Mummy Cat and Kittens Finished - Working on Denim Divas.

So the cats are all sewn and stuffed. Boy those skinny tails were a job to stuff. Several versions of stitching, finally decided Mummy cat looks best nice and neat with seams inside. Tried her with felt, like the kittens and  with same fabric as the front, hated both. They are the top two.

I've just put some gathered lace around one or two as I think they remind me of ballerinas standing on their tippy toes.

Lovely smiley faces embroidered free style and using some of the stitches on the machine. Really pleased with the faces. The brooch pins have arrived so I can get these ready for sale now. I will be selling a Mummy, plus one kitten, which will be a brooch. Blogger has turned this picture round how annoying.

Now the Divas have been a bit slower than I would like. Here they are legs part stuffed, faces, dresses and arms all ready. Just have to stuff the arms, stuff the top of the legs and then fit them together. The legs are really long and skinny too, so take an age to stuff. 

I use this stuffing from World of Wool it complies with BS standards for toys and is washable too. Not the cheapest but I find it stuffs easily and goes quite a long way. Plus the company is very efficient. I've just had my 2nd lot and I ordered Wednesday and its been delivered today.  Cheaper stuffing is available but it clumps and is not washable.

Quick mention for my newest follower the lovely Georgia Coote do click on her name and have a look at her super blog. She's really talented at designing fabric!

Now kettle on and back to stuffing. Roll on Christmas I can offer a stuffing service for turkeys. Well a girl has to earn money somehow.

Its Me I'm Back - At Last

Well that was a longer than expected holiday from blog land.  Computer now all working and with new protection and other gizmos thanks to wonderful son!

What's been happening? Lots so quick picture update on makes.

Five Lemon, lace and crochet cushions for the Pop-up Shop. 16 x 16 £18.00 each.

I'm at the Pop-up Shop.

I've sold!

I'm an order. I really enjoyed making the dress for this one!

For a new baby called Pearl. Based on the Tilda Rabbit pattern.

We're new! Makedo Rabbits, made from all the tiny bits of leftover fabric. Based on a pattern from this months Molly Makes magazine. Stripy one on right sold at today's coffee morning. 85 year old lady grabbed her and would not let go, its for her 7th grandson! These were meant to be examples for a class I am leading on Wednesday.

Now exciting news I drove to Leigh on Sea to visit Miss Annabel Dee* Galleries to see if she would take my Naked Tourist  boxes for her Spring Open Exhibition. Oh joy she said yes! Then I told her about my textile art - Retro Divas, they are now in the shop, and the Rabbits and two cushions. So I came away a very happy Artist. Open invite to the show nibbles and drinks on Saturday 30th March 2-6pm, anyone in the area please do come along.

I'm sure I made other stuff, definitely two more large rabbits but I forgot to take pictures. Managed to sew my middle finger left hand with the sewing machine. Did not hurt at all, bit of blood but its sore today. Now who can I sue for this???

Molly is fed up with the snow and cold. We have only had two short walks today.

Hope all of you are well and making lots of art. x Joan

Made this week - Retro Divas and Cushions

Well no posts all week and then you get three from me in one day. Reason its Handmade Monday so I just had to do a post for that. why not pop along and get your makes on there?

This week I have finished two Retro Divas,  Twins I think, one with white detail and the other with black. The black lace is just to die for. Its a fragment of a Victorian veil from a hat. Very delicate and I had to stitch up a hole.

Looking a bit fed up of being poked and posed!!! Oh these two have lace, modern as the Victorian was just too fragile for this, or voile sleeves.

Little ballet slippers with lace edging.

Crochet butterfly in her hair, 1/2 a lace collar as a shawl, with a vintage button broach.

A lovely tatted collar and huge vintage button broach.

We do rear views too.

Made four of these cushions, embroidery from one tablecloth. Surround by blue check another table cloth.

Backs of the cushions, random patch work of the blue check tablecloth and a 1/2 pair of Scandinavian pattern curtains. Lovely blue vintage buttons.

I have really been struggling with making a decent shaped heart. They are made of really small scraps, random patched together. Had a really bad tempered day getting these wrong! First I did not overlap patches enough. Then I did not sew right up to the edge of the patches so they split when I stuffed them. Then I could not sew around the top of the heart and get a neat round shape. I unpicked so many times. Then the hand sewn bit on the side was also a disaster. These look OK in the picture but not up to my standard for sale.

Just so you know I am not perfect and really bad blooper wrong items happen. This is the worst heart ever! Sewed too far down in the dip between the rounded tops. But I have an idea to use this as something else. So next week we will see if I have a new thingy to show you all.

Remember to pop over to Handmade Harbour

Yet Another Day of Retro Divas

Oh boy making things in batches does speed up the work, but makes me feel a bit pressured. So not quite so enjoyable as pottering on at one at a time speed. As these dolls require several changes of thread it does eliminate many changes of bobbin and thread.

Look at those long legs dangling over the edge of the chair!

The cushion is 18 x 18 inches (45c45cm) so you can get an idea of size. The dolls are about 19-20 inches tall standing up.

Hmmm, now I wonder where my hair cam from, yup its some of the leftover cushion fabric.

I try to make each Retro Diva Doll unique, by changing the hair, lipstick, skirts and scarves. All the dresses are 1950's curtains and their arms & legs are some scrap fabric my friend Julie Howe gave me.

An oriental style face makes this one really different. Her boots are made from an old BHS tablecloth.

Butterflies on the cheeks and a choker necklace.

Three stars on each cheek and a pelmet mini. Each skirt is made from a doily - with the middle removed or a piece of lace from a chair back.

These are my attempt at Dolly Doc Martins. My friend Mary likes to wear DM's.

Weekend break now and hoovering up all those threads.

Busy with Retro Divas

This week I have been trying to get a stock of Retro Divas made.

A pair of 1950's girls with vintage doilies for skirts.

Lots of embroidery, done on my machine, on their hair and shoes.

This denim girl is feeling lonely as I sold her sister today. Didn't even get chance to take a picture. She's been snapped up and is now living in my friend Julia's camper van.

Nothing gets wasted, middle of the doily used as a hair decoration.

Close up of the denim diva. I've made the arms a bit longer and soft stuffed them so you can fold them.

Oh and they also now have knees, this really makes them easier to pose, but harder to stuff. You have to leave a small gap at the knee, its easy to forget and then you have to un-stuff a narrow leg!!!

Denim Diva just had to show you how nicely she can cross her legs.

I've got a new tool for stuffing the legs, a wooden chop stick. It's really good, narrow and pointy one end and wider and square at the other. It's also longer than the previous tool, a size 10 crochet hook.

I've got 6 legs and 6 arms stuffed and ready for the next 3 dolls.

Just to let you all know my eyes have responded well to the new drops. I've got into a routine with the 7 doses of drops and am getting better at putting them in my eye and not on my cheek. Tomorrow I go down to 6 doses. Now what shall I do with those few extra minutes?

Thank you all for your messages, prayers and support.

Denim Retro Diva Cloth Doll

My friends do really get me and my obsession with re-use and do not waste! Gilly gave me a pair of leg off cuts from her girls jeans. In need of cheering up I set to to find some fabrics that would "Go" with the jeans.

An old acrylic wool scarf, some red polka dot fabric and also a small doily that escaped the photo shoot.

So I decided to make her in a more relaxed style, with most of the seams on the outside. That seemed to fit the worn nature of the jeans.

I've called her Dee Dee, short for Denim Diva!

Adapted the boots to be a bit more like shoes and kept half the label on the scarf. I've sewn around the scarf to stop it fraying as this is going to be for children of 3+ years and needs to be child friendly.

Little flowers at her wrists.

Two lace hankies in her pockets, which have three kisses on each.

Back view, guess who forgot to put red in the bobbin??? But I think it adds to the unfinished look.

Flowers in her hair.

Standing up so you can see how long her scarf is. The scarf is detachable.

Lovely red lips and 1960's eye liner. 

Hope you like her, I'm going to give her back to Gilly as she's helped me out a lot lately by dog sitting Molly.

I really needed cheering up today. Yesterday was a very hard day. I have been having a lot of trouble with my eyes and vision since 14th August last year. I was driving on that day and it was hot so had car windows open. Something landed in my eye. On 31st August I went to drop in Doctors at our local hospital. Nurse said "Nothing in your eye". Went to Nurse twice at my own Doctors,  over next three months, same response. But she did give me antibiotics (drops) as I had an eye infection. Two weeks ago went to Doctor and saw lady Dr. Its your age you have blepharitus, permanent condition, you are on meds and thrice daily washing of your eyes for rest of. Came away pretty unhappy. But meds and daily washing were just making my eye much worse.

Decided to get 2nd opinion at a new opticians. What an eye opener.. He found the item in my eye. He's cleaned the eye as best he could. Now I have to go to the hospital to have the rest of the metal dug out. Because its been in so long it has actually started to rust!!!! The relief at knowing I was right and not failing due to age was so much that I nearly cried.

Hopefully after tomorrow I will be back to proper eyesight.

The Girls are Strutting Their Stuffing on Etsy

Today's work was listing my lovely vintage inspired Happy Scrappy Dolls on Etsy.

Group Photo

Aurelia

Indie

Petunia

Rose

Florelle

Bless they were good. All that posing and having your bloomers photographed too!