Asa's Eagle Hat

I finished Asa's Eagle hat this morning. Jan cut the tiny bits of abalone shell for me last night - four for the decorative collar, and two very tiny circles for the eyes. I varnished the inside of the hat with matte varnish in order to protect the seams in the wall-paper, but I decided against varnishing the outside of the hat since the 'matte' still has a bit of shine, and it would be a lot easier for photography without it. I glue-gunned the Eagle parts onto the hat, and a bit of hot glue ended up seeping out underneath to the front. Shine alert!!  A bit of the matte varnish over the glue cut the shine right down so it's almost invisible now.

Now that the native outfits are done, I need to figure out some doll stands for photography. Regular doll stands are too blatantly obvious and hard to hide - plus they blow over in strong winds. I've made "stick-in-the-ground" stands which work very well in soft ground, but what about rocky surfaces?  I'm thinking some kind of adjustable wire support attached to a sturdy wire tri-pod. I have a huge collection of wire coat-hangers, so it's time to experiment.

But first, I want to remake the last of my 'heirloom' baby dresses. The violets are in full bloom, and still nice and short, and the crab-apple petals are starting to flutter down, so it's time for the annual Kaye Wiggs Tea Party.  Hope needs a party dress, so I better make her one - fast.