It seems like I've been working on the dresses from the Indian skirt forever, but the first one is finally done. The second one is almost finished as well, but with rain in the forecast for the next few days, and the scillas quickly growing past their prime, we went to take a few photos this evening... Working with the Indian skirt and sari proved far more challenging than I ever expected. I thought they looked so beautiful, and would make gorgeous doll dresses, but I didn't really look that closely. As nice as the good sides were, the back sides were a total mess. I don't know if the people who make these don't care about the quality of their work, or if it's normal for the wrong sides to be such a mess. I spent days trying to fix all the loose threads and embellishments, and all the loose thread ends. Mostly I used Gem Tack glue, as it dries clear matte, and is washable. The wrong sides of the embellishments is now a LOT neater, but there's a limit to what I was prepared to do. I had a sari in pink and blue, that perfectly matched the colours of the dresses, so decided to make shawls to complete the ensembles. But again, lots of loose threads to glue down, and the fabric was extremely flimsy, and proved rather difficult to work with. Anyway, the second gown, which is pretty much identical, still needs the eyelets inserted up the back, and I have to make the second 'shawl'. And hopefully take some more pictures.
With company over, and three birthdays to celebrate on the weekend, I didn't bother to take any new Easter themed photos. Until today. We're trying to grow our own 'sea of blue' in our backyard grass, but it goes slowly, getting a bit more each year. It's nowhere near as dense as along the towline, but at least there's no dog-strangling vines. I thought the flowers fit best scale-wise with my larger dolls, so I took Izzy in her chickie dress, as my subject.....along with some ducklings......
With Benny finally dressed, it was time for a photo shoot of her little family. So we went to the lake
Yesterday i finally finished the sweater I've been working on, for what seems forever. I've never had so much trouble making a doll sweater. It started out intended to be for Izzy, but after having to restart 3 or 4 times I gave up on that, and just dressed Izzy in something else.
There were so many issues, and redoing of whole rows, I was seriously concerned it would even turn out. But I got it done, and it look good on Benny. So success! Now to make a matching hat. When I started with Asa's dress from an old Indian skirt, I didn't realize just how bad the damage was around the bottom of the skirt. These Indian outfits, with all their embroidery and beading, look amazing on the right side, but the backside is a mess. Long loose threads everywhere! And a lot of beading loose and dangling. Well, it couldn't be used that way, so I've been trying to fix it.
The bottom row was especially bad, so I just removed it all. Everywhere else, the loose threads were pulled to the back, and if they were long enough I'd thread them onto a needle to finish them with a knot. But all the short threads were glued down with my trusty 'Gem Tack' glue. It's washable when dry, so i figure it would be perfect for permanently securing the threads so the tails can be clipped off. It took all day, but it's finally done. Now I have to redo all the beading in the bottom row of embroidery.... Saw this great quote superimposed on the picture of a grimacing toddler, on Facebook,
and decided to make my own version.... Elin and Ringo set to work on their artwork.... Elin was intent on capturing all the little details.... Ringo was more interested in just painting a blue and a green bird.... Bonnie, who was an exceptional artist, chose to work with watered down acrylics.... She perfectly captured every little detail....
April 8th was National 'Draw a Bird' Day, so I set up the easels, got out the paint smocks and art supplies, and asked who wanted to give it a try. Bonnie, Elin and Ringo jumped at the chance. I made a little branch stand so their budgies would have a place to perch while the children drew portraits of them... Elin decided she wanted to use crayons for her drawing... They took a good close look at the two budgies before starting their drawings....
The morning snow was all gone by noon, and by the time the kids came home from school
there was nothing left of Efreet's snowman but a few soggy piles of melting snow.... |
AuthorMartha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes. Archives
March 2025
|