What's Going On Wednesday

 

I finally got a embroidery thread storage box and moved all the wrapped bobbins in. It still looks like a mess to me cause they all get riffled through and pulled out, compared, used then shoved back in. I've given up on the idea that they will stay pretty and neat, that's just not how I roll.

I did this Sunday not today but I'm showing it today. I pulled out all my felt and re-folded it, sorted it my color and type and put it back in the drawers. Next, I actually labeled the drawers so I don't have to dig through multiple drawers looking for a color. The very bottom drawer used to hold yarn and scrap-booking stuff. I cleared that out and all the yarn is in 2 other drawers, freeing up a whole big drawer.

I did the same with these smaller drawers. All my felt sheets of odd colors, prints and embossed felt that only come in sheets fill the top and yarn fills the 2 bottom drawers. It feels good to have this organized. Not having yards of felt piled up on my worktable...priceless.

A reader of this blog asked me the other day if I had a tutorial on how I do my dolls features. I don't, but she and I talked back and forth and I kind of explained how I do what I do. After that conversation I thought maybe I'd do a tutorial. But then I thought it took a long time and a lot of hard work to figure out what I do. It's what makes my dolls special, unique and mine. So I decided not to do a step by step but just show a wip so you get the basic idea without me giving up all my secrets.

 I use felt to mark out the face and facial expressions. Some are sewn on and some aren't, it all depends on the doll. Next I embroider the lips, eyes and eyebrows. This is crazy time consuming and at times dangerous for a clumsy girl like me. A face takes about 4 hours start to finish. I usually save this kind of work to do while watching Hockey (Go Blackhawks!)

These dolls always look like monsters until I do the pupil. Still need to do the eyebrows here but you get the idea of what I do. The nose is sewn on but there is stuffing inside to give it dimension.

Here are 2 other faces where I did a few things differently. Well I hope you enjoyed seeing my process. The dolls will be appearing in my etsy shop and perhaps my own website in the Spring.