Mood:  a-ok

Been experimenting more with the matboard and the camera. Now I wish I'd bought a second package of board - I'd have loved some burgundy and brights. Too bad there wasn't another 40% off coupon in the paper today. I may look next week anyway. Long as I like the one I see on top, the rest is gravy ! To think, this is scrap board - what they cut out of a mat for framing. I think that makes me love it more. 

You can see the really pale green matboard on Elphie's photo album page.  A nice lady named Pam made me these gorgeous 'Ken and Barbie' silhouette pillows, of green velvet trimmed in black beads. They're fantastic. I'd love to have a set for me !  So I took a photo to thank her, with Elphie and Fiyero, and posted it to my site, too.

I'm hoping to sew a bit this afternoon. Tomorrow's a busy day. I have to get the dress I made Pam in the mail, and Dearest Son has school and appointments. We started Son's Valentine's Day cards - writing his name 25 times, and writing all his classmates' names is a lengthy process. So we're breaking it up by doing a few pieces a day. Of course, he was more interested in how many of the Cars cards he got to keep. For fun, I applied one of the included tattoos to him - he chose Tow Mater - and it looks so cute on him. 

Right now, though, I could just take the longest nap. It's one of those miserable cold, grey all day Sundays, perfect for snoozing. So if I'm gonna sew, I gotta get on it ! Not gonna be any time tomorrow, that's for certain. 

Posted by dorriebelle at 4:08 PM CST

Updated: Sunday, 11 February 2007 4:10 PM CST

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Mood:  celebratory

OK, I got a gorgeous new digital camera for Christmas two months back. I mean, it's a beautiful camera, outside and in. But my photos still looked messy, boring, and not at all engaging. Our old camera was a fixed focus one, but it enabled me to get nice and close to the dolls...and that was all I thought would matter.

Today, Dearest Son's grandparents came over for a visit, mostly to give me a chance to get out for a while, and they could have some granny and granddad time. How sweet ! Beloved Hubby came home for lunch at nearly the same time, so we munched on frozen pizzas boosted with extra cheese first. Son ate most of his, and it was wonderful to see his appetite roaring back. 

We visited for a bit, and I realized they'd be here for hours if I didn't split soon. Had to return something to the Mart, and while I was there, I looked at dolls and fabric. Not much new. I'd like the skates that come with the My Scene Roller Girls, but not enough to pay $12.50 for them.

Had to pick up soda, so I cut through Linens...and I saw a hook. A grey fabric stuffed hook. And a rather familiar-looking set of eyes. Oh, they've gotta be kidding ! Here, in our Mart, in the kids' bedding section, was the internet-only Tow Mater pajama carrier ! It's basically a stuffed toy version of Mater, about sixteen inches long, with a zipper through his 'underbody' to store nightwear. I'd wanted him for Dearest Son's Christmas, but it was internet-only, and also sold out. But here he was !

Only $10., too. Boy, won't Son be surprised, I thought. There was also a Sally, which I never saw on the Mart website, and I got her sold to the bank teller. She saw Mater in my cart and asked. While Tow and Sally were the only ones, and they only had one of each, she wanted Sally, bad.  A quick hop over, and she had Sally firmly in her grip. Beloved Hubby wondered if Sally was for a fortunate child...or for the teller ! :) 

From there, I hopped over to Hobby Lobby. Man, was that place a mess. Took me five minutes just to find a parking space in the Back 40. I still got in before that one woman I had to drive around - she was still waiting for a more choice parking spot, but the current inhabitants were taking their sweet Saturday time.

I planned on using my newspaper 40% off coupon on the packet of tiny pastel buttons - now I only need the bright 'flirty' set - but I took my time and wandered around. I figured it was crowded, because it was the day before the coupon expired, but the cashier said he'd only seen two of 'em all day, counting mine. And here's where it gets good. While there, I wanted to look at their foamcore, poster board, science-project tryptichs, and matboard. This HL is also a frame shop, so they have lots of matboard available.  

Lovely colors of foamcore, but not many textures, which is what I was really looking for. Plus it was still mostly glossy, something I'm already having trouble with in photos. Darn flash bounce ! Posterboard wasn't anything I couldn't find at Dollars Tree or General, and the tryptichs were expensive. Matboard, however, was 50% off, and a $6. sheet could cover Room With A View twice over. Just wish it came in colors like marble or brick - or even better, looked like marble and brick !

Eventually, I found some bundles of matboard - a grab-bag of sorts - and with the discount, I'd have lots to work with for just $2. True, the pieces were all 9" x 11", but if some colors repeated, it'd be more than enough of a background for the sixth-scale and the Tonner dolls. Heck, even the Crissy dolls could pose with two stacked one on the other !

I even had a piece of foamcore that was a bit dinged, but  it could be used to securet the matboard, with push-pins. Could use ribbon or trim to hide the two-pieces-stacked seam, or just position it right behind the doll's head. It was non-reflective, so maybe that would help with the flash problems I've been having.

Picked through the bundles - they're all white on the back, but I couldn't tell what colors I'd be getting - so I chose one with a nice medium blue showing. Once home, I found that I'd gained 18 uniform-sized pieces, two each in black, lilac, robin's-egg blue, medium blue, and forest green. Also singles in Williamsburg blue, sky blue, eggplant, navy, pastel green, Christmas green, forest green, and an unusual - but probably Barbie-friendly - shade of fuschia.   

To say I was very happy with this $2. purchase is understating it a bit.  I barely looked at my buttons ! I grabbed Midge and posed her up against the medium blue that caught my eye from the beginning, and took a few shots. Then, I remembered that Hubby once said I was getting a bit close for our upgraded flash. So I backed up and used the zoom lens to get what I wanted. 

And whaddya know, it works ! I left plenty of cropping space, but between giving the photo some flash space, and the new matboard absorbing some of it, the photos came out a lot better ! It's like the flash bounced off the white foamcore towards Midge's face, but the matboard absorbed enough to keep from removing her eyebrows and eye color in glare. Wow. THIS is my Midge ! Pretty, direct, and playful. Half her photos used to come out with her eyes buggy-looking and her nose barely visible. True, I should have combed her hair, but I was eager to experiment. Also true is that it's nearly dark in the living room - Son's asleep on the sofa - but I used to avoid evening photos when I could. The flash always made the doll look terrible. Doesn't look like that's a problem now ! :)

Of the thirty photos I took, nearly all were good. Much better than usual ! I found that I liked the whiteboard showing, and kept it in the top for several crops, but it made the photo unbalanced, with all that 'dead air' above her head. The only thing that got holes in it was the foamcore - I balanced the matboard on pushpin stems.  Some of the matboard is dinged on the edges, and one has a tiny dark spot, but for $2., it's very usable stuff.  

I just regret that the sale ended today. I'd love more colors, like burgundy and cream. Guess I'll keep my eyes open for another 40% off coupon !

And listen harder next time Hubby gives me photo tips !  

Posted by dorriebelle at 9:56 PM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 9:55 AM CDT

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Mood:  down

The new medicine seems to be helping. Dearest Son kept it down all night and again today, and his fever hasn't come back since last night. I can say it now, I was *&%^ing scared last night.

So it's funny today that he's bouncy and happy, and I'm about to pass out writing this. Never did sew yesterday. Or today. I'm sorry this is so short, but really nothing's happening besides Sick House. I posted the pink Ballerina Barbie photo on another doll forum - I guess I really do need the community. Being home for nearly a week has me kind of titchy.  

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

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Mood:  cool

...we got his prescription after Dearest Son's doctor visit last night, but less than a minute after taking it, it came right back up. Then it made a second appearance at 5am. So we got a different prescription, and it's stayed down for an hour, so here's hoping. He's taking his second nap of the day, so I have some down time.

Spent most of the morning calling the doctor and the pharmacist, trying to figure out when the medicine would be ready. It's probably for the best that he had a chance to fully neutralize what was bothering him from the previous medicine, but when you have a sick son on yer hands, it's hard to think of the bigger picture.

He got tired of me asking if he wanted food, and asked me to stop bugging him ! I asked if he'd like to talk to his grandparents, and he chatted merrily with them for a half hour. I try not to be jealous, but...I'm the one who makes him take medicine that even smells awful, doesn't buy the big toys he wants, and bothers him about eating. They're a county away, and are always fun. Oh, well.

If you've been over to the 'Somewhere That's Green' site, you'll know how I spent yesterday evening - after cleaning up, of course. I moved a lot of stuff off the Home page onto new pages, and added a different photo of Midge and her new dress. Main page was getting pretty crowded, and now Aria has her own page, and Elphaba has her own photo album. I have got to get busy on the end of the 'Fall Ball' story. I promised !

I might sew, now that Son's asleep, but I'll have to use old patterns. It'll be at least another week before we can get another ink cartridge. The stains from the botched refill attempt are nearly gone.  I don't like to use original tissue patterns, and the stuff I'd most like to try, I need a printer for ! So I may just see what I already have cut out and ready to go. I need to do something. Much as I love doll boards and forums, I'm coming to the sad conclusion that online community doesn't really help my self-esteem. Doll fans are fantastic, but there's always a thread of competition, of who has what, and I always end up wanting more than I end up sharing. That's probably just my psychological damage, not something that happens to anyone else. But it's not helpful to me, and there's better ways to spend time. 

Posted by dorriebelle at 7:28 PM CST

Updated: Thursday, 8 February 2007 7:30 PM CST

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Mood:  down

...he came home from school yesterday with a fever. We thought it broke, but it's back. We're waiting for his Dr. appointment, and he's resting on the sofa, watching Fox and the Hound again. If he's home tomorrow, I'll try to rent the sequel. Yeah, most Disney sequels suck a unique kind of rock, but heck, he so loves this one. And I kinda want to see Cinderella III...

While he's recovering, I did a bit of sewing. I've sort of got triple goals going. I want to make something for each of my sixth-scale dolls. Using fabric I've had around for some time, but never made anything from. And I want to use patterns I never touched before - those few hundred I scanned but never sewed. 

Here's the first one. This is a snug-fitting dress from Barbie Dress Wear, a Japanese pattern book. I don't speak or read the language, and there's only English here for decoration, but the illustrations are simple enough to follow. There's also ads - several for the 'Hip to Be Square' series - and jewelry-making diagrams. It may be out of print now, though. 

If you'd like to see this book - and what this dress is supposed to look like, here's an auction for it - eBay # 290079019627 . Scroll down a bit, and this is #24, under 'Shopping Style'. It worked up pretty easy, start to finish was about two hours. I messed up the armholes, one bodice dart is shorter than the other, and one of the side seams didn't match up right, but it fits well regardless, and Midge seems to like it. I'll probably work it again, using different materials for the top and bottom pieces, but I knew this one was a rough draft before I started.

For one, I've never worked darts that are ruler-straight on one side and curved on the other. Every dart I've sewn's been equal on both sides. But I played with the fabric (read : tore the stitches out and redid it at least twice) until it worked. As it turned out, the patterns are forgiving, but quite precise. If I sewed it correctly, everything matched. But that meant that every stitch built on the one before. Tossing off this seam or that dart means that the fit was off. 

Now, you can say that for most patterns. But this one was more precision-exact than I'm used to. It merely took a bit more time to get it all right. I confess, I didn't take extra care with the bodice darts, and that's probably why the armholes didn't match.

I did get the seam allowance right. I saw the '0.5cm' above the pattern pieces, and that's just a bit under the standard 1/4" I'm used to. It's amazing to me how some things don't change much, no matter the language or measurement standard.  

This fabric was purchased at a yard sale - the seller actually had it behind some items she wanted to highlight. She was rather taken aback when I asked if she wanted to sell it ! It's lavender, and those little clusters of dots are really stars. The whole piece has tiny silver highlights, too. I could probably make a dozen more from the half-yard I got, but there's lots more fabric for me to use in the meanwhile.

Just not right now. It's time for someone's medicine, and I gotta grab a shower before the doctor's. I hope it's just a cold or something minor... Beloved Hubby's also worried. He's home today, and is so bored with waiting, he's painting the kitchen. Looks pretty nice, I think. 

Posted by dorriebelle at 2:44 PM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 9:55 AM CDT

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Mood:  a-ok

Not a lot going on today - kind of a boring Tuesday. Had some housework to do, and an ink cartridge mess to clean (don't even try to refill those %$#@ things), so I never got to sew or even play. That Japanese pattern I did yesterday is mocking me ! 

Hope your day had some excitement - just not too much !  

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

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Mood:  silly

I'm gonna write this here, so hopefully I won't forget it for a while. NO Coffee after 1pm !! Couldn't sleep for jack last night, and I'd had coffee all day. Now I know. Sodas I can handle all day and still sleep. Coffee is something entirely different !

Now then. On to doll stuff ! 

Please meet 'Joy', my hybrid Ballerina Barbie. I had one the first year they came out, I think it was 1976. My parents were already saying I was getting old for dolls (boy, were they in for a surprise !), but I wanted this gorgeous doll sooo much.

So I did what a kid does. Made her the One Wish. Basically, I asked for her and only her that holiday. I was devious as a kid, and self-serving. Not much has changed since. :)

I, and half the neighborhood, got this doll that year. We staged elaborate ballet performances, admiring the way her arms went out, not like Malibu's, whose just went up and down. Her arms and fingers were graceful, her long legs and beautiful stand seemed born for the stage. I loved her unusual face - although I realize it was a well-used Mattel mold, I was more accustomed to Malibu and Leia.

But all good things end, and she, along with every doll but Leia, went into the attic for a few years. They all later ended up with my best friend's Barbie-less sisters. At least I got to play with them again when I visited !

I found this lovely lady at a thrift store. Her body was beyond salvage. The elastic band that allowed such elegant posing in her arms was deteriorated, the kicking leg mechanism had frozen, but even with gentle pressure, they only went from stiff to barely-hanging-on swingy. But her head was in pretty good shape. Her hair, although sparse in the back, hadn't gone wooly, and her face paint was great.

So she came home, along with a Belly Button body Barbie. A swift head-swap later, and a headless better body was improved, I had a Ballerina with nice hands that went out, and the discolored original body got tossed. There was nothing I could do with it. The BB body is thinner and less robust in the bust, but I think that suits a ballerina !

She's dressed in one of the two dresses I got recently. This is a My First Barbie outfit, #4868, My First Party Dress. I think it came out in 1981, but I'm not sure. My next purchase will be reference books ! It's not a perfect fit - her head lolls a bit - but I think the skin tone's a good match, and I can always squeeze her head down if I need to. I named her Joy, because that's how I felt when I first saw her - and I still do. 

In other news, I tried to print up a pattern from the Barbie In Japan book. but our ink cartridge is DOA. Tried to refill it, which was an utter failure. It leaks like a sieve, and my hands look like I got fingerprinted for crimes against humanity. When I went to the fabric store, I just knew the clerks were cringing, hoping I wouldn't touch anything. Nope. I did, but I knew the ink is there 'til it wears off, and the material was in no danger. It'd been several hours since the attempt.

Didn't buy anything, but there's a great sale on the 17th. Half off thread's a good buy, but I never know what I need until I go to sew something. And I already have a few dozen spools I doubt I'll ever use. Anyway, I finally traced it, and it's ready to use when I get the time. The directions are all in Japanese, but the illustrations require none of my nonexistant translation skills.

So I may get to sew tomorrow. For now, though, I'm dirt tired from not sleeping last night, and it's nearly bedtime. Hope your Monday went well - and you didn't try to refil ink carts ! 

Posted by dorriebelle at 8:13 PM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 9:54 AM CDT

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Mood:  chillin'

Finally updated the Home page ! With something more than just changing the month on it, too ! Basically, it's the same image I posted here yesterday, but with the second version I sewed last night added. The second one went much better. I've learned that just about anything that needs to be sewn can be arranged into a straight line that's easier to keep on track. Even a curved neckline. I can top-stitch fairly well, but it's harder to keep on track with a curve.

Unfortunately, I've been resting on my laurels today. Not that I give a fig for the SuperBowl, or the commercials - since I graduated with a B.A. in Mass Comm, the commercials would be the only thing I'd watch anyway. But our TV isn't even tuned in to get commercial broadcasts, and it's all gonna be on YouTube tomorrow, anyway.

I haven't even done laundry or dishes. I really am being lazy today !  Just watchin' Dearest Son's pick of Disney movies, reading doll boards, hangin' out. Finally slept well last night, maybe I've kicked the insomnia away for a bit. Put off returning the even-darker other spool of thread I bought yesterday - I'll be in the area tomorrow, picking up Son from school, so it can wait.

It was kind of funny to go to Hancock Fabrics and not buy anything but thread. They didn't have anything I wanted ! I have a good choice of their inventory for the last four years here already, plus more besides. Even the markdown stuff still seemed high-priced. Of course, this is coming from a woman who gets five or six yards in small pieces inside a $2.  grab-bag at a thrift store.

I'm thinking of taking some pictures of the FriendShip Barbie airplane. I got a special one just like the one I had as a kid, but I've never photographed it before. It'd be cute to use some of that gold and black fabric as a flight attendant uniform ! A nice vest and a skirt, over a white blouse...hmmm. I think I know what I'm making next. And I already have thread ! :) 

Posted by dorriebelle at 4:36 PM CST

Updated: Sunday, 4 February 2007 4:37 PM CST

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Mood:  a-ok

Here's the dress I made yesterday. It's the 'Basic Dress' from Mari Dewitt's Vintage Clothing for the Fashion Doll. I've made it before, but not in years. The one on your left I made yesterday, using the same Flavia fabric I made Elphie a peasant blouse from, pictured on that page on the main site. As you can see, I didn't have well-matching thread, and it really stands out. It looks worse in person, I can tell you. Every bobble, every off-center stitch screams, 'See where she screwed up !'. Or maybe I'm the only one who can hear thread, I wouldn't discount the possibility...

Today, after stupidly leaving the house without the doll or fabric sample, I had to guess at which color thread to get. There must have been twenty-seven shades of purple, from lilac to eggplant. After a while, my eyes didn't work, and the store I went to didn't carry this fabric. So I was on my own. I guessed. And I redid the neckline and hem in the new color today, it's on your right. This is actually a bit too dark, but in my eyes, it looks 200% better.  

So, as you can see, thread makes a difference. Now, if I can get the whole dress right later today, I'll be happy - for a while ! :)  At this rate, my little contest will have to wait another week.

And folks wonder why I don't sell my stuff. Only I know how bad that zipper in the back looks !  

PS - Our lovely model today is 'Barbie as Maria in The Sound of Music', a 1995 'Hollywood Legends Collection' doll.  I found mine at a flea market, complete save for her hat, shoes, and guitar, for $2. in 2000.

Posted by dorriebelle at 3:51 PM CST

Updated: Monday, 2 May 2011 9:56 AM CDT

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Mood:  energetic

Maybe it was the caffeine. I've been enjoying my morning coffee - which often becomes my afternoon coffee - these last two weeks, but maybe I need to scale it back. I could barely sleep last night, but I felt better this morning. Or maybe the multivitamin helped, who knows ? But anyway, I really felt like sewing.

There's a friend on the Disney Dolls group who wants me to sew something for him, and I just haven't gotten to it yet. That may have been part of the block. Aside from a swap here and there - which made me anxious enough to not repeat lately - I've never really sewn for anyone else. I know I can do it, but I was completely lethargic about even trying. 

And much as I'd like to say that's what I sewed, it isn't. I wanted to make two somethings for another group, one as a give-away in a contest, and the other for a dear member who made me something. After having a nice afternoon with Dearest Son and Beloved Hubby, it was time.

The finished item is shot full of errors. I hate it when I have to hand-sew in a zipper when the dress is finished. I always end up with it off-center. Amazingly, I can do it right when I use the machine, but I always boot it by hand. I didn't have thread to match the fabric very well, and it shows, horribly. I also didn't see the 'place on fold' when I cut the skirt part out, so it's not as poofy as it should be.

On the whole, it's not my favorite dress. But it's OK. And I see my mistakes, and can improve on the next ones. For one, the back will have snaps !  And the skirt will be the right width. Third, I am getting better matching thread !

I've tried several times to take a photo, but they didn't come out well at all. So I hope to get a decent one tomorrow. Then, I'll get some darn thread !

It actually felt rather good to sew for Barbie again. I was nervous - the pattern showed a 1/8" seam allowance, but it hung like a bag that way. With a standard 1/4" seam allow, it fit great. (sigh) I get so tired of that kind of bonehead mistake in doll patterns...

Well, it's late, and I'm falling asleep typing. 'Til the morrow !  

Posted by dorriebelle at 12:01 AM CST

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