I heard the mermaids singing

And before I knew it, there were three! I plan to have them swim among my hostas. These foil shapes will be covered in paper, then paverpol and paint. Paverpol is marvellous for outdoor art. I like the silver, but don't want it to look like tin foil art. 

I am pleased with the shape, taking inspiration from the whales.  Once I had one started, I began thinking about another and before I knew it, I had a little production line going! The beauty of three is you can work on one, let it dry and move on.  

Since I was working in my studio among my bridal silks, I didn't want to get the paverpol out. I usually do that in the back porch at home. They needed a fin, but I also needed a way to attach it. Along came Mod Podge!  I saw a blog post on craftgossip.com. Someone had covered a table in tin foil.  Very cool!  Well, it attached the fin, without having to manipulate a whole new layer.  You can't see it in the photo.  That's for next time!

Does anyone have a smart way of attaching the rods?

 

Wordless Wednesday

Ryan Pastorino

Face drawing and proportions

Wordless Wednesday

Photo by Tommy Tsutsui

http://www.flickr.com/photos/next-blessing/

Days For Girls

Sometimes things happen that get you moving in a new direction. A little while ago, an acquaintance of a friend introduced me to Days For Girls. Here's a little info about it from their web site.

What if not having sanitary supplies kept you isolated during menstruation? DAYS without school. DAYS without income. No leaving your room... for DAYS. It happens worldwide to women in struggling communities. Girls miss up to 3 months of school in just 1 year. Girls use leaves, mattress stuffing, newspaper, corn husks, rocks, anything they can find... all to try to stay in school. Worse, girls are often exploited in exchange for hygiene . It turns out this issue is one of the keys to social change. It's hard to imagine, but true for women all over the world.

Not having given any real thought to this issue, this was an eye opener. Days For Girls aims to provide menstrual kits to women and girls all over the world. The idea percolated and grew in a wonderful way.

Knowing I was a dressmaker, I was asked to donate fabric. I volunteered to make some kits and have enlisted the help of a few doll club friends. My sister and her husband came to visit last month. They are active in a charity for kids in Tanzania  called ABCD - Art Building Children's Dreams. I showed them the kit and they knew the need was there. They got very enthusiastic. Now my sister is sewing kits and organizing a team to make enough for all the girls at the school they sponsor.

I mentioned days for Girls to my neighbor  who similarly is involved with a group called CanHave in Uganda. She also jumped on the project and has started sewing kits and getting others involved.

This kind of energy is amazing to watch. At the fabric store, they asked what she wanted the waterproof fabric for, as they'd had a few people asking for it. When told about the kits, they got on board too!! Amazing!

I love the idea of being able to contribute in a tangible way. Giving money always seems rather nebulous to me. This has results. The missionaries and charity workers who go to places like Africa and Haiti take kits with them and they get distributed at nursing stations.  Days For Girls hope to pass along some education with each kit. Many girls are told nothing about why they menstruate. Hard to believe. 

This is a kit - girls get a bag, 2 waterproof shields  8 cloth pads, panties, wash cloth and 2 plastic zip-loc bags. Each kit is planned to last 3 years  The kit has been so well thought out and is easy for any sewer to make.

I hope in telling you about my latest project, that you will join us too. Ottawa has a local chapter of Days For Girls, who collect the kits. There may be one near you that you can send them to. 

Wordless Wednesday

Florida sunset by Edwina Sutherland

Corsets and stays

You know I'm crazy for corsets. At Williamsburg, I got to see planty being worn.

This week, I saw an online article about using zip ties as boning. these babies, however, are works of handsewn art. No machine sewing at all!

Wordless Wednesday

Instant downloads now available on Etsy

I'm pleased to announce that my patterns are now available as instant download files on Etsy. This means you buy the pattern, you get the pattern instantly! How cool is that. Here's what I have on offer. Click the images to see them in the store.

 

 

 

There's more! Go check it out!

 

 

 

 

 

Wire

Well I learned something new! On Doll Street's club Journal, we were having a discussion about armature wire. We often have a Topic Of the Week. This one was most fruitful. I knew about aluminum wire and have used old electrical wire, which is copper. I knew not to use old coat hangers, because they are hard to bend and can snap.

What do you need to consider with armature wire? You need it to be strong enough to hold up the figure, bendy enough to be easy to work with, and it must not rust  You never know, but your doll may get wet at some point, or be subject to humidity.

Gauge is also important. Size 18 seems to be the most popular. 20 or 22 is thinner and okay for arms. Chenille stems are good for hands and can be used for small dolls. They can even be braided together for strength on a small figure. the electrical wire I use comes covered. When you strip the cover, you get two coated wires and a copper ground wire. I find this works very well and I'm recycling old wire, which makes me feel good!

Now here's the new thing I learned: bonsai wire comes in copper and aluminum. It comes in different gauges and is cheap! If you buy wire at the art store or hardware store, you can pay big bucks for it. This stuff can be found at some hardware stores and online - cheap! I like that! So that's my next purchase, once I use up the electrical wire that I have.

What kind do you use?

Wordless Wednesday