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My Work Space

8/23/2022

 
Like usual I am busy with a lot of things all at once.  I don't have a dedicated studio. Instead I work all over my house, with all of the sewing taking place in a corner of our living room. Cutting out fabric, and anything requiring paint or sculpting gets done at the kitchen table, and indoor photography gets done in my dining room. Fabrics are sorted and stored in boxes in closets all over the house. There is a photo studio in the basement where all my props, doll furniture, and more fabrics are stored. This is how I've always worked.
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 Standing in my work space are my two newest arrivals; SJ Dominic, who is temporarily dressed as a Musketeer, and is patiently waiting for me to get inspired to make him his own costume; and KW Layla who also needs an assortment of outfits.
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But there's several ahead of them. First my SJ Naomi; I had knit her a sweater for her fall honeymoon, on our recent trip up north (had to unravel it and start over twice). I knit a scarf to go with it, then changed my mind about the colours and started a new one...
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I had envisioned a light blue 'boho' style top underneath, which didn't work out as planned, so it will now be worn over a long skirt as a Medieval 'maternity' gown. It's way too plain, so still needs embroidery and beading. I've cut out a white and a pale blue shirt instead, one of which will hopefully work with her sweater..
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A also still have three House Elves to dress and wig.  I had completed three in time to come on our trip up north, but then there was still Daisy and the Avery twins. 
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So, lots to do......like usual.
Svenja
8/23/2022 08:36:18 am

I like your style (in costumes, photos and interior design:-)

Martha
8/23/2022 11:26:27 am

Thank you!

Dorothy
8/23/2022 01:01:03 pm

I love seeing your workspace. Everything is so orderly. I remember a few years back when you showed all of the dolls in the glass cases.

Now we can imagine you sitting in the pretty floral chair knitting or at the sewing machine. I love that the dolls are watching you sew. Are they dolls that you made? One looks like a Dianna Effner Little Darling.

Over Naomi's shoulder I see the BIDs all lined up. Waiting for their next story.

Thank you for this third installment of behind the scenes photos. I enjoy them so much!

Martha
8/23/2022 01:40:05 pm

The glass cases are in another room - my 'office' which used to be a formal living room. The dolls on the shelves behind the chair are all cloth dolls I made years ago when I was a member of a local doll club, except for one OG play doll which I used as a costume model for my granddaughters' dolls when they were younger. I don't have any Little Darlings. I was never into collecting dolls, other than ones I made myself, and recently BJDs which I buy to make costumes for, and photograph in stories.

Yes most of my BIDs are on the drop down 'bar', and on the bookshelf above that. Except for all the Royal children, who are in the glass case in the other room with their families.

Donna
8/24/2022 08:11:07 am

I love how your living room is truly a room that you live and work in. A room set aside specifically as a studio or sewing room is nice, but being able to work in the spaces your family use every day is really nice. Your sewing corner is a wonderful spot! It is bright and cozy and functional... and handy to everywhere else in the house.

Are all the wicker baskets on the table shelves full of sewing and knitting supplies?

Those little House Elves are the cutest little characters. They will make fun additions to your stories.

Martha
8/24/2022 10:11:32 am

I see photos of other people's work spaces/studios, and most are in the basement or some other unused room with barely any natural light. I like being able to look out the windows at my garden while I'm working. I figure it's my (our) house, so why would I want to hide away in the basement? It's just the two of us, and we rarely ever get visitors, and the ones who do come pretty much just stay in the kitchen. I used to clean everything up when we were expecting our grandchildren over, but it's been three years now since any of them have come here, and now that the pandemic is mostly over, our daughter's family stays at our son's place five minutes away. when they come.

The six wicker baskets have assorted stuff. The one on the upper right (in the photo) has my most used items, like containers to pour beads into for when I'm beading, bags with cards of snaps, bags with tiny doll buttons, eyelets, tiny elastics for hair, and small plastic bags.

The one in the middle bottom has bags of specialty beads; one bag with baggies of small metal rounds, a big one with metallic and pearl seed beads, and a bag full of containers with the tiniest 2mm seed beads.

Fabrics are stored all over the place, in boxes sorted by kind and colour. There's eight big boxes in the front door coat closet, ten behind one of the French doors of the dining room, three with ultra-suede in an upstairs bedroom, and everything else in a huge walk-in closet in the basement. The plain cottons are in one of the lower cupboards of my sewing desk. I pretty much know where everything is.


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    Author

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