November already.

The holiday rush never ceases to catch me off-guard. Suddenly things are blowing up and orders are coming in and I'm fielding inquiries and it's just so crazy! Every year I think "I'll get an earlier start next year -- build up some shop stock . . . it'll be fine next year. I'll be prepared." And then WHAM-O! It seems the holiday rush starts a little earlier every year, too.
And on that note - I am deep in the throes of Holiday doll-making!
Zero hour (last chance to ship pre-Christmas) is just 10 weeks away, and I have 9 orders to fill between now and then. Some of them I can share with you as they are completed. Some of them I won't to maintain the surprise factor for customers who prefer to be surprised.

Delivery is already underway for holiday orders. There was the pink spotted puppy.

And there was a local delivery of a soft-sculpture doll.

And just today, I finished up Clara:

Clara was all too happy to pose for the camera this morning.
Doesn't she look great in her mermaid style skirt?

 I'm very much looking forward to the reactions of all these kids when they get their new friends!

With helpers like these . . .

Sometimes I'm surprised I can get anything done in the course of a day.
I have two small, creative, inquisitive children. Sweet Pea (age 3) wants to help. With everything. All the time. Sometimes that works out nicely - like the day I was wrestling the baby into bed for his nap and she tidied up the kitchen and rinsed the dishes for me. All without being asked to. Sometimes it doesn't work out so well. Like when she decides she'd like to cut something, or re-organize my work basket, or what have you. And then there's Boober (9 months) who is just into everything, and on everything, and climbing and grabbing and oh my goodness!!

In spite of all the helpfulness, I do manage to complete things from time to time. And we seem to go through cycles. Right now the kids are feeling co-operative, independent, and gracious. This week, I've completed 2 dolls. Photographing them, however, was a bit of a challenge. And in a few days, weeks, or (heaven help me) hours, they may be feeling more clingy, needy, or wantful. And then the whole thing will come to a stand-still.

What's that saying? Make hay while the sun shines? I intend to!

So let me show you what's been going on around here. I have 3 dolls to introduce to you.

First up is Becky. She's a 10 inch jointed Waldorf style doll.

She reminds me very much of a good friend of mine.
I love the low lights and highlights in her hair -- it really turned out great! And this outfit is just awesome on her!

And then I did something new and a little bit different. One of my fans pointed me towards Dinky Baby. And it turns out the proprietor of Dinky Baby, Vicky, is a super human being. As she says, it's the talent of the doll-maker that really pulls the doll together - she made the pattern, but the doll-maker makes the doll. The dolls are permitted to be sold. So I ordered some patterns, and got to work!

Here's the first one. A 14 inch, soft-sculptured cutie. He wears a newborn diaper, and can wear a modified onsie, although I'm not too crazy about the fit. I'll work on something else for these dolls to wear, I think.

Because this was the first, the sculpting took a whole afternoon, and most of a spool of thread. Well worth it though -- look at that detail!

Boober was pretty interested in helping out with this photo shoot. Or, more accurately, he was interested in swiping the baby for cuddling. It's tough to get your shots when you're dodging grabby little baby hands!

And then, since that one went so well, I made another one! Only this one is much smaller -- just 8 inches. All those futzy little bits just about made me crazy!  But, well worth it, I feel. She's so sweet.

This little girl wears a cloth diaper, a nice soft velour hat, and crocheted booties. She even comes with her own blankie. 

 Here she is, showing off all of her sculpting -- which took significantly less thread this time!

I can't decide which part of these babies is better -- the wee toes, or the little buns!

Busy, busy, busy

Between home life, 2 wee kids, and gearing up to apply for a guest artist spot at the Stitch & Kitsch I haven't had a lot of free time lately. That's why it's a kind of a big deal that I have this new and exciting thing to share with you. The package arrived on Thursday. I read and prepped it all on Saturday. Today I was able to put the finishing touches together. And tomorrow, I'll photograph and share!

August clothing

I've been asked - more than once - for clothing to fit my dolls. This presents an interesting challenge for me. Typically, when I outfit a doll, I make their clothes to fit them perfectly. Making something 'stock' as it were - well, that's new for me.

So I spent some time thinking about new designs, cut out a few things, mulled it over again . . . and I went for it. Today I put the final touches on 9 outfits, and photographed them.

Modeled by Cerise, Grace and Sweet Pea's own princess. She burst into tears when the words 'for sale' crossed my lips. I had to assure her over and over that I meant the outfits, not the doll. I didn't realize she was so attached to her!

This is where I turn to you for help. I am willing to offer these outfits for sale provided the price is right. That said, I have no idea what a reasonable price would be. If you have input, visit the Facebook fan page and leave your comments on the album!

Introducing Jewel . . . or Rebecca . . . or something else.

The finished product of our 'process' series, this is Jewel AKA Rebecca, AKA whatever J decides to name her. I like Jewel - suits the hair, I feel. Jewel is a mixed rainbow 14" Waldorf doll. She has fair skin, and brown eyes. Her jeans are made from a pair of Sweet Pea's pants that developed a hole. They were one of my favourite pairs of her pants . . . I salvaged the buttons for later use, too.

I'm especially fond of her shirt, and the adorable shoes. I don't know why I don't do shoes more often.

Currently, I'm working on a big clothing upload. Stay tuned for lots of pretties! Here's a sneak preview:

The process continues

When we left J's new buddy, she was nothing but a set of arms and a head. She's come a long way since then.

After attaching the arms to the head, the whole thing is assembled in a marathon of hand-sewing. When it's done, it looks a lot like this:

There's more hand-stitching to do at the ankles and the hips. I like to add a belly button - an outie just like my little son.

Next up, one of my favourite parts -- the face! Features are first marked with pins

Then embroidered in place

Finally, the hair is added. This girl's hair is only half done - I'll be finishing it and adding the final touch (blush) in short order. Next time you see her, she'll be finished!

The process . . .

Currently, I'm neck-deep in a rush order custom doll. The good news is I'm pretty interested to see how she looks at the end, so it's a job I want to do quickly. So far, it's all going very well - bed time for the kids last night was pretty rough, so I'm not as far along as I had hoped this morning . . . I lost some precious hand-sewing hours last night. PLUS SYTYCD. That results show was a real nail biter for me. No working while being nervous for my favourite dancer (Tadd - yeah, I know he's unlikely to win, but I really like his style!)

As part of this order, I've been asked to take photos of the process. This is intended to give J (the giftee) a glimpse into the making of her one of a kind friend. I was going to make an album on Flickr -- but then I thought why not let everyone see?

It all starts with the head. Here's a head pre-skin.

I've heard it said that getting the shape of the head just right is the trickiest part of Waldorf doll making. I'll agree to that. That, and getting the stuffing to the right firmness without lumps, bumps or breaks. It's difficult, and it takes a lot of practice.

Once the head is tied and shaped, and you're happy with how it looks - it's time to put the skin on.

 

There is some detailing to do, to clean up your working surfaces - in this case, it's mostly done. 

Now to attach the arms!

I've got them pinned, and waiting for stitching in this photo. Thanks to a lengthy simul-nap, the arms are now stitched in place.

I'll continue to post process pics as I go along. Keep watching!