Outsmarting myownself

Hoping the trend towards lighter traffic on the bridge would continue, I left for the pool early this morning. After my swim, I went to Safeway. So I was back on the bridge just after 9 and bam. Stop.And.Go. The whole way. Oh well. I have gotten pretty good about not getting stressed over getting trapped like that. It's way easier, like today, when the sun isn't out and it's not hot.

In fact, this morning, on the way to the pool, I turned on the seat warmer in the car. It was chilly enough. First time this winter.

I have eggs and tortillas now to see me through Thanksgiving. If I don't want to get caught in Thanksgiving grocery traffic now, I don't have to. Nice.

Yesterday I was asked about how difficult it is to make my dolls. Not difficult at all but this gave me the idea to try and document the process. So that's today's project. After I put away the groceries...

My tweets

• Tue, 13:50: OOOOOOh just got the tracking number for my Daydream (free with my Pixel Phone)!
• Tue, 13:50: I recently got an air fryer and I'm loving it. These frites… https://t.co/lsyV4Gc1c7 https://t.co/wwfKgetYEt

The Creation Story

About a year ago, I went looking for a cute doll I could sew up using fabric scraps. I tried several that didn't quite suit and then I found the Black Apple Doll.

Martha's website offers up the pattern PDF. And some tutorials.

I stuck to the plan for a couple of dolls but found the legs and arms too skinny and finishing at the top of the head too fiddly so I paved my own way.



Here's my step by step....

After making a bunch of dolls, I transferred the pattern onto easy to trace plastic and that's what I use today. I added the hajib pattern piece (the blue one) to the mix a while back.  I pick out the fabrics and pair them up and then cut out the pieces.




I buy the eyes from a vendor on Etsy - I just could not cut out credible small rounds.  I sew the eyes on and draw in the mouth using a template I made and a sharpie.




I sew the face to one dress piece.



And sew around each leg and arm.



I usually don't cut the thread as I go so at the end I have a string of legs and arms and head/bodies.



I top stitch to keep the neck seams in place.




And if this doll needs a collar, I sew it down with the top stitching. (Sometimes, it's a collar. Sometimes it's a necklace. Sometimes just a bow. I usually add embellishments while the doll is still flat. I sew them on or glue them sometimes.)



The hair gets tacked down with a long basting stich.



The dress gets a hem.



Ready for assembly.



I use a long roach clip (or hemostat if you want to get all technical) to turn the legs and arms inside out.




And also use that roach clip to stuff them with stuffing (not the cornbread kind)



Then I tack the arms onto the dress.



And then I layer the top and the bottom.



And sew.



Now we're ready to meet this doll for the first time when we turn her inside out.



Voila!




She gets all kinds of stuffing. I hold it in with the roach clips so that I can stick the legs in.



Legs are held with pins until I can make the final seam across the bottom of the dress which attaches the legs and finished the doll at the same time!



I do some final hair cutting/shaping and she's ready for her closeup!!



I keep photos of all the dolls in Flickr albums. Each one is really different. Depending on what I have and what the fabric looks like and what I feel like and sunspots, she may have jewelry, she may have pigtails, she may have a collar and/or buttons. I love variations!

These dolls are fun and easy to make and could even be done without a sewing machine.

All of the dolls go to The Baby Bank of Seattle.

House cleaning literally and metaphorically

I appreciate Twitter. I keep my browser window at about 7/8ths and use the other 8th for a scrolling Twitter feed. I have a lot of people that I follow - news people, baseball people, tech people, other people.

I watched and tolerated, before the election, while everyone decried Trump, bashed Trump, laughed at Trump and kept their sarcastic going at full speed 24/7. And, now, since the election, there's even been some escalation. So much so that I'm almost defending that idiot.

That idiot has been elected fairly and squarely by our country. Intelligent criticism of what he has done is fair. Continuing the now escalated pre-election pounding of what everyone thinks he might do is really getting on my nerves. He has actually done little. And his campaign promises contradict each other too much to consider them valid. If everyone uses up all their vitriol and sarcasm now, before he's done anything, what the fuck are they going to do if/when he really fucks up???

Ok, I got off the rails there.

But, I have been going through my Twitter feed and unfollowing those who post source-less snark. It's just not helpful but is working my last nerve (see rant above). So I'm pruning mightily. And, so far, my Twitter is much more tolerable.

I have an order from Bed Bath and Beyond that is due here on Friday. It's $40 worth of stuff that I really can do without. BUT, I don't trust BBB to refund the money if I just refuse delivery. I don't want to pay return shipping. And... if I return it to a Bed Bath and Beyond store, I'll spend way more than $40. Damned if I do and damned if I don't.

I did work in another doll this afternoon: