doll

Once upon a time… In the Fairy Forest…There was a suitcase…

CoraMaezy, doll, making things, Uncategorized

This suitcase. Spotted on Facebook Marketplace.  Crazy. I have a ton of older suitcases, interesting cases, but this one… So off I went.

A beauty? Are you inspired?
Inspired now? Oh. My. Someone had already pulled out all the innards
from Come Follow Me by Gyo Fujikawa, one of my favorite illustrators . . .
Building an insert out of cardboard . . .
My assistants helping me figure out how to line the case with burlap. . .
Building the first tree out of cardboard . . .
Building the tree trunk, more cardboard fun. Paper mache soon to be removed….
Painting…
Adding greenery
Making the base tile
Hmmm. Not quite right yet.
More fairies from Gyo Fujikawa . . .
Made a stump, in case CM needs to sit…
Once upon a Fairy Forest.. CoraMaezy was telling the story of Puppers and Mouse to her friend Mouse-Mouse.
We hope you like our Fairy Forest suitcase world.

Working on adjusting The Coat

doll, sewing

I’ve been working on a version of Amanda Gorman’s Gucci cost that she wore on inauguration day.

Here Opal is trying on my first attempt:

So I’m working on another try. I’ve adjusted my patterns and cut them out of these old cloth napkins I picked up at the thrift. You can’t beat old linens!

Working on the lining, with help from Maria
Just started hemming. Hopefully tomorrow after it’s ironed it will look good

Definitely wish I could go over to Mom’s and ask her to iron it for me. My patience for ironing is low but it makes such a difference. It’s the kind of thing I’d do with love for someone else but for my projects…I feel so meh about it. Sigh. I think mom would like this one. It’s so much fun to work with a border print.

Josefina. An American Girl.

doll

Josefina came out in 1997, and I thought she was beautiful. All of the Girls are beautiful of course, but her face really appealed to me.

Fast forward to Pandemic Fun… Seems like I’ve been spending a lot of time reading the ads on Facebook Marketplace. It’s turned up a passle of interesting items, and when J.M. showed up… Well… I didn’t resist.

Lydia’s Yinka Shonibare dress…

doll, sewing

As CoraMaezy and I wait on Lydia’s arrival . . . We’ve been preparing for a Christmas party. And for that party, all of the girls are going to get to wear a dress inspired by Yinka Shonibare MBE.

For Lydia, I wanted to focus on blue prints. But I also wanted to try to use some fabrics designed by Aboriginal artists from Australia. The colors are vibrant and so much fun.

Just waiting for Lydia to arrive!

New friend on her way . . .

doll

Way back last March?, I took part in a Kickstarter for A Girl For All Time, the doll company that produced my CoraMaezy. This time they were asking for pledges from those of us wishing for either Elinor or Lydia, two dolls they’d produced earlier.

I have been wishing for Lydia; I love her coloring and her sweet face. So I went for it. Due to the pandemic, all of the production and shipping deadlines have taken longer than usual, but I’ve heard rumors that she’s on the final legs of her cruise. Matter of fact, dolly moms in Australia have already received her! It’s only a matter of time before that wonderful box arrives on my doorstep. 🙂

Lydia