With a Sigh of Relief.....

. . . . . I have returned to let you know all's well, ends well. My portion of the program last Saturday went off without a hitch. The women at the doll club were so friendly and welcoming it felt more of a chat session than the school time oral presentation I was having nightmares over. The Lilies were well received and had an opportunity to meet up with some very exquisite Hitties at the tea party that followed. Such fun ensued that I stayed far longer than anticipated.

Upon my eventual return home that night I promised the kids I would not put a hand to needle, thread, keyboard, or mouse for the rest of the weekend. Instead a trip to the mall, a Mexican meal, and a movie marathon had been planned. In order to make a '"sweet" contribution to our family fun, I took to the baking cupboard. Having recently gone gluten-free this is not quite as simple as it once was. Our long standing favorites are greatly missed, especially Fanny Farmer's fabulous "Lazy Daisy Cake." Digging through the ingredients on hand, however, I found I had the makings for an "Easy French Apple Pie." I also found something else...look close...closer...do you see it?

My pen! I remember now this seemed a safe place to secretly stash it while I was putting away the few groceries I had also acquired during that outing. Seemed as if happy endings were abundant. . . . the Lilies were a success, I'd found my pen, and. . . .

. . . . .the apple pie was a success! So much so in fact, only a tiny sliver remained to accompany my tea time this afternoon.

Paired up with the task of preparing tags for some new listings I was able to stretch out the moments between spoonfuls, savoring each and every bite!

Finally, with prep work behind me and tummy content it was time to turn my attention to encouraging a few more happy endings. Lily June (seen back there with her knitting) was listed in the shop in hopes of finding her very own home sweet home. Hollie Belle will soon follow in her heals as she too looks for her happily ever after!

All Done!

Well not quite. . . . . now I have to pack it all up!

Tiny Tags!

Knowing I had a some tag making tasks ahead of me and also knowing all of my favorite Pigma Micron pens have gone missing ever since the kiddos discovered how well they work, I popped into Joann's this morning and picked up a brand new one just for me! I love the 0.25 mm size best as it is just right for delicate work. In order to keep it safe from all the heavy hands and sticky fingers in the house I squirreled it away someplace really safe and out of sight as soon as I came in the door. Unfortunately several hours later when I was ready to start scripting away I'd already forgotten where I'd put it! In the end I had to scrounge up an old, slightly mangled Micron from the crayon box and make it do.

Handy Helpers

A few of the girlies worked on the display today

leaving me free to take a bit of a break!

Almost.....

Late at night with Lily Lucinda. . . . .

have decided to leave the last little stitches for the light of a new day.

Sewing Aside....

What to say, what to say? Am suddenly having flashbacks to my Oral Communications class in high school and wondering why in the world I didn't make the connection between "giving a presentation" and talking in front of a group of people. The homework table had an extra "student" this evening, unfortunately this one sat down and proceeded to plagiarize the article she wrote last year in order to assure she had some words to send out of her mouth come Saturday! The kids thought it was a riot. All I could think of was sweaty palms and a twisted tongue.

Pincushion Petite Fours

The Bitty Belles are complete!

New Arrivals!

A hearty welcome to Miss Lily Maud who made her first appearance earlier this afternoon. She was soon followed by our mail delivery in which I discovered a small parcel just for me! Inside was the most delightful copy of Rumer Godden's book The Doll's House, an absolute all time favorite of mine. The story centers on Tottie, a little wooden doll, and the dollhouse that arrives into the lives of her and the small family of dolls to which she belongs. The illustrations, by Tasha Tudor, are charming of course but the fact that some of them were originally printed in color something I never knew until today!

This and That

Finding myself short a few little friendly faces brought the opportunity for some pleasant painting.

Finishing touches by way of signing Mary's cushion base and bestowing her lamb with a bitty blossom.

Affixing fabric tags to the ditty bags.

Hunting and Gathering

Although my body was fairly stationary as I sat making tiny stitches today, my mind ran a marathon! At first I attempted putting my mental lists to paper but eventually decided putting my feet to action would be far more productive. Considering there are a mere 8 days left it wouldn't hurt to start working on a display and so I raided the house of a shelf or two, found a few props from when I did craft shows, and collected up all the bits and pieces that would go along with the presentation. It's all still a bit jumbled and in need of some organization but at least my brain is free and clear now to focus on finishing up all the WIPs that have taken over the sewing nook.

Handmade Husbandry

Mary had a little lamb

whose fleece was made of felt,

And every time he looked at her

her heart was sure to melt!

Have Tray Will Travel

With a wee one under the weather and home from school sequestering myself up in the nook for the day was out of the question. Instead I snagged a handy tray onto which I gathered up a pile of the pincushion bases (or "lily pads" as I've taken to calling them) along with an assortment of the threads, ruffles, and trims needed to deck them out properly. I then proceeded to plop myself downstairs where I could accompany my little sick friend. Its been our long standing rule that he who is sick gains control of the remote and so I stitched and he sniffled while we both shuddered at the creatures encountered through the space/time anomalies of BBC's Primeval!

Pint Sized Pillows

Although it rained outside for a good portion of the day, the sewing nook was alive with busy bees. While I directed my attention to the completion of more pincushion dolls, Lucy and Lily Red put their tiny but talented hands to work in the production of patchwork pillows. At this rate they'll have a good sized pile ready for show and tell on the 19th. Hope I'm as proficient in my progress!

Miniature Millinery

I spent far more time than expected in the creation of a hat for one of the Belles. It was my heart's desire for her to have a ruffled dust cap like the one worn by Lily Marie. Unfortunately scaling it down to the appropriate size remains beyond my capabilities. Someday I'll try again using a fine batiste which may prove easier to gather up than my quilting cotton did. As an alternative I created this petite pilgrim bonnet and do believe I like it so much I'll have to work next on scaling it up to a Lily size!

But for now I introduce you to Stella Belle, the first of the 11 pincushion dolls I plan to have ready for the program now just 13 days in the future!

Helping Hands

I am happy to report last night's sewing agenda was completed without a glitch which means not only are Nellie and Sally Anne finally clothed but my Gail Wilson Basic Doll kit is now officially complete! Considering it's been more than two years since I first began posting my progress on this endeavour you can imagine those two were quite delighted. Wanting to spread their good cheer they volunteered to assist me this afternoon in designing some wee wearables for the Belles. . . . . . help for which I was quite grateful!

Story Hour

News of the Hitty Tea Party has everyone in the sewing nook clamoring to join in on the adventure! My book was blatantly confiscated by the little group leaving me to turn my attention to the pressing matters of Miss Nellie and Sally Anne. . . . . .

. . . . for under no circumstances are they prepared to attend any function in their current state of undress! And so I shall spend the evening fashioning out their camisole and petticoats all the while telling myself that time's a plenty with 15 days to go.

Sewing Nook on the Move!

Today I played "Taxi Mom." Between the kid's criss-cross schedules and my own fun visit to the dentist (ha ha) I do believe I spent more time in the car than at home. Lucky for me my handwork is quite portable and so those often wasted blocks of waiting could be put to good use. A few stitches here and there added up quite nicely giving me a good dent in the lace trim on little aprons and such. And in between those I treated myself to a bit of reading, or rereading to be precise. Yes, once again, I am dancing through the days of Hitty's adventures, this time in preparation of a special Hitty Tea Party to which the Lilies and I have been invited following their program 16 days from now!

Dolly Dishes.....

Today I gathered up a trio of dessert dishes and set about filling them with the sweet makings of a few Bitty Belles. Smaller cousins to the Pick-a-Lilies, they not only perform pincushion duty but also "sing out" a little jingle when jiggled (I stitch a few tiny bells into the folds of their skirts!) You can pop over here for a peek at one I sold in the shop many moons ago or just wait a bit till I finish up these little dearies sometime in the next 17 days I have left!

18 Days and Counting......

. . . . . down to the mid March deadline! I've decided possibly the best way to keep myself on track would be commit to a daily posting of each day's productivity and I'm happy to report that today's creativity has spilled beyond the "cuppa" and into an entire collection of bowls. The goal here being to create a mini army of Lilies for that is whom the deadline ultimately concerns. They've been asked to present a program for the Nellie W. Perkins Doll and Miniature Society and are hoping to do so en masse (strength in numbers you know!) Often the Lilies tend to be quite timid so I shall have to be sure to create a few with stronger personalities to help carry the show. We have another little helper in mind but that will wait for another day. . . . . .