I'm continuing with my two little Celtic outfits. I'm at the point where everything is very labour-intensive, so it doesn't go very fast. The embroidery on the tunics is almost done, and I'm in the process of sewing on the bead 'studs'. It's nice these tops are way too small a scale for real studs, since sewing on beads is a lot easier on the hands, and it's also a lot faster.
The morning we visited Vilano Beach, it was heavily overcast, and the ocean was very rough. Perfect for some doll photos! The sand here on the Atlantic Ocean was a golden colour, and the beach was covered with huge swaths of golden seashells. Some of the girls went looking for shells. I've started a second Florida Trip album. The first was getting a bit big, and there were still too many photos to add. You can see the second album by going to Favourite Photos 2014, or clicking on the photo above. Photos from places I've not featured here on my Blog are not in the albums yet. Neither are all the photos from Navarre Pier. With those photos being around the midway point, I'm waiting to see which album turns out bigger, and then will add those photos either to the end of Florida Trip , Part 1, or to the beginning of Part 2.
I'm continuing with my two little Celtic outfits. I'm at the point where everything is very labour-intensive, so it doesn't go very fast. The embroidery on the tunics is almost done, and I'm in the process of sewing on the bead 'studs'. It's nice these tops are way too small a scale for real studs, since sewing on beads is a lot easier on the hands, and it's also a lot faster. The snow is almost all gone, and my early crocuses are in bloom, so maybe spring is finally here. Yesterday I thought I'd try take some photos of my crocuses in the shade. Problem is, they only open in bright sunshine. So I had to wait until late in the day when the house first started to cast a shadow over them.....then be quick, as they were already starting to close for the day..... Of course one thought led to another, and I went to get my little mice, and some props..... I had had my mice out because I'd bought some cute props for them on the weekend. We had gone to the plant nursery just to be inspired by the sight of some lovely spring flowers, and they had a whole new display set up of items for setting up your own 'Fairy Garden'. Of course, being just the right size for my mice and smallest dolls, several items followed me home - some tiny lawn furniture and a beautiful garden gate - and I hope to make a lot of use of them in future photos. But first I need to make some colourful cushions for the tiny furniture to liven it up a bit. They are by Giftcraft, which is a wholesaler, but you can see everything they have available HERE
In Naples Florida, I came across a palms and bamboo that were sprouting tiny baby plants at their base, just the right size for my little girls. So Nami and Byuri came out for some photos.....
Actually, they remind me of Celtic Girl Scouts who haven't earned their full uniforms yet. I decided to take a photo of how far I am with my two Celtic KID outfits. The easy stuff is done - tights, underdresses with beaded necklines, necklaces and cloaks. The cloaks need to be soaked, then dried on the doll so they dry with the proper draping. The bottoms of the cloaks and dresses also still need staining. I've decided that in order to reduce bulk, I'm going to make the wrist-guards first, then knit the 'chain mail' sleeves to fit between the armholes of the underdress and the wrist guards. Then sew it all together into a one-piece 'sleeve' that laces up above the wrist. But first, I need to draw up the patterns for the tunic and skirt, and get them started.
Both these places were 'one shot wonders', places good for just one quick 'tourist' shot. The first was taken at the public beach beside the bridge at Destin on the Panhandle. It was a hot, sunny day, and the beach was crowded with people, so I figured this was the only shot that would work... In the Keys it was way too hot to take doll photos (let alone get out of the air-conditioned RV)
so I just managed this one 'tourist' shot with Byuri and Lonnie posing in front of the Big Fish out front of a scuba equipment rental shop on Marathon Key.... One evening we were exploring Beauport, South Carolina, and the gorgeous old houses in the historic district, and we stopped at a small park to make some dinner. I thought it might be a good place for some quick doll photos, so out came Lonnie and her bike..... I've started two Celtic Maiden costumes in Iplehouse KID size. It's interesting making the outfits in such a small size. I'm using Lonnie and Peach as models, and expect they'll look very cute in the costumes. These will be the absolute last in the Celtic series, and I just hope there's enough silver crochet thread to make two sets of sleeves. In fact, I better start knitting them to find out, as there's no point continuing with the second outfit if there's not enough thread.
I love the Navarre Pier! It's at the end of the developed portion of the Gulf Islands at Navarre, where the rest of the island to the east is National Seashore and Air Force land. The pier juts way out into the Gulf of Mexico, it costs $1 a day, and is full of fishermen with all their carts and gear. They can fish there all day as long as they keep their lines away from the sea turtles and dolphins swimming by below. Going out on the pier is a wonderful way to see the coast, with it's beautiful white beaches and turquoise water. Nami and Byuri came out with us, and we saw lots of dolphins swimming by. There was also a great blue heron looking for handouts of fish or bait.
The Gulf Islands along Florida's Panhandle have some of the most beautiful beaches of pure white sand stretching for miles, all the way from Alabama to Panama City. Most are taken up by hotels and resorts, but there are a few stretches which have been left in it's natural state, and those make up the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Because we could park right along the beach, it was possible for all five dolls to come out and enjoy the late day sun. It's always a challenge with that many dolls, and even more so in the sun, as they really shouldn't be out in the sun at all, so there wasn't a lot of room for creativity - just some quick photos, then get the dolls back in the shade. All the photos from this shoot have been added to the Florida Trip album. (click on photo above)
Today I get to start a Celtic costume for a KID. It will be a challenge making it for such a small doll. Everything needs to be scaled down in order to work. I have to redesign the patterns, making them a lot smaller. Patterns are not fun, so I think I'll start with tights and the under-dress, as they can be made with existing patterns. And now for a completely different kind of garden. On the second day along the Gulf, we visited the estate of Coca-Cola bottler Walter Bellingrath. Back in 1918 it was just a fishing camp on the Fowl River south of Mobile, Alabama. Walter and his wife "turned the property into a work of art", and opened it to the public. It is supposed to be most beautiful in spring, but spring was late this year, so not much was in bloom while we were there. But we made the best of it..... Elin and Byuri came along to explore.... I've started a Trip album which includes all the doll photos from each of the places visited on my Blog so far. I will add more each day after posting a few here first. Just click on the last photo above to see all the photos. I suspect there will be too many photos for just one album, so will have to start a new one at some point.
I'm trying to get back to work, but it's going slow, as there's still much to sort and put away. There's also some loose ends to tie up. Like taking studio photos and making Gallery pages for the four new outfits worn to Florida. Also, I discovered Bonnie's lovely purple sweater and dress set she's been wearing all winter, has never been documented either. Then I really need to make an effort to clear out my last commissions - there's still 6 commissions waiting from before I stopped taking them. The first one is a Celtic outfit for an Iplehouse KID. It will be interesting making that outfit so small. I went through my box of tartans and there's very few with small enough plaids. The fabric store didn't have anything suitable either, so we went to Value Village, and there were plenty of men's shirts with nice small plaids to be had there. I'm also having a sale of everything still on my For Sale page. Many items have been there for some time, so I've marked everything down. For today's post I've decided to skip to Magnolia Plantation, which was the last place we visited on out trip. The Plantation near Charleston has the oldest gardens in the USA, having been planted over 300 years ago when the original house was built. I dressed Lisa in a Victorian outfit to better go with the historical property, and since it was the only time I took anyone along in anything other than modern clothes, the photos taken of Lisa in the gardens make a nice single unit all their own. So here she is, Lisa as a lovely young Victorian lady, exploring the beautiful plantation gardens...... I've processed all the photos of Lisa at Magnolia Plantation, and have created a Favourite Photos Album for them. You can go directly there by clicking on the last photo above.
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AuthorMartha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes. Archives
May 2024
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