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Next morning I woke with very stiff knees, and after taking one look at the hundreds of stairs up to the lighthouse at Cape Spear, I decided there was no way I'd be able to handle that, so we went on to St. John's. The harbour is always an interesting place...        Leona and Lonnie pose in front of the lupins on the shore of Witless Bay, south of St. John's...   At this point in our trip, I was really starting to feel poorly, so I didn't have the
energy to take doll photos, other than the occasional quick 'hand-held' kind I've been working on some new free patterns, and the first one is finally up. It's a lab coat for MSD size dolls. It was designed to fit an Iplehouse JID, which is one of the 'chunkier' MSD size dolls out there. But it will also look fit on most slim Minis.  When I first started, I used a coat pattern I'd designed for my Doll Leaves Maya, but I forgot that coat was too wide in the back, and rather short. Partway through, I realized my mistake. The lab coat was too wide in the back, and the sleeves and length were too short.  Several people commented that it looked fine, since they'd never worn a well-fitting lab coat. But I will rarely accept 'good enough', so reworked the pattern and started a second lab coat. It was much better. And because I hate to waste stuff, I finished the first coat as well, taking in the back to make it fit better. So now I had two lab coats - one for the scientist, and one for her assistant...  If you have one, or more, dolls who are professionals requiring a lab coat, then this
new pattern tutorial is for you. Just click on the photo above. Visiting the town of Trinity is like stepping back two hundred years in time...    It was July 1st, and the apple trees were in bloom! A whole six weeks later than back at home.  I asked someone if apples actually ripen in such a short growing season, and they said they do, but the apples are ugly and deformed, and are only good for pies and preserves. We also spotted a crabapple tree in bloom....again, six weeks later than back home...   A few more pictures of the kids out on the rocks at Cape Bonavista....    Then the sun came out.....      ...and with the sunshine, the wildflowers opened....   ...and everywhere laundry was hung out to dry....   Look what arrived in the mail this morning! A box of books with one of my photos on the cover...  Back in May I was approached by Emily Asad, an author in Florida, asking for permission to use one of my doll photos on the cover of her new book. She said her novel was about a modern teenager who discovers an enchanted dollhouse that takes human prisoners. She awakens the tiny family and falls in love with the Musketeer. My photo of modern Leona with Musketeer Owen was perfect for her cover, and she was hoping she could use it. So I agreed and sent her a full-size file of the photo she wanted. The books look really great!  The story looks intriguing.... "Zenia Segovia is seventeen, single, and unfairly flunking high school. Life gets even worse when her mother disappears, leaving Zenia to pay bills while managing school and a part time job. At the mansion where she now works, she uncovers an enchanted dollhouse that takes human prisoners and turns them into wooden dolls if they try to escape. Its handsome teen residents begin a competition for her heart. Are they sincere or just bored? Does it really matter? Anything's better than being alone. In order to free her friends, she must confront a young sorceress who doesn't understand why it's so wrong to shrink people. Razor-sharp logic seems like a puny weapon against magic, but solving an ancient riddle could be the key to breaking the curse. If Zenia fails, she'll forfeit her size, freedom, and the future she desperately wants with her new boyfriend. Ultimately, she must decide whether to keep her friends happy...or keep them forever." Emily also included some of her favourite chocolate, but was very concerned that it might melt in transit. I was fully expecting a molten mess, considering how hot it's continuing to be here, so was extremely surprised when the chocolate wasn't even soft! Of course, the package arrived early this morning when the temperature was 'just' 30 C. Maybe postal vehicles are air conditioned? I don't know, but I can't imagine if the parcel was still sitting out in a truck this afternoon. My outside thermometers say it's 36 in the shade, and that's not including humidity. The Humidex is 45 C which translates to 113 Fahrenheit !! We are breaking all kinds of heat records, and the summer is nowhere near over. Thank goodness for air conditioning!!
It was turning out to be a lovely morning at Cape Bonavista. After all the rain the past few days, it was nice to actually go out and explore. The kids spotted a row of small Inukshuks up on the cliffs, so we went to investigate.....      This week I've been reworking a little girl's fancy dance costume into two doll dresses. The original dress had a fancy sleeve-less bodice with spaghetti straps, so it was quite some challenge trying to fit two doll dress bodices out of the little pieces of fabric. But I managed with some creative piecing. The basic dresses are ready to embellish and finish....I just need to choose some models. The dresses are for Kaye Wiggs MSDs, but two of my girls are already busy modelling party dresses....fancy peach ones, that I have yet to photograph.  The skirts are the actual length from the original dress, although I divided the width in half
to make two very full skirts. Now I need to make some matching organza roses from the fabric scraps, find some matching ribbon, and make some fancy hair clips. I was going to change my small dolls into cooler sundresses, since with this never-ending heat wave, it just makes me way too hot to look at them in their tights and long sleeves. But they'd need something to wear under their sundresses. I had a few panties, but needed quite a few more, so started to make some. But then I decided that little girls don't just wear little white undies under dresses anymore. That time has long gone. They are much more likely to wear shorts, or knee-length leggings. So I chose six colours of striped jersey to go with the six sundresses, but I made the leggings too long. I figured it would take just as long to cut the legs shorter and hem them all by hand, as it would to make a whole new pair - and I could always use the longer leggings later with something else - so I made a second, shorter set.....  I still have to finish the undies I started, as well as the white tights
for several party dresses also under construction. It was July 1st, Canada Day, and the rain had finally stopped. The girls put on their maple leaf dresses, Owen blew up some red and white balloons, and Milo got out his big flag, and they all posed for some family portraits in front of the famous red and white lighthouse at Cape Bonavista         |
AuthorMartha Boers is an award-winning Canadian doll maker and costumer specializing in fantasy and historical-style costumes. Archives
April 2025
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