Dottees!

Dollstreet Dreamers are doing a Dottee swap and I thought seeing as I haven't participated in any swaps for yonks I'd join in the fun.
I had no idea what to do with them at first so I did faces first. I tried to go outside what I usually do and did big exagerated features. BIG eyes and BIG lips. Then I had some fun doing free motion embroidery making lacy fabric. I have been itching to try that for ages but not had a good project to do it on. A bit of white fluffy yarn and suddenly my Dottees were looking like little Eskimos. So they became Snow Spirits. Seems a bit daft making Snow Spirits when it's +19 C outside, brilliant sunshine and the daffodils are flowering but to my defens, it WAS snowing when I started them a week or two ago! :O)

Sock Faeries galore...

I'd held my first dollmaking class at a quilt fair this autumn just past and even though a few of the die hard quilters that organized the fair had initially turned their noses up at having a class that had nothing to do with quilting it was a succes. I was soooooo nervous never having held a dollmaking class before but it went fine and both I and my students had a great time. To cut a long story short I got invited to do another class a few moths ago in a small Swedish village called Smålandsstenar (try to say that quickly if you can!!!).

Still a few preclass nervs but once I got going all was fine. As usual my faithful companion (mum) came with me. She is needlesculpting a foot in this photo. Mum is getting pretty good at needlesculpting. She has made a Sock Farie too but mostly she quilts, LOTS!

The thing that never ceases to amaze me is how 9 people, all using the same pattern, can get dolls that have som much character bet yet look so totally different from each other.

Here are all the little Sock Faeries that my students made that day. I had a really great time and I think my students did to. Aren't they all great?!

More clay figures...

Well, my little clay modellers have been busy again. Both Megan AND little sister Gwen!
Gwen got a brand new clay book for her birthday present from Grandma. She's just turned 8! It was Christie Friesens Jungle book.
I love all her books because the projects have lots of good photos and she writes in a very amusing way that appeals to me! The books are great for kids too. My kids are usually in to much of a hurry to actually read what it says + that they don't read as well in English yet as they do in Swedish (the pro's and con's of being bilingual...). But the photos are so easy to follow that they have no problem creating the projects without having to read a single word!
So the 3 of us sat down one Saturday afternoon and got cracking. Gwen made the cutest little frog before she decided she'd had enough and went off to bounce up and down on the trampoline outside. Hasn't the frog got a lovely little expression on it's face?
Megan and I sat creating for nearly 4 hours!!!
Megan made a JUNGLE FRAME. She never ceases to amaze me at how good she has got at making things out of clay and she seemes to have a thing about making frames at the moment. I think her frame turned out brilliant and equally as good as mine... if not better!!!
And guess what Megan want's for her 10th birthday that is coming up in a few weeks time??? Well, the other clay book called "Under the sea" of course!! Poor Grandma gets reminded every time Megan see's her at the moment. :O)

Vala's sister in the making...

So, I finally got cracking and have made a start on Vala's sister. Vala said she was missing her.... :O)

I decided to do her a bit differently from Vala. I have used the same pattern (changed the legs) but given her different clothes and a different colour scheme. I went for red and black in this doll as opposed to the greys I used for Vala. This new doll has a tidier look than Vala but is still quite gothic. I found this lovely stripy fabric in my quilting stash and instantly knew that this would be the "over dress". Distressed black cheese cloth for the under skirt together with soft tulle netting. Same black knee high boots as Vala and same make up on the face. I gave this doll orange eyes and red lips to go with the red in her dress. Her hair isn't done yet. I've just stacked some loose yarn on top of her head. I'm thinking that I will use the same white yarn as i did for Vala as it seemes to give the dolls a quite other worldly look. I did try putting black yarn on this doll but didn't like it.

Wings are in the making too (you can just spot them at the bottom in one of the photos). They are going to be dark red with bits of black. I'm busy making them at the moment. They take FOREVER as there is sooooo much sewing but it is worth it in the end!