meet Kaley

This is Kaley Kitty. She's all packed up and waiting patiently to go home. She has been feeling kind of sick lately, but the nice doctors and nurses are all helping her to feel better.

It's a good thing she has Mrs Buttons to keep her company. Sometimes you have to wait when you are at the doctor's office and Kaley gets bored, but Mrs Buttons is always very patient. Also she knows how to play Tic Tac Toe and Rock Paper Scissors.

Sometimes doctors expect you to sit around in your underwear while they listen to your chest and fuss over your port! Silly doctors.

And when you stay the night at the hospital, you get to wear a funny gown that has ties and snaps. Kaley always forgets which goes where, but she has lots of help.

She always remembers to take her comfy socks with her to the doctor's office and the hospital. The big people must really like it cold in there. These socks keep her paws extra toasty. Also they might have magical powers. She is pretty sure they make lollipops appear in nurse's pockets.

 

Kaley's crossbody overnight bag holds extra tape and gauze for her dressings, in case she needs a change. There's also room for her spare frock and shoes. And for Mrs Buttons too.

Kaley Kitty has gone to live with a beloved small person, Madi. Cats are her favorite. I know Madi will take very good care of Kaley while she is getting all better. And I know that Kaley will give lots of hugs to Madi while she is getting all better too.

We love you, Wises big and small.

transition doll

I made this doll a while back when I was transitioning away from the Pippi pattern and I don't think I blogged it. I wanted to make a pair of friends instead who are BFFs but verrry different. Like a lot of good friends are! In case you can't tell, this one is the mismatched, arty, outspoken, messy one of the pair.

I tried something a bit different with her face by filling in her eyes with embroidery. I like it.

I finished her and then other, more urgent things came up and I lost my momentum completely. But I like her. She needs a black pair of converse and a feather boa to complete her outfit. She and her neatnik, prim, girly, quiet, bookish friend will have to live in my head awhile longer, but they may come out to play again soon.

updated the tooth pillow tutorial

I recently updated the basic tooth pillow tutorial and uploaded an improved PDF pattern to go with it. My process to make them has changed so much since I first posted the tutorial long, long ago that the photos didn't even go with the instructions anymore. Now it has (hopefully) much clearer steps and diagrams, and an improved shape. Go here to view the revamped tutorial.

Still hoping to come through at some point with a retail pattern that includes a much improved floating mouth pocket, ballerina tutu, fairy crown/wings, marshal getup and policeman's uniform. Crossing my fingers. School started a few days ago at my house and oh my word today was long. So long. With the whining and the groaning. Tomorrow will be better.

just had to say thank you!

Look at these adorable crochet dolls made by the talented Kate Erbach, Nice Person Extra-Extraordinaire. We love their crazy hair and adorable expressions. My two have named them Kate (after you, of course) and Hazel, and they've made themselves at home here, diving right into the picture books after they came out of their boxes. Thanks so much, Kate!

put on the brakes, Pippi!

After doing some research (thank you, Holly), I've decided not to finish the Pippi pattern for the shop. Bummer. Sorry for the build then the fizzle! I had assumed (wrongly it turns out) that the story/character of Pippi Longstocking had entered the public domain since it was published in 1945, almost seventy years ago!

Interestingly enough, if my internet research is to be relied upon, the story was in the public domain, but via the Uruguay Round Agreements Act of 1996 it has been taken out of the public domain and its copyright and trademark extended for who knows how long. I'm still not sure exactly how all that legally applies to the persona/likeness of Pippi as it relates to a doll pattern, but I am sure that I don't want to proceed if I can't feel confident about it. If you are curious and have some time you can read more about it here, here, here and here.

I might repurpose some of the doll design and possibly the little monkey into another pattern. I was thinking it might be cute to have two best friend dolls, one who is messy and tomboyish and one who is neat and girly-fied. That sounds fun! I'll get it sorted out.

hello, Mr. Nilsson

"Where have you put your jacket and hat?"

Still prototyping like crazy over here*. Not sure about separate jacket and pants for Nilsson. Maybe I'll try integrated.

There seems to be some debate about the color of Ms. Longstocking's clothes. I'm feeling loyal to the blue homemade dress with red patches that is in the book I have, but a reader tells me a yellow homemade dress and blue spotted underpants was in her beloved childhood Pippi book. Not to mention the movie version of Pippi that has an entirely different green/orange look which many love.

Good thing is, you can make her dress and stockings whatever color or print you like. That's the lovely, lovely thing about DIY.

*Due to trademark concerns, this will not be available as a pattern. See this post for the details!

waiting for Mr. Nilsson

Two Pippi prototypes, impatiently waiting for a loyal monkey friend. You can tell I'm having fun with crazy braid placement. The pattern* will allow you to attach the braids after the rest of the doll is completed, so you can experiment with the look you want. The braids don't have any wiring, they just stick out on their own from sheer mischievousness.

*Due to trademark concerns, this will not be available as a pattern. See this post for the details!

big eyes, little eyes

The size of the safety eyes you use for your TravelWees can give a different look to the face. Flotsam on the left has 6 mm eyes, and Daisy on the right has 4 mm eyes. Smaller eyes work better if the synthetic fur is more wispy. They might get lost in really thick fur.

math is better with friends.

Blueberry, Daisy, Cheddar and Wallace look on as Thing 2 soldiers through her math lesson. Counting down the final days until our late summer break. We love year round schooling, but this mom my two students are really ready for the year's end here at Holland Academy For Young Ladies.

TravelWees pattern available!

Say cheese! *chk-zzh* 

The new TravelWees pattern is now available in my Craftsy store for instant download. It will be in the Etsy shop too, just not until the first part of July. It is now available via email delivery in my Etsy shop too!


Did you notice these TravelWees look a lot like my Travel Bugs? Yes, I renamed them because there is a cool geocaching dogtag on the market with the same name. I like the name TravelWee better anyway! It makes them seem maybe Scottish. That blue one looks like he could be a Nac Mac Feegle.

The pattern includes instructions to make what you see, including the poseable TravelWee doll, teeny tiny camera with strap, salad-to-go, and tin liner. It also includes a printable tag for the inside of the tin lid. All designed to fit inside an Altoids® Curiously Strong Mints tin, so young travelers can stow them in pockets and backpacks.

This pattern is for a toy with very small parts and may pose a choking hazard. I would not recommend making it for any globe trotter who is under the age of three.

You can make them seem more girly or more manly depending on the color and thickness of the synthetic shag fur you use. It is pretty fun to style their hair. Jetsam's bright blue hair is very thick, and Flotsam's hair is more wispy.

I recommend using cotton pipe cleaners for their arms and legs. They are available at cigar/pipe shops and also online. They are so soft, have a shorter nap, and seem to be stronger than regular craft pipe cleaners. Though admittedly the color choice is more limited. I did manage to snag a box of IDEAL rainbow assortment off of ebay. But there's always white!

You can use an old map or road atlas to line the Altoid tin. Maybe your hometown or destination city. If you don't have any recyclable maps, decorative paper is also an option.

Here's a closeup of the printable tags, leaves and cameras. I'd love to get shots of TravelWees in exotic locales. I hope you enjoy the pattern!

waiting to be finished

Here's a Little Red WIP patiently waiting for her slippers, cloak and basket. I like to revisit my patterns when I have the time and try variations. I have been experimenting with some different versions of  her face and hair. I'm also mentally designing a loooong-planned Pippi pattern while I experiment with Little Red. It's fun to think of the possibilities. A school bag and a Mr. Nilsson are surely a must.

Wee Mouse Tin House pattern available!

The PDF pattern is now available in the shop. (It's also now available here for download.) This makes a great little portable friend to have in your purse or backpack. It's made with scraps you probably have laying (lying?) around. I've taken all the guesswork out of the sizing for you and also included lots of my tricks and tips to make construction very easy. So don't be afraid of tiny! You can do it. Lots of diagrams to explain each step, as usual. Y'all know how I love me some diagrams.

handmade gifts 2011: mouse house for Asher

(Late Note: This is now available as a PDF pattern in my shops: Etsy (emailed within 24 hours) and Craftsy (instant download))

A curiously small little mouse in a tin house for a wee boy I know. I hope he likes tiny things like I do. Actually, it was kind of hard to send little mousy away. We miss you, Alton.

Alton is corduroy and felt with an embroidery floss tail, and his house has a wool felt mattress and blankie, and a cotton ticking pillow.

The girls went crazy over him, and I happen to have two more Altoids tins, so they will be getting a little surprise for Valentines Day. I'm thinking white mice with pink ears. By the by, have you ever visited the Altoids Hall of Curiosities? It's...quirky.

Little Red pattern in the shop!

 {Once upon a morning}

"Um. Heeey, Gramma. Mom sent me over. Oooh, wow, you do look terrible! Should you be drooling like that?"

 The Little Red pattern is available at long last. Here is a parade of pictures:

The pattern includes removable skirt, slippers, and of course, the signature hooded cloak. There's also a little cake to tuck inside the basket for Gramma. Because cake makes you feel better.

 Here's the basic doll sans the skirt and cloak.

 The backs of their little heads.

 Closeup of the cakes. Mmm. Cake.

 Yet another shot just in case you didn't get the idea from the other ones. When I do a shoot, I take about 1000 photographs of every conceivable combination. Except for the ones I really need, mostly. 

{3 hours later} 

"Well! That woodcutter guy was pretty nice, wasn't he? Good thing he came along! Ok, I gotta bounce, Gramma. I saw a cottage made from candy that I'd like to check out. Text ya later."

In case you are wondering, the Gramma Wolfie is a pattern that is available too.

meet Little Red

It's nice to finally be able to share some pictures of a completed doll. A doll that's occupied all of my right brain and most of my crafting time for a long while. I'm still putting the finishing touches on the PDF pattern, so that's not available quite yet, but soon. (Edit: It is finished and available in the shop!) Here are more images:

 

I also made one with more muted colors and brown hair, if you don't share my love of raven hair and bright red cloaks.

The light was busy dying as I was styling/snapping pictures like crazy, so I still need to get some of the doll without her cloak, and closeups of details. But hopefully you get the gist? I also would like to shoot some photos of Little Red with Gramma Wolfie just to show what a cute pair they make.

tooth officer, tooth marshal, and frankentooth in the shop

 

 

Finally finished these guys that I started several weeks ago. Sorry for the low light pictures. I was determined to get them in the shop tonight. Three tooth pillows with pockets for mouths and handy hanging loops. See the shop for details!

They were all made with the new tooth pattern I've been monkeying around with. Similar to the old one but with improvements, like a free floating sewn pocket instead of a glued one. I really like coming up with new theme and color variations.