Works in Progress....

Oh dear, I can't believe how the time has gone by and I haven't blogged anything! I've finally begun to feel so much better and made a big effort to get on with my dolls. Last Saturday I did a doll making day at our local college with a lovely lady called Joan Bowie. She's great fun and a good tutor too. In the end there were only 4 of us on the course, so we had great 1:1 tuition! We made the bodies of the doll from Joan's own pattern, she's button jointed on the arms, hips and knees.
There was no way we could complete the dolls in class, there wasn't enough time (it's all that stuffing!) so we finished them for homework.

I have to say trying to button joint the arms was hard! There were many, many scary groaning noises coming from my workroom! Managed it in the end, but only just, likewise with making my first real hands with fingers and trying to use the finger turning tools. I had to make 2 pairs in the end as the fabric I initially used was too coarse. Finally got there and they do look a bit like hands - thankfully. Think I need a lot of practice! Anyway here's a photo of her awaiting her personality to arrive!



We have a second day at the end of March to do face, hair, clothes and accessories, but it's going to be hard to wait until then! I wonder who, or what, she's going to be......

I've also started another doll based on one of Patti Culea's patterns, I'm just putting her together, and I've signed up to take part in a doll swap on Stitchin Fingers. The swap theme is Alice in Wonderland. I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew! I've come up with an idea, and drawn up a pattern, but I won't say what it is just yet - too scared it's all going to go awry! There are some wonderfully clever ladies in the group, and I'm very nervous!

I finally started to embellish my first ever CQ block! It's only a wee one, and I don't think I've done it all right, but it is a start - at last! It will be fun learning how to embellish CQ style, and this can be my first sample piece. I love learning how to do something new!