Antique Lilac
  • Home
  • for Sale
  • Galleries
  • Favourite Photos
  • Tutorials
  • Blog
  • Links
  • Books

Harvesting Dandelions

5/25/2018

0 Comments

 
Knowing that all the dandelions were completely free of weed-killers and other poisons, Willie decided she wanted to make some dandelion wine. So several of her friends offered to come along to help her gather the flowers....
Picture
Willie climbed up into the cart and packed down the flowers, as everyone brought them...
Picture
Picture
Nami and Winston picked large armloads.....
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Dandelions Everywhere

5/25/2018

1 Comment

 
Ever since the government banned herbicides and weed-killers a few years back, the dandelions have been taking over, and each spring there's more and more of them. Parks and boulevards, or anyplace that gets mowed regularly, become a carpet of yellow each spring.

Personally, I think it looks beautiful, and nowhere more so than down along the lake last week...
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
1 Comment

Tillie and the Unicorn

5/22/2018

0 Comments

 
A few photos of Tilly and the Unicorn in the forget-me-nots....
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Kids in the Rain...

5/22/2018

4 Comments

 
It was the Victoria Day long weekend here, and we went to Windsor to visit our daughter's family, and our two youngest grandchildren.  It wasn't the best weather, with lots of rain the first day, but it was warm, so no one seemed to mind..........after all, children and puddles just go together...
Picture
Picture
"My boots are filled with water!"
Picture
Elliot discovered that umbrellas make great boats....
Picture
Then back again, in the evening, after the rain.....
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
4 Comments

Another Flower Fairy

5/18/2018

4 Comments

 
I finished Tiny Talyssa's fairy costume last night, so took her out in the garden for some photos...
Picture
Talyssa always reminded me of my niece's daughter. Not only did she resemble her, in my opinion, but she always had her bangs in her eyes in much the same way too. 

Unfortunately the doll's head is shaped like a 'jelly bean' in that it is very high and round, with nothing much in the back.  So this wig did not fit well at all.  I ended up having to cut a lot off the bangs, and then trim them some more. They ended up sticking way out, so I had to use hair gel to hold the bangs down (with plastic wrap over her head to protect her face up). The wig still keeps slipping forward, since there's nothing in the back to hold it in place. I ended up making her a 'flower fairy' hat to help minimize her very high head.

​Then I took her outside for some Flower Fairy photos....
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
4 Comments

the Children

5/17/2018

1 Comment

 
Continuing with my series of Victorian portraits, finally one with just the children....
Picture
...and in colour....
Picture
1 Comment

a Sailor Suit

5/16/2018

1 Comment

 
The final outfit in the Victorian collection, was the little sailor suit.  I struggled with trying to figure out whether to make the opening of the top at the front or the back.  Both had their advantages and disadvantages, but the outfit would be very small, and I wanted to keep 'bulk' to a minimum.

So I finally decided to make the top open at the back, which wasn't 'historically accurate', but sometimes ease of sewing, and the final look are more important (lesson learned from the coat).  I stitched the striped neck insert onto the navy blue top, all the way around the neckline.  
Picture
Then I made the collar as a separate unit. I decided against attaching it on one side only and using snaps on the other, since it might look uneven. The entire collar would be separate.

I designed it so the front 'points' would not come to a sharp point, but a little wider blunt one, so that I could better hide tiny snap fasteners under them. The collar is lined, sewn all the way around, leaving an opening at the back neckline, so it could be turned right side out. After clipping the corners and curves, and turning it right side out, I stitched the back opening closed, pressed the collar, sewed some wider silk ribbon under the points, for the ties to make into a bow, and sewed tiny black snaps at the collar points on top of the ribbon, and on the front of the top. I used black snaps so they'd not stand out against the navy blue. I thought it worked quite well...
Picture
Of course, now I have to pay attention that his collar is centred around his neck, which I didn't do in this photo.  Or I could sew a snap under the back of the collar to hold it in place.
1 Comment

Another Little Fairy

5/16/2018

3 Comments

 
It's been seven months since my tiny Talyssa arrived with her broken finger.  I've been feeling very frustrated because the new hand that I was promised back then, has never arrived, even though I've asked about it several times. I did glue her finger back on and covered the join with a tiny bandaid, but I've not felt inspired to play with her or take photos since that very first day....
Picture
Anyways, I decided to try get over my funk, and make something new for her, in hopes of getting my enthusiasm back. My other two Kaye Wiggs tinies - Cinnamon and Tillie - are currently fairies, so that's what she should be as well.  So that means making a fairy costume...

I found a big silk flower at Value Village a while back, and bought it for the petals, which I thought would be nice for a fairy outfit. So that's what I'm using....
Picture
The flower petals are very nice, but they only come down halfway to where I want the skirt length to be, so I'm sewing narrow strips of petal from another part of the silk flower, onto the pale pink underskirt, hoping it will tie the two together, plus give the flimsy tricot skirt some more fullness....
Picture
The wings were made yesterday, and are ready to put together....
Picture
3 Comments

Steve's Coat & Hat

5/15/2018

3 Comments

 
It's obvious by now that I figured out how to redesign Steve's Victorian cloth coat. I took a close look at my FID Tuxedo to see how Iplehouse makes such a perfect, small, lined jacket, and tried some of their techniques, leaving the lining loose inside around the armpits. It worked perfectly....
Picture
Then he needed a walking stick and a top hat. I made the hat out of cloth-covered cardboard, with black leather trim, using a technique I learned years ago at my sister's doll club. The outside turned out really nice, but it's a mess on the inside. However it will do for now.

I was surprised at how big the hat opening had to be. Iplehouse JIDs are not scaled down humans, but are proportioned like 'dolls'. Which means they have a large head. Then add in the thickness of the wig, and the opening had to be huge. I was concerned the hat would look WAY too big...
Picture
​"You sure have a big head, Dad!!"
Picture
3 Comments

the Colour Versions

5/14/2018

3 Comments

 
And because I know everyone is dying to see what the dolls look like in colour ....
Picture
Picture
Picture
3 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Author

    Martha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes.
    Read More... 

    Archives

    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.