Visit to a Silk Weavers and on my Workbench Today

Stephen Walters is a silk weaving company, quite near to me, in Sudbury, Suffolk, and I've never been before. So today I set out and raided their Factory Shop.

I went a bit quackers. These are colour samples and off cuts.

Some are for ties, some high couture fashion and some upholstery and curtain fabric weights.

Flowers, diamonds, plains and even silk camouflage.

These bags of patchwork fabrics weigh about 2kg.

Some pieces were small, some were a 1 metre or more.

Yet more super patterns. So many I have only shown you 10% 

They also sell the fabric by the metre. My Fab Cycle ladies are going to be buying some of the bags, bet they get a bit feisty over who has what!

On the workbench are Pointy Kitty and kitten, an order.  Cut out and waiting on yet more silk.

This Diva is an order for a customer, she's also on some silks. Partly stuffed, she's being finished tomorrow.

Wednesday was a bit of a dud day as Molly had a reoccurring tummy problem, so a vet visit. She was pretty crook all day, but is better now the medicine has started to work. I'm such a worry guts when she is ill.

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.

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!

Last Doll's before Christmas

Had a really rough week with a bad bout of depression, but determined to carry on making my doll's as they brighten my day. Retro Diva's all finished, well just got to sew on their hankies.

Pompii has sneaked into this group picture.

This is Diva 3, not got names for them yet. A lovely 1950's flowered curtain for her dress and spotty legs.

Such big blue eyes and lush pink lips. 

Diva No 1 A little more demure another 1950's curtain scrap for the dress.

My lovely friend Julie gave me a bag of fabric and most of the hair and legs came from that bag.

Diva no 2 onto the 1960's for this dairy and stripe curtain fabric. She's a bit of a square girl especially in the leg department.

Amazing how you can make a lovely flower hair decoration from the dress fabric. A white damask napkin has been used for the face and arms.

Next it's onto surprise dolls for ???

I seem to get on better with machine embroidered faces, rather than sewing by hand. All their legs and arms are sewn and stuffed. Tomorrow I'll sew up the bodies, stuff and then sew on the legs. Also got to make clothes for them as well. Then hair and find some trinkets to finish them off.

No more posts of these until after Christmas.

Happy Christmas to my band of followers and friends.

x Joan

Indie & Aurelia More Happy Scrappy Dolls

Phew just finished number 5&6 in time for a visit to The Chelmsford Community Pop-up Shop Tomorrow. I hope they are going to have room for me to squeeze these in on my cushions stand. At least the dollies will be nice and comfy there.

Number 5 is Indie as she has lovely blue hair and Indigo is a blue dye.

Here she is sitting on some of my vintage cushions, with Pompii my Teddy bear. I've had him since I was 6 months old. He came to visit the  Ideas Hub last week.

A close up of Indie's face, she has little hearts for her cheeks and cotton bullion fringe for her hair. I think this fringing makes super doll hair.

This is number 6 Aurelia, she has yellow highlights and aurelion is a yellow colour. I have it in my watercolour paints. She's sitting with Blue Ted, I've had him since I was about 2. They are also on some of my handmade cushions.

Aurelia has little bunches - really tassels on furniture fringing. I'm having lots of fun with the fringing you can make loads of different styles with it.

So it's off to be sold for these two and number 3&4. Hope they make someone happy this Christmas.

More Dolls 3 & 4 & Help from the Artists Way

My Happy Scrappy Dolls are coming along. Two sets of clothes made today, finishing touches, hair and faces also completed.

Happy Scrappy Doll 3 is Florelle she has a flowery skirt so took the name from that theme.

 A big lacy bow in her tasseled hair, a blue crochet doily shawl and a little bow button on her blouse.

She also has blue and cream lace hankie and embroidered flowers on her feet.

Next is number 4 Petunia.

A heart pendant has been sewn onto her shawl, which is a drawn thread mat. Her hair is a mix of embroidery silk and a pink crochet doily with with ribbons.

Her dress is a wonderful hand embroidered piece of muslin. It's got a few shabby bits and a hole but the embroidery is just wonderful. Her petticoat is made from a very early lace window panel.

Here they both are sitting on my dresser with the emergency lighting.

This week at The Hub our group that is following The Artists Way by Julia Cameron discussed stopping a habit that is holding us up time wise. The book suggests  - stop reading- but we all agreed that our computers are worse culprits. So I am banned from being on my PC between 8.30 and 18.30 hrs. Failed at lunch time, had to check ebay watched items and play a game of scrabble. Will try harder tomorrow.

I'm going to be demonstrating those Dolly Peg Angels at The Hub, hopefully Heather will remember to email me the times :-)

Very cold here - had to wear my fur ear flap hat, two pairs of woolly socks and Molly was happy to have her coat on too for our walks today.

Little Treasures, Ready for Stuffin' & Clothes

Here are my friends naked and awaiting clothes. They've snuggled up in the cream and white doilies and lace box.

One of them is made from old curtain lining and the other two are damask or linen table napkins. Those lucky two have tablecloth boots with embroidered flowers on.

Some less finished cousins, legs 1/2 stuffed or flat and saggy.

She's finished stuffing them  yesterday. So now some fab scrappy costumes are being made. And she's had some great ideas for hair.

So now I'm sitting on the Little Treasures shelf  which is really an untidy bookcase where she dumps things that she loves.

Must run now as I can hear her coming. Lots of Love 

Bluebell xxx