee on Den of Angels).

Queen Ann crochet scarf

For me, there's nothing better than doing a little crochet when the tv's on. I'd seen a few Queen Ann crochet scarflettes on etsy and thought I might have a go at getting the stitch right. This was my first attempt with double knit wool and a number 2.5 hook. I'm very happy with the result plus it grows so fast. When I'm not doing my doll sewing, I'll be experimenting with different wools to see what varying finishes I can achieve. Next thing to do, is work on some crochet flowers for brooches. I'm committed to giving only handmade gifts this Christmas and this scarf is an ideal pressie.

More BJD sewing

Had a quick look through the samples and pulled out all this fabric to make bjd tops and stockings with. Before I can do any cutting out, I'll have to make a trip out this morning to get all my scissors sharpened at Mr Mint's.

The plan is to build up stock for my etsy shop & to sell on ebay. I joined etsy in July 2008 with every intention to get the shop up and running asap. But life has a way of changing and I haven't had the time until now to seriously sew for the bjds. Being realistic, I know that I won't sell as much on etsy as I would on ebay. So I'm
going to leave a basic stock in the etsy store and sell the bulk of what I sew on ebay. In 7 days time, I expect to have both my etsy and ebay sales in place. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Chocolate mug cake

If you love chocolate cake, give this recipe a try:

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract

1 large coffee mug (300ml size is good)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix
thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate
chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts
(high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be
alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

EAT! (this can serve 2)
And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world??Because
now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of
the day or night!