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. . . . . .

A Cuppa......

Most things around here start with a cuppa. Earl Grey helps me greet the sunrise and the day ahead while dear hubby never heads out on his commute without coffee from Little Peach. Company calls for the kettle to be put on so as to commence our cozy chit chat while the kiddies clamour for cocoa to initiate their warm up after a romp in the snow. And when the cold season comes a knocking on our door nothing sets about the healing process better than an herbal with lemon and honey.

February seems to have literally flown out the window. . . . . hopefully taking the worst of the weather and persistent flu bugs with it! But now, with a mid March deadline looming and a nearly depleted Esty shop its time to dig in and get down to work and so I've decided what better way to start than with a "cuppa creativity!"

Snowed in.....

. . . . . AGAIN!!!

Although the sun eventually showed up the poor postman didn't.
Couldn't is probably more like it!

Missing...but in Action!

Was I ever surprised to pop on here and see I'd failed to post a single word since November! Boy did that time ever fly by. . . . with the days full of finish work, festivities, and feasting and the nights more of the same, sleep was minimal for a while there. Having now, however, granted myself a bit of a Rip Van Winkle respite I find myself awake and ready for action (or at least ready to share some tidbits of the activity that occurred in my absence!)

My exploration into the world of paperclay was great fun. Many different cat heads were sculpted and painted in the process. The whimsical and cartoonish ones were a blast but in order to best depict the features of a Siamese Snowshoe I decided to go in a different direction an thus ended up with a bit more realistic. . . . .

. . . . . Knittin' Kitten!

I also spent some time working with a feline of another sort. . . . . The Cat in the Hat!

The Dr. Seuss fabric line was a hoot to work with and simply hollered out for the fun addition of some red pom pom trim.

With orders completed and delivered it was finally time to welcome in the holidays and all of the goodies that arrive with them. The most frequently received gifts from under the tree this year were books (as usual) and Lego's. . . . . .which very quickly animated themselves. . . . .

. . . . . and took over the entire house!

Even the tree itself was stormed by a troop of Bioicles.

If only their forces could have been rounded up and put to use during one of the several snow events we've endured. With 15+ inches on the ground. . . . .

. . . . .all able bodies were needed in the shoveling department!

For awhile there it seemed if I wasn't shoveling, I was sewing and my project pile was about as deep as the snow.

So it was back to the ironing board in an attempt to fill a big ole basket up with some Itty Bitty pincushions. Enjoyable work though it was I found myself quite distracted by this. . . . .

. . . . . one of the more addicting books received in this year's booty. It's the first Bill Bryson book I've read but certainly not to be my last. You wouldn't believe how many tea time breaks I took in order to sneak down from the sewing nook and peruse a few more of it's pages. Until, that is, I came to his explanation of the phrase "room and board."

Apparently before dining tables were as we know them, meals were served from nothing more than a board of wood placed upon the diners' knees. Quite space efficient, the board could then be hung on a wall between services. To offer someone room and board therefore meant to house and feed them. My brain can't fathom feeding my gang from a plank of wood balanced on their knees but it did put the portable nature of a board to practical use.

And so my handy June Taylor pressing board went on a journey. Farewells were made to the sewing nook and we soon settled upon the dining room table. With such a wide open surface I was able to spread out my projects alongside of my book which allowed me to practically sew and read at the same time!

Before I knew it the tiny cushions were falling into place,

filling up,

and ready to head out to Candlelite Quilts where they'll happily await the delightful folks that pass through the doors. With their cheery disposition and shiny buttons I have no fear they'll do their best to entice someone sweet to give them a home, leaving me free to indulge in an afternoon "At Home" with Mr. Bryson!