Handmade for Christmas

Here is a little Christmas beetle I made this week for a gift swap today. A "Dolly" friend, Chye'in made some beautiful little painted beetles in July and then shared the pattern. So this is my version of the pattern.... using some leftover spotty print fabric and layered fabric I made from scraps. My dear friend, Connie chose the "number" for my doll and I think she was happy to receive it.

Thanks Chye'in for the pattern to make these endearing little creatures. Here are Chye'n's originals....

I also received in return a doll using the same pattern.... This is such a cute little girl.

I have been to a few Christmas parties lately and received beautiful handmade gifts. These delicately perfumed sachets have been hand embroidered by Fay and are absolutely exquisite - such fine work perfectly stitched.

And here is great idea - a fabric bon bon. Not only beautiful but reuseable - a rectangle of lined Christmas fabric, with a plastic insert stitched between the layers of fabric, and a velcro closure. The centre was filled with laces and sewing bits and pieces, complete with a party hat and a Christmas cracker joke - and of course a snapper! I was the lucky person to receive this bon bon and goodies in a gift swap. Clever idea, Toni.

Have a great week leading to Christmas... enjoy a relaxing time - I certainly plan to, even if all my Christmas cards don't get posted in time.

I wish you all a very merry Christmas and special moments shared with family and friends during the festive season.

Comments

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks .... The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or my husband or from off cuts gifted to us from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks. Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as wrapping str

Too Precious to Waste

Stitched tea bags/ old doily "tea lights" - Wilma Simmons More than a year ago, a decision was made. The annual exhibition of NCEATA ( Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists) 2015-2016 will have the theme "Mottainai". Mottainai in Japanese refers to more than just physical waste (resources). It is even used to refer to thought patterns that give rise to wasteful action. Grammatically, it can be used in Japanese as an exclamation ("mottainai!") or as an adjective phrase ("it feels mottainai"). There is no plural form. The collection of mottainai things could be called mottainai koto ( もったいない事 ? ). As an exclamation ("mottainai!") it means roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." [2] A simple English equivalent is the saying "waste not, want not." A more elaborate meaning conveys a sense of value and worthiness and may be translated as "do not destroy (or lay waste to) that

May I Present Mrs Chalumeau...

Finally Mrs Chalumeau takes a bow …She is a Pearly Queen … 695 buttons on the doll and 10 on the journal.(I think – could be more). I would like to thank Paula from Antiques and Collectables here in Hamilton, Newcastle and Raku Buttons ETSY seller for supplying me with about 500 of the vintage mother of pearl buttons, and the rest I had in my stash. I think they look great on my pearly queen, but I am truly tired of sewing on buttons. It made me think however, how many buttons must be on the elaborate clothes of the real pearly Kings and Queens! I drew my inspiration from the lovely lady pictured here, and the following description from Wikipedia. ... A Pearly King ( feminine form Pearly Queen) is a person dressed in a traditional Cockney costume covered in mother-of-pearl buttons. These costumes were treasured heirlooms, hand made and sometimes representing much of a family's wealth. .... This doll is all cloth – a little different from most of my other dolls which generally h

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Search This Blog