It's been a while!!

Well, here I am--back in blog land!!  It has been quite a while since I have posted.  OOPS, 6 months if I look at my last post!!  So what's up with that??  Well, I have been busy making my dolls and getting ready for several craft shows.  One held in July in Belgrade, Maine



It was incredibly hot that day.  95 degrees F--really hot for Maine.  Thankfully I had a booth that was under cover and there was a cool breeze.

Then getting ready for several shows for the Holiday Season. Here are some of the "girls" getting ready for the show!

Then it was showtime!!

I was fortunate to meet someone who shares the same interests and style that I do.  We shared a booth at the Esty Maine Team and Friends Craft show on November 26.  Sheri and I have become friends and hope to participate in more shows together.

I am also working on opening an Etsy Shop .  The name I have chosen is "Mainely Quilts" and I will be featuring an assortment of fiber art projects including quilts, punchneedle embroidery, knitted items and of course, my specialty dolls created by me based on Gail Wilson patterns.

More coming soon! 

Barb

Getting Ready!!

At last the first annual Artistree Summer Show is this coming Saturday, July 23 in Belgrade, Maine and things have been busy here at the Civil War doll hospital.  This is what my husband named our kitchen one evening when he came home from work and found our counter "littered: with doll body parts.

The name "doll hospital" has stuck.  My on-line friend, Heather Wald of http://cybercanuck.blogspot.com/ remarked that this conjured up a picture in her mind of a large white room with high windows, iron hospital beds and dolls with heads bandaged and legs in traction.  I prefer to think of it as a "doll maternity ward"!

At any rate, progress is being made and these dolls have evolved into lovely young ladies.

What goes with Dolls but Doll Quilts!

Well, it seems to me that I have been neglectful by not showcasing some of my quilts, which believe it or not is my main passion!  And I absolutely love to make small quilts and doll quilts.  They look absolutely fabulous when displayed with some of my Gail Wilson dolls.  So here is a little gallery of some of my small quilts.  Enjoy!  Barb

Morgan's First Sewing Project!

Do you ever dream of teaching your daughter or granddaughter to sew?  To carry on your passion for all things fabric?

Well, my granddaughter, Morgan, just turned 12 and for her birthday I asked her if she would like to learn to sew.  She said yes!

Yippee!!!

We went to the quilt store and I told her to pick out a pattern--maybe a bag she liked.  So she did and picked out all the funky fabric a 12 year old likes.  The lady at Cottonweeds in Freeport, Maine was
great!  When cutting the fabrics she marked each piece with a label telling her which part of the bag it was for.  When we got home I hand marked all the pieces and Morgan cut them out with scissors.  A week later we spent about 5 hours on Sunday making the bag.  Morgan stitched it all together by herself (machine on slowest speed) with my directions.  The only part I did was to sew the lining into the bag.

Here is a picture of a very proud little girl!  And I am so proud of her.

Creating Heather-Rebekah

Just recently I received an order for a baby doll from a woman in my knitting class.  Having not made a baby doll before I searched my Gail Wilson patterns and found her 11 inch Columbian doll pattern.  She was perfect for this project.  I thought some of you might be interested in the process of making one of these dolls.

Of course, the first thing one must do is to cut out the doll body and stuff it.  Wool Roving is carefully inserted into her head, body and tiny arms and legs.  One must be careful to stuff the doll firmly but not overstuff.  Overstuffing can cause her to be too large for her tiny clothing. Since this doll had a painted face, arms and legs a base coat of Gesso was applied.

Once the Gesso was dried and lightly sanded to make it smooth, a base of tan paint was applied and allowedto dry for 24 hours.  Then for the details of her face and hair which are hand painted.  The finishing touch is a light coat of varnish to make her skin durable and shiny.

Here she is waiting patiently for her clothing.

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Dress and bonnet made it is now time for Heather-Rebekah to get ready to meet her new Mom

Finally, Heather-Rebekah is born.

I hope you enjoyed watching this little one grow.  She was created for Donna Mello in honor of her daughter, Heather-Rebekah.  The real Heather-Rebekah is now 24 years old, graduating from college and heading to the Sudan to teach English.  Best wishes and safe travels to Heather-Rebekah and thank you Donna for allowing me the opportunity to create this memory for you.

Artistree Summer Craft Fair-Belgrade, Maine

I am proud to announce that I have been invited to vend my Gail Wilson dolls and other folkart items at the Artistree Summer show in Belgrade, Maine.  The show will be held on July 23, 2011 at the Belgrade Community Center.  The name of the show is Artistree for all Seasons.  Artistree is known for it's high quality crafts and I am very excited as this will be the first craft show that I have vended at. Making dolls and other items for this show will keep me busy for the next couple of months besides my quilting, quilt study group and other obligations.  If you are visiting Maine this summer, be sure to stop by!

Introducing Margaret

On February 19th I held a doll class at Busy Thimble Quilt Shop in Litchfield, Maine.  Student Beth French chose Gail Wilson's 12 inch Three Dimensional Doll for this class. This doll has a cloth body, painted face and a real wig made of mohair.  Beth has made dolls in the past but never a Gail Wilson doll and never one this small.  In preparation for the class I sent Beth the Gail Wilson kit and requested that she not only read the instructions but also to pre-sew the body.  While at class Beth was able to stuff the doll body, arms and legs; paint her head and face and make her wig.  On Monday, Beth sent me this photo of her finished doll.  She has named her Margaret.  For more pictures of Margaret and Beth's comments on our day together visit her blog http://quiltisland.blogspot.com/. Thanks to Cyndi Black of Busy Thimble for allowing us space in her shop for this class.

Winter Wonderland

Well, it seems most of our nation is experiencing a Winter Wonderland.  Snow in parts of the country that have not seen the white stuff in decades.  Here in Central Maine it has been snowing since this morning.  We already have about 10 inches and it is still coming down heavily.  It is a great day to stay in and sew!!  My New Year's Goal has been to finish projects that I started in 2010 or earlier before I start on anything new.  This will be a real challenge!  Today I am working on a quilt called Strip Therapy.  It was started three years ago when I took a class from Brenda Henning at Maine Quilts.  This quilt uses primarily Bali Pops which are 2 1/2 inch strips.With permission from Ms. Henning I will post a picture of the quilt when it is completed.  Hope you all have a wonderful day!!