Little People Causing Trouble

Common Threads met at Margareth's.

Margareth and Karan are participating in a block of the month for this pattern. (Karan's Maiden Name is Christman, and she had a relative who sold Christmas trees, so she altered her block a bit.) "Bringing Home the Tree" is the name of the pattern. They are both at work making some other great blocks using woolen flannel.

Margareth had this laid out on her dining room table:

I couldn't believe how tidy her work space was. She also had this quilt to show off:

She made some progress on this block during our meeting.

The pattern is 3-D, so the quilts hanging on the clothesline are separate, not sewn on. I was working on a sweater for one of the dolls, and had a doll with me. I stood her up, so I could try the sweater on. Margareth's toy poodle, Daisy, did not like the doll and had fits barking and backing up to be ready to flee, in case it turned out to be alive. In her defense, the dolls are very realistic. Dusty likes the dolls, though.

The "shell" I was working on last week went quickly and Vroni modeled it.

I like how the straps cross in the back. 

It looks great with the Kitty Cat cardigan. I've decided I don't need to hold the yarn double. It seems to work fine single-stranded.

I did some more sewing. Daphne's birthday is next month, and I have learned that Daphne Jr. and Hannah have birthdays May 1 (same as Dusty's) and May 2, respectively, and they expect presents. Good thing they like clothes for birthday presents! I made them each a dress, modeled by Dolly and Gabi (Dolly's modeling the hat as well), and while I was at it, I made a couple of extra dresses, one each for Mandy and Vroni. Do they remind you of The Group? Remember that movie? Guess we need one more doll, and Carter isn't volunteering.

Mandy gets to keep this one.

...and Vroni gets this one.

The dress pattern came from a French designer's blog, Les Chéries de Vaniline. It's in French, but the designer speaks English. If you contact her with the link to a photo, she can tell you which one it is and how to order.

I've finished a bolero-length cardigan to go with Daphne Jr.'s dress, modeled here by Dolly. (Dig the hat! I used the same pattern as for Zachary Jr.'s hiking hat.)

It's an improvised pattern. I'm working on another sweater to go with the other dress. I'm using the Mirabella pattern by Debonaire Designs.

Other activities this week included breakfast at our new local cafe, The Moose Cafe.

They are still working on their menu and service, but seem to have a great start. They're open for breakfast and lunch now, but may stay open for dinner once they get established.

We also participated in the Park City Science March. We had a good turnout, in spite of the fact that the ski season is over and hiking season hasn't started yet.

It was fun, and we got to take the pups (examples of products of the science of genetic engineering, old-school type). They've been getting out more lately, including a "hike" in Toll Canyon, where we avoided the mud by staying on the little road.

Dolly loves the hat. However, she's willing to part with it for the sake of Daphne Jr. As long as I keep photos of her in it. (I don't know if you can tell, but outside of the hat is the same fabric as her dress.)

What's on my needles: Mirabella Cardigan for Mandy

What's on my Featherweight: Still doll clothes.

What's on my loom: Still waiting.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi also still waiting.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson. On the Kindle app, I’m still reading Dying to Read, The Cate Kinkaid Files Book #1.

What's in my wine glass: Gato Negro Malbec.

What's my tip of the week: Save your old smartphone when you get a new one. It will make a great iPod or MP3 device. Even a spare phone when you're home.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Life in Layers

We could be talking about chickens that produce eggs today, but that’s not what this is about.

I wanted to show you some beautiful quilts from Vintage Stitchers, and they come in layers, which need to be sewn together. The Redwork quilt above is Barbara’s masterpiece. She asked the quilter for heavy custom quilting. I won’t say how much it cost, but let’s just say that Barbara is now missing a couple of useful appendages. Here’s the back.

We had a nice meeting at Marilyn’s. She has so many lovely quilts…

…and pieces of embroidery. (She provided some nice food, too.)

Speaking of layers, she has some nice pieces suitable for Easter.

Rebecca is back to sewing after a surgery-related hiatus. This was a kit.

I finally got the binding on my Kaleidoscope quilt and am working on the hand sewing.

Daphne Jr.’s birthday sweater is done. It can be worn as a pullover...

…or as a cardigan.

I have the pants for Daphne Jr., but I wanted to make a dress and summer top to wear with the sweater, so I went to my “in-house quilt store” and found a small piece of fabric with pretty much the same colors and a larger piece of this great purple fabric left over from my Kaleidoscope quilt.

The top is reversible, also fabric from my fabric stash, and it looks great with the pants.

The Gotz Katie arrived at my house right on schedule. She came from My Doll Best Friend in London, but I understand I got the last one. (I've seen her on eBay, though.)

The first thing I did was get her into some warm clothes. It made me cold to look at her. Fortunately, the Aran sweater I made for Gabi fit her perfectly, as did the pants I got from Silly Monkey (on sale because they were too tight for American Girl dolls).

I changed her name to Amanda, because she looks like my niece when she was a child. I’m calling her Mandy, though, as all the other girls have nicknames. Something else she needed to be like the other girls. (She uses the glasses for reading.)

Gotta love stick-on rhinestones. She will be modeling for more outfits for Hannah. Right now, Vroni is acting as my model for a summer shell to go with the Kitty Cat : 1 outfit from My Doll Best Friend. This one is called Kitty Cat : 2. I have a good start on the front. I made a skirt to go with it using compatible fabrics.

The snow is melting here. We’ve been for some nice walks. It’s great when Dusty is worn out and has to nap for a while.

I hope everyone had a happy Easter, a happy Passover or just a nice week.

What's on my needles: Hannah’s “Kitty Cat : 2” shell.

What's on my Featherweight: More doll clothes.

What's on my loom: Still waiting.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi also still waiting.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson. On the Kindle app, I’m still reading Dying to Read, The Cate Kinkaid Files Book #1.

What's in my wine glass: Crane Lake Malbec.

What's my tip of the week: When cutting out pieces for doll clothes (or person clothes, for that matter), the process can be speeded up a bit by using your rotary cutter and ruler on the straight parts. I usually use freezer-paper patterns, so pins don’t get in the way. Once they’re ironed on, they stay put, and the two layers stay together, making it easy to cut out.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.

A New Day

I’m up to the sleeves on the Daphne Jr.’s birthday sweater. (I worked the neck ribbing after taking this photo.)

I didn’t get a lot of fiber stuff done this week because much of it was devoted to getting ready for The Messiah, which was last night. Maestro Jonathan Griffith from Carnegie Hall came to direct us again, but this year we had a little chamber orchestra. It was an amazing experience.

Early in the week, I sent off Master Zachary’s birthday box, which arrived in plenty of time for his birthday, which was on Saturday. I had added this sweater and hat, which I found big enough for Carter, and therefore big enough for Zachary Jr.

Daphne’s birthday is not until the middle of next month. I will sew another hat and some pretty clothes, too. Besides the Fair Isle sweater, I already have a nice stash of knitted things for her dolls. I had this one already finished before Christmas while Hannah was still here. 

This is the actual doll who will be wearing it. And now that Vroni has another warm sweater to wear, this one (along with the hat) can go into the birthday box.

Then there’s this tunic with the pockets.

I think these two will fit both of the dolls she has. Hannah is slim, like Vroni, and Daphne Jr. is mid-size, not as plump as an American Girl doll. I also have two pairs of pants from Silly Monkey, a bargain on sale because they were accidentally made too slim for American Girl dolls. All of my girls can fit into them (although Dolly has to lie down on the bed to get them on), so I know they will fit both of Daphne’s dolls.

When I bought the beach chairs, I also picked up this cute kitty, just the right size for the kids’ dolls and the spitting image of the family cat, Fluffy. Or maybe without the spitting.

How much to you want to bet that this kitty gets named Fluffy Jr.?

In other doll-related news, Vroni’s curls had wilted a bit, so I decided they needed a beauty treatment. I wet them with water, rolled them up on some small foam curlers and let them dry overnight.

And I decided I needed another doll to model clothes. This one touched my heart, because she looks like my niece, Amanda. She is on her way to me and should arrive today. It says “Katie” on her passport, but she’s getting a name change to…guess what? (I’ll call her Mandy, because all the other girls go by nicknames. You don’t hear me calling Dolly “Dorothy,” do you?) This is the best photo I’ve seen of this doll as she comes, but I hope to have her in some new clothes quickly.

She may go to Daphne next Christmas if I can bear to part with her and the price has gone up too much for be to buy her a new one.

Vroni says, “Happy Easter!” She also says not to put all your eggs in one basket. (She has other eggs in another basket.)

Speaking of Easter, it was Easter morning five years ago our Zachary was born. We had a really nice FaceTime visit with him on Saturday.

He loves his doll, and both of the kids love the beach chairs for their dolls. They used them to sit in while watching the movie for Family Movie Night.

What's on my needles: Daphne Jr.’s “Rosy Dawn” sweater.

What's on my Featherweight: Steeks for “Rosy Dawn”, still need to sew the binding for the Kaleidoscope quilt. Ready for some more doll clothes.

What's on my loom: Still waiting.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi also still waiting.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still reading The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson. I’ve been delayed with listening to my part in The Messiah choruses. On the Kindle app, I’m still reading Dying to Read, The Cate Kinkaid Files Book #1.

What's in my wine glass: Charles Shaw (“Two-buck Chuck”) Shiraz.

What's my tip of the week: Do you have medications that have expired? Don’t put them in the trash or flush them down the toilet. They will get into the water supply. Imagine the poor fishies who have to live with pollution and getting chased by larger fish. It’s hard enough to do get away when you aren’t full of tranquilizer, pain or blood-pressure medication.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.

The Pitter-patter of Published Patterns

And then there were four:

From left, Gabi wearing the medium size as a pullover, Dolly wearing the prototype medium size as a cardigan, Vroni wearing the slim size as a cardigan and Carter wearing the plus size as a pullover.

The plus size actually looks pretty good on Dolly, even though she's slimmer than the American Girl dolls and the My Sibling/My Pal dolls for whom it was designed. (It's a free download, as are all three patterns.) If someone is in doubt about which size to pick for a doll that's in between medium and plus, I would recommend going with the plus size.

Slim 18"-range dolls, like Götz, would need this size. The mid-size is suitable for Michael's Creatology and other dolls with a chest size of 10-10.5". Dolly (Madame Alexander play doll) and Gabi (Tonner My Imagination doll) can wear the mid-size or the large size, depending on how you like the sweater to fit. (See below.)

I posted a photo tutorial on Ravelry here. It explains how to finish the steeks, knit the ribbing and other details.

I suggest lining the sleeves with nylon net or other thin fabric to keep doll fingers from getting caught in the floats, if the sweater is for a child's doll.

This is very easy to do. 

My test knitter finished her version of the sweater. She was an amazing help to me and inspired me to make the full-body chart/schematics. Since the medium size was the one she used, and it looked so good on her Michael's doll, I decided to make some adjustments to the original size and publish it as well.

Here's how Penny's (my test-knitter's) project looked when finished. (The doll is from Michael's, like Lauren, you might remember from last year's Habitat project.)

I've started on another one for Daphne Jr., whose birthday is the same day as Daphne's next month. She love purples and pinks. She's getting both in this one.

Zachary's birthday is next Saturday, though, so I was working hard to get his birthday package ready to pack. (DH is getting him something manly.) I'm dressing his doll, with the help of Carter, who is earning his keep. Besides the two sweaters (the one above and the "Boys Rock" sweater from the recent KAL), Zachary Jr. will also be getting a purchased raincoat and hat (from The Doll Clothes Store) and a hiking outfit, including these cool shades from Silly Monkey.

I also purchased some bejeweled sunglasses for Daphne Jr. from them. The pattern for the hat is from Pixie Faire, The Bucket Hat for Kids and Dolls. I had to pay for it, but I don't mind, because they give out a free pattern every Friday, and I don't mind giving something back. The pants were adapted from a free pattern from Milo Mila. I just turned the pants into shorts and added a cuff. 

Here is Carter modeling Zachary Jr.'s new hiking outfit, although he probably would wear his jacket instead of his nice Fair Isle sweater.

The puppy is a gift from Carter. (The puppy's from Home Sew.) The kitty will go to Daphne Jr. and will be named (if experience is any guide) "Fluffy Jr." She came from My Doll Best Friend in London, where I also picked up a few other things, to make the shipping worthwhile. Like these beach chairs.

Sorry, the girls had to try them out. They sat down and stared out at the snow. Wonder what they were thinking...

However, when the timer went off and the cookies came out of the oven....

While I was shopping in London (I saved so much by not flying over there to do my shopping) I picked up Vroni's original outfit, which I didn't get by buying her firsthand. (Remember the lovely smocked dress I got instead? One of a kind!)

She was very excited to get her Dirndl. (She wants you to see her traditional bloomers.)

Her apron tied in the middle in front means she's not available because she's too young. 

As soon as she was in traditional dress, she broke into song in her native Salzburg accent. (Who knew?) This is the song she sang.

"Joyful is the gypsy life." Indeed. I wonder if the dolls would like to go with us in the fifth wheel....

Just for some additional cuteness. 

In other news, we just became a two iPhone family. I don't know what DH had before, but he had a lot of trouble with it. He has switched his service to Credo and they "gave" him a new iPhone 7. (You know what I mean by "gave.") I have T-Mobile. We find it useful to have two different systems when we travel. Sometimes one of us has service and the other doesn't. Sometimes nobody has service. Then DH can channel his Native American heritage and we can rely on smoke signals.

What's on my needles: Daphne Jr.’s “Rosy Dawn” sweater.

What's on my Featherweight: Still the binding for the Kaleidoscope quilt. I didn't get very far, because my deadline for that is June. Finished boy doll clothes for now, but more to do for Lukas and for Carter.

What's on my loom: Still waiting.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi also still waiting.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson. On the Kindle app, I’m still reading Dying to Read, The Cate Kinkaid Files Book #1.

What's in my wine glass: Alice White Shiraz. Good value

What's my tip of the week: Vinegar will kill the smell of puppy pee. Of course, then you have the smell of vinegar for a while.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.