My Art Doll

Several years ago, long before Ravelry, I joined a Mail Art site. I only participated in one swap. It was for an Art Doll. I had never done a swap before and I had never made a doll before, but I was excited about the challenge. I really put a lot of effort and creativity into this doll and I was really in love with her when I was finished. I wish she hadn't been for a swap and I wish I still had her today. Sadly, the doll I received in the swap was not nearly as intricate or creative. Needless to say, I never joined another swap.


I share with you today the photos of my doll making process. I apologize for the quality of some of the photos. At the time, I didn't have a camera that was very good for taking close-up shots.


I did some research about doll construction and put together my base doll.

I enjoyed learning how to work the construction of the head and neck so that the head would have more dimension.

The theme for this swap was an Autumn Art Doll. I really didn't have a vision of the finished project in my mind, so she just evolved as I went along. She truly was a work in progress. I knew I wanted to knit for her but I didn't have enough time to knit her a sweater, so I made her some leg warmers and a scarf. I also gave her some long auburn hair.

She sat around somewhat naked for a while waiting for my next inspiration. Then I saw a really cool suede skirt somewhere and replicated it for her using felt.

I loved the detailed stitching I gave it.

Then I gave her a jacket, and a hat just perfect for the season... a witches hat.

I looked online at lots and lots of different doll faces and practiced drawing faces on paper and then on scrap fabric. I practiced for quite a while. Then I practiced some more. I was really afraid to actually draw that first line on the doll! If I screwed up, I'd have to reconstruct the whole head again! Yikes! It was getting close to the deadline when I finally just jumped in and did it. I think she came out rather nice looking. Oh, how her personality popped once she had a face!

She stood about eight inches tall.

I remember naming her and giving her a little story. She also carried with her some gifts from her garden and a recipe for something seasonal... a pumpkin bread I believe. (I'm sure I have this all written down or saved in a word document somewhere.)


Although I can't remember what I named her, I do miss her and I hope she has a happy home!

Up-cycled Maps

So, do you remember the small stack of maps I picked up at the tag sale a few weeks ago? Well, it’s time to reveal what I’ve been doing with them.

  

I’ve been up-cycling them into wallets.

I am able cut the pieces for two to three wallets out of each map, depending on the size of the map.

I try to lay them out so I get some interesting cities or a variety of colors on each piece. If I plan them out well, I have surprisingly little waste from each map.

Each cut piece is covered with a light vinyl film to make the wallet tear resistant and water repellent and then I head to my one of my sewing machines.

I like to use my very inexpensive, very lightweight, Brother machine for sewing paper and plastic items. It operates almost like a toy, but it really is the best for the job. (I reserve my beloved Necchi machines for my other sewing.)

I sew all the pieces together with brightly colored thread.

     

Sewing paper is really quite fun.

And the wallets work up pretty quickly.

And there you have it! Another lilea b. creation, ready for sale.

Major Score!

We did some tag sale-ing again this weekend. I can't believe the great finds I scored. It's going to take me a couple of posts to show you everything. For today, I'll just show you the items I bought that will be used for crafting.

First, this bottle and jar cutter kit. I've wanted to experiment with cutting old glass bottles and making them into vases and such. You know how I like to find new recycling crafts.

Look at this kit. It had all it's parts and was never used. We found it in the basement of an estate sale. Hubby almost talked me out of buying it, saying it wasn't anything that we couldn't find in the form of "real tools". It was pretty cheaply made: all plastic, even the screws! But, I figured for $1.00, what the heck.

So, I took it home and put it together and I was pretty satisfied with it. Then I went online to see if I could still buy the tiny replacement cutters. Guess what I found. Two of these "cheap" kits just sold on ebay recently. One for $27.00 and the other for $34.52! Part of me wished I hadn't assembled it yet, and the other part of me was so happy I bought mine for only a buck!

So moving on...

For six dollars more, I found some zippers, a few buttons, some corduroy trousers, and some natural color canvas. The canvas is hemmed on the edges as though it was intended to be a tablecloth or something, but it's brand new. These items will all become parts of new purses.

For $12.00 I got 20 balls of yarn (11 of them are 100% wool), 3 spools of cording, circular knitting needles, a knitting stitch gauge, and a Vogue Knitting magazine. The wool will be knit and felted into more purses.

But, my biggest score was this:

Neckties! 27 of them!

Some of them are so unique. This brown one in the center has a picture of a room with throw pillows and a table and lamp.

Some are really bright and some not so much.

Many coordinate nicely with each other, which will be a really good thing when I start using them to make purses.

Neckties often sell for $2.00 to $3.00 at Goodwill and thrift shops. These ties weren't marked, so Hubby made an offer. We got all 27 for just $8.00. Score!

Stay tuned to see what else I bought!

Posts to look forward to:

Vintage Tags Sale Finds

A Bedroom Re-do

A Product Review

A Finished Object: Gaia

Inside My Vintage Books

Yarn Pottery

Up-cycled Maps

Creating what I love.

Ever since I was a very young girl I've loved purses. My best friend and I both did. We had bags of all shapes and sizes. Canvas ones, leather ones, big ones, small ones; we both even had one made of wood. I still have my wood one. It looked like a little treasure chest.

It's only natural that I'd eventually start creating my own. Recently, I've been combining my sewing talents with my love of purses and my interest in recycling and up-cycling.

Here's what I've been up to:

I've designed these shoulder bags using the pockets from from cargo pants, jeans, and dress pants. Some of the body and lining fabrics have also been reclaimed from curtains, table cloths, and clothing. 

This is just a sampling of what I've been up to. Watch for future posts featuring more of my purse creations.