elizabeth_mn

I finished the baby hat for my niece and mailed it to her. I was so sure I took a picture of the finished hat but now I can't find it! Argh! Please believe it turned out super cute.

With some leftover yarn I agreed to make a hat for F's Lottie doll. it is by far the smallest and cutest thing I have ever knitted.





It was fun to make a small hat for a newborn baby and then follow it up with a miniature hat for a tiny doll!

I've been making a few other things here and there but nothing else got photographed. Trying to work on men's clothes the past month has been an utter fail. I am going to have to set my HB's projects aside for Costume Con prep. I feel massively guilty about this, but at least it feels better to be working on Girl stuff. I'm not being selfish if it's still for someone else, right? Just not the same someone else.

I decided I needed to make a doll for my friend's housewarming.  She just bought a condo in a very modern, industrial loft space, and it's beautiful and awesome but really needs a few things to warm it up and make it softer and more organic.  (At least that's my opinion!)

So, a wool felt dolly was absolutely required.



( More! Back view and dolly nudity )

This pattern is the Tag-Along Doll from Wee Wonderfuls; the pattern comes with an apron with an open pocket you can tuck her into.  The dress I totally made up on my own.  It took some trial and error, especially the armhole curve; since she doesn't really have shoulders, it was a lot of guesswork.

F helped me sew this.  I still have some doubt about mommy/daughter sewing projects.  It's fun and she REALLY gets into it and wants to do everything with me, and I really want to be supportive and encourage her with sewing and also have a nice togetherness activity, but I also feel slightly uncomfortable with the invasion of my sacred sewing place.  But we did pretty well this time, although she's getting a little big to be sitting on my lap at the sewing machine, because I can't see over her head anymore.

Plus F had some questionable creative input (normal for a 3-year-old).  The pattern had the 2 pigtails on the sides, but she insisted they go on top of her head.  Her hair had to be red (ginger was the best I could do), her dress had to be green, and it also had to include fabrics from our fabric garland (which went up for about a week in the house for my b-day a couple weeks ago).

I was also afraid F would have a hard time letting her go, but since the doll was for Lainey, our babysitter and surrogate auntie and F's total BFF, it was fine.  She was so excited to give it to her!

I had so much fun making this that I want to get back to making more toys.  I really need to make all my costume-sewing deadlines FIRST, but if I do, it would be nice to have the diversion. 

 
I've pieced all the triangles for the quilt.  Phew!  Doesn't look like a lot, but I've turned about 480 triangles into 192 squares.  Now I'm ready to assemble the blocks.



They are all a little wonky and not perfectly square at all, but I am trying not to let my inner perfectionist get annoyed.

I've also started a little doll from the Wee Wonderfuls book.  



I was all ready to finish her the other day, but after I embroidered the face, I dabbed a bit of water around the stitches to remove the marking pen, and the wool felt I used for the eyes bled all over!  I scrapped the face and tried to fix the felt (multiple washings, vinegar soak) but ended up just buying some new, non-bleeding poly felt when that failed.  I'll probably finish her tomorrow or the next day.