Hello everyone! I hope you’re all well and happy this fabulous Friday. Isn’t it a glorious day? I may or may not have had a little too much sugar this morning. Combine that with GREAT! EXCITEMENT! as Bob & I are getting a night off parenting tonight and perhaps you could forgive the gratuitous use of exclamation marks. Bob’s wonderful parents have volunteered to take the three youngest tonight while Findlay goes to his Dad’s, so we’re actually going to spend some time together that doesn’t involve housework. What a novel idea! Have you got anything fun planned for the weekend?

So – the title of my blog post today is artistically challenged because I really am. It’s not even funny, I am the most cack-handed wannabe artist that I know. I wanted to do art for Standard Grade – which is the Scottish equivalent to GCSE – and the art teacher pretty much laughed me out of the room. I can’t draw to save myself, I don’t have the techniques for painting but I am so keen! I’ve been trying to create faces for the little dolls I’ve been making and I just can’t seem to do it.

These are the new dolls – four girls and a boy (I’m going to put together a tutorial for the boy doll at some point soon, promise!). They’ve been sewn up and finished for almost a week and are sitting on my sewing chair just waiting for their faces. As a reminder, this is the dolly I’d made for Elise:

And I wasn’t thrilled by the face. I ended up repainting the eyes more than once because I felt they just weren’t quite what I’d expected. It sounds like such a simple thing doesn’t it, to draw an eye? But I’m a big believer in the power and mystique of eyes, and I want these dollies to be loved and cherished so it’s important to me that the eyes are enchanting, beautiful and not at all frightening. So I shall plough on with drawing eyes until I think I’ve found an eye that works. Wish me luck!

Posted under for the kids, sewing

A year ago today, a gaggle of us were sitting in Kirsty‘s living room, celebrating her forthcoming birthday with a slumber party all too reminiscent of my days at boarding school. Alas – as is an apparently normal event for the Fab Five – one of our number was absent. She had a pretty good excuse in fairness since Eileen was in hospital across the city, allegedly in labour. I’ll never forget that night – a room stowed full of people, most of us constantly refreshing twitter to see if there was any new news before we got the text message to say that Elise was here safely and a roar of celebration went up. Amazing.

So little Elise turned a whole year old today and it appalls me how quickly that time has passed. From a mothering perspective I remember Findlay’s first year as being one of the longest since I was a kid, when you measured years by when Santa Claus paid a visit. Subsequent years have flown by all too quickly and I could easily sit here and get maudlin about the fact that I have an eight-and-a-half year old son. Eileen and I mused this afternoon just how quickly the time has passed and there’s simply not enough words to explain the conflict of emotions this has stirred in me.

In any case, having a fully stocked craft cantina and a dwindling bank balance I decided that 2010 will be the year of the handmade gift and Elise was the first – and some would say unfortunate – recipient. Whilst searching for a tutorial I thought I’d bookmarked (Mimi Kirchner’s handsewn felt doll) I found this tutorial on Martha Stewart’s website, a step-by-step guide showing you how to make the dolls made famous by Etsy’s #1 seller, Emily Martin.

This was a surprisingly time-consuming project, although that is probably down to my rampant disorganisation and the fact that I sewed the arms by hand. I did really like this little project, my sole complaint being that I’m not confident in my arty skills and having to leave the face until the doll is sewn up was extremely daunting for me. I must apologise for the lack of detail in the photo but poor Bob had about three seconds to snap it for me as I finally ran out the door earlier.

This was my finished version. As she was going to be loved, slobbered on, chewed and rough-housed I deliberately left off any embellishments which Elise may have managed to remove which has left her looking a little sparse to my eye. I have promised a little coat for her which I’ll make at a later date.

I really don’t find it easy to “big up myself” and I’m constantly looking for things to criticise so I’ll end this post here and accept any lavish praise you’d like to heap upon me now

Happy birthday, Elise!

Posted under for the kids, sewing