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The scillas are in bloom, so we went to check out the field on the town-line last week. The flowers are blooming, but there's so much dead dog-strangling vine covering most of them, that it proved challenging to take photos. Plus, the sun was low to the west, which is also very restrictive. Anyways, I did take a couple of photos of Bianca.....      I'm working on a Victorian outfit for Steve, so he can step back in time with Isis and their kids. I did some research and it seems men often wore striped pants in the Victorian days. I had the perfect black fabric with a woven-in stripe for his pants. But I decided I'd better wash the fabric first so the black dye wouldn't transfer to the doll. When I went to hang up the fabric, I noticed it was full of holes. It was VERY old fabric, and since I'd always had it folded double, I'd never noticed the holes before. Then a friend suggested that black dyes can be very hard on a fabric and make the fibres disintegrate over time. So, that fabric was out!! So we went to Fabricland in hopes of finding some other fabric that would do. Jan found a nice narrow, dark gray and black stripe. It was going to have to do. I made the pants using my blue jeans pattern. It fit very nicely, but it immediately made me think Steve looked like a 'jailbird', or like he was wearing pajama pants.....especially with his underwear sticking out....  Well, that definitely called for some creative photos.....     And for those who are always curious about my photo set-ups....  Now he needs a shirt. Hopefully that will make him look more like I envision him.
Going back to Victorian times, my Isis is trying to get her daughter Nyssa, and niece Holly, ready to go out for a Sunday stroll....  Holly has put her hat on, and is all set to go....  But Nyssa is dawdling....  'What's the problem, honey?"  "There's no room left in the buggy for my doll...."  Two of my granddaughters brought along a doll this morning, and wanted to take doll photos outside. It had just started raining, but I had dolly umbrellas, so out we went....     Teagan helping secure Rachel's doll...   And after we came back in, and everyone was dried off, Rachel helped set up a 'playroom'...  Asa called Byuri into the room....  "Effie, this is Byuri, my daughter..."  "Byuri, I'd like you to meet Effie. She's my newest student. Her family just moved into the neighbourhood..."  "Hi! So nice to meet you!"  "It's nice to meet you too!"  "We just moved into that house down the street..."  "We are almost neighbours! Maybe you'd like to come over some time."  My Asa is an opera star, and when she's not performing as the 'Queen of the Night', in the 'Magic Flute', she gives singing lessons. Well, a new little girl named Effie recently moved into the neighbourhood, and she loves to sing, so her parents sent her for some more advanced training ...            Spending a quiet day today, since we had the big joint 'April birthdays' party, the weekend before last for the five family members with birthdays this month. Jan baked all the cakes, while my sister made the fondant toppers for four of them.... A Penguins puck for grandson Brady, who was turning 15, a toy camera for our youngest son Mikey, who was turning 32, a big Sun Showers hibiscus flower for me, and a curling stone for our eldest son, Chris, who was turning 40....  ....and a Thomas train cake for grandson Andrew for his 8th birthday....  The rest of us.....Brady, Mikey, me, and Chris.....with his forty candles blazing....  Chris insisted that he had to have FORTY candles, so my sister tied forty candles together..... ..it was a miracle it didn't set off the smoke alarm!  ...and one more look at that amazing fondant hibiscus flower on my cake....  So, what am I doing today?? Well, first of all Fabricland had all it's ribbon hanks on sale for just 59 cents (regularly up to $7. each), and even though I have hundreds of spools of ribbon, I never seem to have just the right colour, so we went and stocked up on colours and widths I don't have - mostly purples, pinks and blues. Now I just have to make cardboard spools to wind them all onto.  I also bought some dye. Years ago I bought lots of cotton crinkle gauze, and because I thought I was going to be making 'lots' of fairy costumes, I mostly bought bright and lighter colours - two or more metres of each - and just one metre of colours like navy, wine, dark green and brown. Well, all those darker colours have long since been used up for Fantasy costumes, and they never sold the crinkle gauze again after that first year long ago, and I still have a box full of the bright colours, so I figured why not just dye them?? So I've been dyeing this afternoon.
I also bought some black suiting fabric. I decided my group of Victorian ladies needed a gentleman to complete the group. Which means he'll need a black morning coat, some trousers, a shirt, vest, cravat, and a top hat. Not exactly what I had been planning on making next, but so be it!! My 'Fun-size' Rex arrived today. He is Special Real Skin on the new Model body. He came with an Iplehouse face up, and they gave him some lovely light blue eyes. I had thought I'd put him into Lawrence's tux, but when I tried it on him, it was rather big on him. At least the shoulders were too wide, and the collar too loose. The new Model body is quite a bit smaller than the original Hercules body. It's a bit shorter too. So, I thought, if he's that much smaller, maybe he'll fit into a JID outfit. The only spare one I had was Owen's musketeer outfit, so figured I'd try it. It actually fit Rex. The length of the sleeves and jacket could be a little longer, as could the belt that holds the sword, and the hat is way too big, since FIDs have considerably smaller heads. But otherwise it wasn't bad. I borrowed Lawrence's wig, and took some photos...   Then I took him outside for some more pictures....  
 It's clear Rex is more comfortable as an Adventurer, and in period clothes. I'm in the process of making a wig cap, and it looks like I better make two, so that he can have a shorter and a longer hairstyle. He also needs darker hair than Lawrence, whose wig he's borrowing.
Today was the annual Greater Toronto Area Doll Show, over in Oakville. I always make a point to go, as there's only TWO doll shows left within reasonable driving distance (an hour each way). I also try be there right at opening time so I don't miss out on anything. The first thing I spotted was a lovely Victorian sofa. I've always wanted one, so grabbed it immediately.  I also scored a spinning wheel for Willie, some tiny doll stands, some brown mohair, two cute little porcelain dolls, a carpet bag, and a length of lovely, white cotton lace. Not bad at all!!
I've been very busy the past week trying to update all my photos, creating new albums and posting everything in Favourite Photos 2018. I've created 17 new albums. The Artist series took 12 albums all on it's own, starting with Narae moving into her new studio, working on her paintings, and running six art classes, and finally culminating with her Art Show. Each album links to the next.
Aaron's party is there too, as are all the photos of Willie. There were so many photos with her, that I had to start a second album. I expect there will be several more this year, as she's just so much fun to photograph. Usually I post the thumbnails with links here in my Blog, but with so many new albums, it's better if you just go to Favourite Photos up in the header, then click on Favourite Photos 2018, and they'll all be there. The only album I've not completed yet is the one introducing Effie, so that thumbnail doesn't open yet. That should hopefully come this week. |
AuthorMartha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes. Archives
May 2025
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