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A Pyjama Party

3/25/2023

Layla's bedroom had undergone some extensive renovations, and it was finally done...

..and the very next weekend, she was allowed to invite all her friends for a sleep over.
Everyone got into their PJs as they arrived..

They all brought along their favourite stuffed friend...

Her friends all loved her new room...

They especially loved her wonderful tent...

But there wasn't a lot of room inside it...

...so they all had to wait their turn...

2 Comments

Another Bedroom

3/24/2023

7 Comments

After making pyjamas for all nine of my small Kaye Wiggs girls...

I decided that they had to have a pyjama party, and one can't have a pyjama party without a bedroom, so that meant I needed a bed. So I asked Jan to make a headboard and foot board. He made both exactly the same, in case I needed two beds, but made a separate riser for one, so it could be a higher headboard for a single bed...

I was going to use two photo prop boxes beside each other for the girl's bed, but it would also be possible to use three boxes for a taller doll. So he made the headboards the width of a photo box, that way I could use them for either size bed.

The headboard was supported between the wall and the prop box, and the footboard was held in place by a toy box.

With the bed made...

...and the whole bedroom...

...complete with a play tent...

*Note - Is it spelled pyjama or pajama? Well, in American English it's spelled pajama, but for the rest of the English speaking world it's pyjama. With leaves Canadians totally confused, using both spellings, although pyjama is the preferred spelling.

7 Comments

the Red Dress

3/23/2023

6 Comments

I had just finished putting together Baron and Naomi's apartment on my dining room table, and wanted to take some photos in it. I had Naomi standing around in her new red gown, which was almost finished, so she posed in her new apartment for me...

In the end, I wasn't happy with the ribbon bow and jewel at the waist, so picked them off, replaced the bow with a gold chain instead, and moved the jewel up to the top of her bodice.
But the photos were so nice I decided to keep them.

6 Comments

Baron & Naomi's Apartment

3/22/2023

14 Comments

With the stories I had planned, I was going to need a room setting for Baron and Naomi's apartment. They lived in one wing of Miho's castle, and up until now had always been in the main common rooms. But now they needed a private space just for themselves. So I decided to create an apartment for them, and it would need a bed. But I didn't want a complete doll bed, as it would take up way too much storage space. So I suggested maybe Jan could make just the headboard and footboard, and then I'd make the actual bed part in between out of photo prop boxes. And while he was at it, I asked him to make a set of headboards for a bed I'd need for a girl's bedroom.

The head and foot boards for Baron and Naomi's bed were made in the same style as the cathedral dividers, and the width of a King size bed...

I also wanted them to have a new banner above their fireplace, so made a pieced wallhanging onto which I painted two peacocks.

I also sewed up two new tapestries from an old table runner I picked up at value Village some time ago, and made throw pillows out of the left over fabric.

I sewed some cream cotton sheets and pillow cases with antique lace edging, and a wine red velour bed cover. The headboard was supported between the wall and the prop boxes of the bed itself, and the foot board was supported with a chest at the foot of the bed.

When the room was finished, I found the peacock wallhanging seemed too bright, so I toned it down with some diluted golden/brown textile paint.

It's always a challenge coming up with a new room setting using all the same old furniture, and I really wanted something new and different. I had picked up a fancy, old, wooden clock casing at Value Village a few years back, and I asked Jan if he could make it into a cupboard for Baron and Naomi's room. So he opened up the circular clock opening, and made shelves to go inside...

After painting the inside, I stood the unit on top of another relatively new cupboard unit to create an entirely new piece....

Then I decided the room shouldn't have the same dark blue drapes as everyone else, so I sewed some new, wine red ones, and put together the window end of their apartment. (The two plates on the tables are for miniature plants, but they only get put there during a photo shoot)

The whole apartment...

And Naomi trying it out...

I'm always on the look out for things I can use for my dolls, and after the set was already taken down, I came across a beautiful, woven shawl at Value Village, which I made into a table cloth for their table, for the next time I need to set up their apartment.

14 Comments

Making Progress

3/21/2023

11 Comments

The baby dragons are coming along. I last shared about them back in mid February when I'd sculpted all their feet. But then I got side-tracked for a month with other projects.

Before moving forward with their legs, they first needed their wings. I wanted them to have a bit of wire supporting them, and didn't want arms and legs getting in the way when I sewed on the wings. So the next step was to design and make the wings.

I wanted the top edge of their wings 'stuffed', but stuffing something so tiny would have been very difficult, so I layered some thin batting along the top edges. Then after stitching, turning, and top-stitching, the wings had a 'stuffed' upper edge...

Then it was time for the arms. I wanted separate fingers for the hands, but really didn't want to try turning tiny, separate, cloth fingers, so I designed the hands without fingers, and stitched beads where the fingers would be. The beads would serve as anchors for the sculpted fingers.

I was going to use Apoxie to sculpt the fingers since it's very strong, but it's very soft and not the easiest to work with, so I just sculpted the thumbs and middle fingers first, and let those cure.

I had also just finished beading the last baby....

Then my sister offered to help sculpt the bases for the remaining fingers, and after those cured, I finished all the fingers...

I attached everyone's wings, then sewed on their arms and legs with button joints. Then they were ready to have their hands, feet, and wings painted, but I couldn't resist posing them for a photo with their parents first.

The next step is to paint their Apoxie feet and hands to match the colour and patterns of their fabric bodies. But I won't be sharing any more photos of the finished babies, until they actually 'hatch'.

11 Comments

A Walk in the Snow

3/20/2023

3 Comments

I bought a Victorian style stroller at a doll show back in October, and it had been sitting on my kitchen table ever since. It needed some work, and I knew I'd be more inspired to do it if it stayed sitting in view. Even if it took months....

Well, when we were expecting that last snowfall, I was thinking of how to take advantage of it, and thought my Victorian family could go out for a stroll, which was just the push I needed to finally address the stroller. I painting the hood gray, sewed a mauve lace liner, and wine red cushions...

Then my Victorian family went out for a little walk in the snow...

Sena was all bundled up, nice and warm in the stroller...

Steve took on the job of pushing the stroller through the snow...

It was wet snow, and perfect for making snowballs...

3 Comments

A New Dress

3/19/2023

9 Comments

I started work on a new dress for Naomi. She will eventually need a high-waisted dress to accommodate her 'baby bump', so I went with something Italian Renaissance inspired.

I chose three red brocades; dark red for the bodice, a red and gold brocade with a woven border for the main skirt, and a brocade with a larger design for the front panel of the skirt.

The biggest challenge were the intricate sleeves, and how to create the look of embellished panels tied over a puffy chemise underneath, but all in one piece.

it took considerable planning, and LOTS of handwork. Each decorative element had to be basted in place first before machine stitching. Then there was lots of hand finishing, and beading.

The bodice and sleeves pinned in place to test the fit...

Then the almost finished sleeves could be sewn into the bodice...

The next step is to sew the underarm seams, and add the skirt.

9 Comments

A Wig for Dominic

3/18/2023

14 Comments

I've spent the past two and a half months working on a story to explain why Baron ends up looking different. In one scene, Dominic enters the room...

...and comforts Miho....

And it hit me just how much I disliked his wig. It was the best I had available when he first arrived, but I had always envisioned him with something else. As an older man, I envisioned him with long, combed back hair, sprinkled with grey. But that is the most difficult kind of wig to make, since the entire front hairline would show, and men have a very distinct hairline. I used to be able to do it on an art doll when the hair was glued directly onto the doll's head, but making a removable wig in that style is a totally different thing.

But since the new story would take place many months after he last appeared at Baron and Naomi's wedding, this was the perfect time to finally address his wig. So I chose a dark brown and grey mohair, and set about making the 'salt and pepper' fringes for his wig.

Then I spent two whole days gluing the mohair onto his wig cap, one tiny bit at a time.

Then I reshot the scenes in the story...

But I still wasn't happy with his wig. The gray was too 'chunky' in areas, and his hair was too 'pouffy' on top. I considered starting all over from scratch, but before I did, I'd have nothing to lose if I played with this one a bit more. So I took a different, warmer gray mohair, and glued wisps of it in place to even out the grey, then worked in a bit of hair gel to tame the top.

Much better!

The wig could still use a bit of trimming, but it was good enough for now.

14 Comments

Picnic on the River

3/17/2023

3 Comments

They finally arrived at the spot Baron had planned to have their picnic. It was a lovely, remote spot out in the river just east of the village of St. Roche des Aulnais...