Jayn decided to be Rose Lalonde in God Tier Costume for Halloween trick or treating. The character is from the web comic, Homestuck . There seem to be some cosplayers online, who like the character and the costume, although Jayn told me that she had to explain her costume a lot to people on Halloween. The sewing was not difficult. We had a few moments of difficulty finding the exact colors at the fabric store, and I ended up custom dyeing white cotton interlock for the hood - after working out the exact dye proportions on scraps. The leggings we bought at JC Penney - and I like them a lot. I'll be going back for more in other colors for fall/winter for me, since they go so well into boots. Initially I tried doing an applique treatment for the sunburst, but it was too big and insufficiently detailed. The stretchy base tunic would not react well to stitching, so I tried Steam a Seam and dimensional fabric paint on the edges. This was a mistake as the fabric from the bad appl...

I'm working on a Zombie doll comission. Had to devise a whole new pattern. After a couple of false starts around limbs, he's looking good. Here's how his base turned out. So many more layers still to come. Paper patterns for his clothing Here's something else I'm working on for Natural Life Magazine. Hmmm. What can it be? Stay tuned.

Here is Ruby's first place finish at the Ryde Eisteddfod, dancing "A World of Pure Imagination". She is wearing the costume that I sewed and the flip doll I made.  {This is a test of the the video upload. Hope it works.}

Here's something I've been doing - making a reproduction costume for a little dancer to wear in her competitions later this year. It will go with a flip doll I'm still making. But the real kicker, and I'm patting myself on the back in astonishment, is that I did it all, including drafting the pattern from scratch, with only the measurements. I'm here in California; the child is in Australia. I'm very relieved that even sans fittings, it worked out. But it's not something I want to do again. I was worried. There is also a petticoat and pantaloons. Here's the face on one end of the flip doll. Enjoying this part a lot.

in my Etsy store with the heady scent of Indian musk and a touch of orange essence. They ship in clear cellophane bags which retain the fragrance. Here's my suggestion: fasten a diamond bracelet to the hanging loop so that when your lady pulls the pillow from the bag the bracelet comes out with them. Or pin a beautiful brooch to the pillow. Also wonderful for Valentine's day - the romantic hand made gift tags. They are very solid and would be the perfect embellishment to a nice box of fancy chocolates or tied around the neck of a perfume bottle.

I have just listed a bunch of pretty lavender scented heart shaped pillow sachets for Valentine's Day. They are all double sided, embellished with beads and buttons and have ribbon loops for hanging. In the next day or so I will be listing a bunch of similar hearts only scented with vintage Indian musk and orange essential oils. So sweet and fresh, or seductive and decadent - some very pretty gifts available at my Esty store .

I figure Jayn's young friends probably don't read my blog, so I'm probably reasonably safe posting this gift before it is given. The bag is about 8 x 5 inches with a strap long enough to sling over the body. The patchwork side is a collection of undoubtedly familiar vintage and new remnants left over from recent doll making, while the back is a piece of vintage (I'm thinking 1960's) kimono silk. My mother-in-law gave me the kimono in a couple of pieces. I guess she had altered it some years ago and had worn the top part of it as a short jacket. Since it is now unwearable, and parts are actually faded and rubbed, I felt only a few twinges of guilt in dismantling the garment and the other few remants she sent me. The lining of the kimono was a beautiful flesh toned silk that has and will find new life in art dolls. I lined the bag is some very soft sage green silk that I had lying around from something. I made the patchwork by joining small rectangles into strips and ...

Starting on one of my goals at once - just for you Pam - here are some photos of an A-Line vintage wool skirt with patchwork, machine embroidery and button embellishments around the hem that I made between Christmas and New Year. It has no waistband which suits my body best, reaches to just below my knee, and boy is it toasty. I want more clothes that let me wear my couple of pairs of cute winter boots. Perhaps the flannel is a little stiff for an A-Line, but I like the look and feel of it. I have more of this wool from my MIL, recently dry cleaned, although I have to cut around some moth holes from ages past. There is probably a matching jacket in my future, with some fancy detailing... The patches are all made from remnants from doll making, so a mix of vintage and new quilting cottons, or clothing remnants I snagged from the last Swap-o-rama-rama where I designed - bits of shirt sleeves or old skirts.

I've just listed two new dolls on my Etsy store and new Iggy Jingles character purse too.

I'm planning on advertising my sewing services as a costume maker for Halloween costumes. I've made some beautiful things for Jayn over the years including last year's dress based on the American Girl, Elizabeth (Felicity's friend) and many, many Disney princesses. I made a fully reversible blue to pink Aurora dress, and two different Belle dresses. Some will remember the Yule Ball Hermione dress I made Jayn a few years ago. Two years ago she dressed as the Corpse Bride and looked amazing. I've also made a number of costumes for others. I'm looking in to the price for classified ads in a few local papers like the Beverly Hills Courier. The problem is that I somehow have almost no photos of Jayn in her outfits. I'm going to dig up my costume portfolio, which is full of amazing things I have sewn over my years in theater, and do some scanning. I always feel like I'm constantly taking photos, but I guess not.