Pictures From a Birthday Party

Tire Swing

Amy took these gorgeous shots last week at a birthday party we were at, on a gorgeous Colorado evening. The evenings here in late spring/early summer really can’t be beat- the light is perfect, the weather, flawless. And, if Amy has her camera along, everyone looks like models for some magazine. I love the way kids are in pictures. I saw Grace swinging Truman in the tire swing as a halo of light glowed behind them and begged Amy to run out with the camera and get a picture. Then, Evie, who loves to be in on any kind of action, especially the kind that involves attention, waltzed over, and snatched her baby brother up and began to smother him with kisses.

Evie and her baby brother

Of course, the camera right in hand, Amy documented that as well. Kids have the easiest time in the world being candid and impromptu, it seems. So much more of a struggle for me. Anyway I hope you enjoy these.

 

Me and my little guy!

Close up

 

First Few Weeks in the Country

So fun to share my favorites with her

It landed on the wall for the day…

They bring me so much joy…

He’s two now!

View from the porch

Babette’s Blanket

I’ve wanted to make this blanket for such a long time. Once I started it I just haven’t been able to stop! all those teeny, colorful, squares, coming together into a beautiful mosaic. Crochet can be so fun, too, for a change from knitting. The kids and I have a blast playing around with the squares as I keep making more to be sewn up.

First Smiles

Proof

I know you keep hearing me say that I have some cute little Tumble Friends planned for the shop, but not until today have I finally gotten a chance to get started on them. Thanks to Truman’s unexpectedly long morning nap…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…I got quite a bit of sewing done while the kids tackled their school work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So here are some step by step photos for you. Proof that I do, indeed, have at least one doll in the works!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(this yarn, by the way, is the most gorgeous doll hair I have ever felt or laid eyes on- it’s soooo pretty!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it, folks- the start of a Tumble Friend. I’m pulling out some pretty yarn to knit her some fun stuff, and inventing outfit ideas in my head before I send the fabric off to Amy to tell her what to sew! This slower pace of doll making is going to be the status quo at least for a while, and I am really enjoying it. It is nice to take my time and let an idea come together at its own pace. This doll should be available in a couple of weeks, along with a sister or two.

Our Days

Sleeping babes…(usually in the sling or in my arms, but now and then a little nap on his own)

 

 

Little boys starting to play dress up with the big kids (he was a pirate and carried a sword)

 

 

Matching PJ’s…I absolutely can’t wait to see these two little boys playing together in a year or so…

 

 

Lots and lots of school and piano practice. With three kids taking lessons the piano is being played All.Day.Long. Love it.

Somewhere in the middle of this some doll ideas are dancing around in my head. Maybe later on today I can get started on them? If so, I’ll share on here tomorrow!

Truman

Our little baby boy Truman Law arrived on December 27, weighing 7 pounds 1 ounce. It was a wonderful, scary, beautiful, traumatic, painful, peaceful home birth. Don’t know if that makes any sense but that is the paradox of motherhood , you know? We now have three girls and three boys- perfect! And I am enjoying every moment with another newborn in the house, even those fussy hours that happen in the evening. When he finally gives a little sigh and settles in to sleep in my arms is the best feeling in the world. It’s one of those moments I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Dolls visiting from Asia, part II

Well, the dolls got more than they bargained for when they made the trip to Colorado in November. One day of lovely weather for the first batch of pictures, and then we got dumped with a whole bunch of snow the next. Well, don’t worry, with the sun out shining today it was actually quite a bit warmer than it looks…

…though poor Sumalee, the Thai visitor, really was quite unprepared for the cold. Her name means “Flower” I am told, and she is dressed just like one. Her outfit came out so, so lovely, I think. She is wearing a pretty necklace that actually can be shared with her new mama. 16″ doll

We also have some more pictures of Gita today. Gita is a 16″ Indian girl. She comes with a darling barrette, as well as a little coin purse on her wrist.

Next up is Ali, a 16″ Afghan boy. His hat and vest are just amazing, so detailed and colorful.

And, finally, Sonia, another doll from India, this time a 12″ one. Her name means golden, and I absolutely couldn’t resist giving her this beautiful hand spun hair with gold colored strands throughout. It is one of the prettiest handspun yarns I have ever used, I think, and certainly causes Sonia to live up to her name.

Well, there you have it, the final dolls in the Asian collection. They will be on Etsy tomorrow (Friday), time to be announced. Let me also post the prices here, too. As I am sure you can imagine, these dolls all took significantly more work than the ones I normally do, as well, the materials, which hail from all around the world, cost quite a bit more than I usually use. Between the planning, pattern drafting, dyeing, photos and material cost naturally the dolls are priced higher than normal. And, this is the reason why I am able to make special edition dolls from time to time. I’m sure you can understand, but I thought I would explain it none the less.

16″ dolls (Eun, Fuyuki, Nuha, Gita, Sumalee and Ali) are $270

12″ doll (Sonia) $200

9″ (Keiko) $165

Dolls Visiting From Asia…

This is a new group of dolls that I have been working very hard on and planning for weeks. The idea all started with Dianah, a lady who contacted me through Etsy, requesting that I make dolls representing different countries in Asia. She felt that many of those countries have been underrepresented in natural dolls, and I was very flattered that she thought of contacting me to see if I would be able or willing to make them. Considering that I actually have never even traveled outside of the United States, I initially felt embarrassingly under qualified to attempt her idea!  However, as I thought of it I became greatly intrigued and wondered if I should see if I could pull it off.

Fortunately- and in fact, without this I do not think there is any way  I would have attempted this- Dianah was extremely helpful- from sending me internet links of different regions in costume- to links to fabric shops from all around the world where I could get items, accessories, fabric, and trim for the doll clothing. From there it was a matter of doing what is my absolute favorite part of doll making- pulling together all sorts of different fabric, trims, hand dyed and hand spun  yarn, to attempt to make everything come together into something cohesive and fun. And, oh I am so glad that I decided to try to make it work. Let me tell you, for a couple of weeks Amy and I were sweating it, concerned that the outfits wouldn’t look right, or fit, or even be possible to pull off, but this last week, as all the pieces came together, I couldn’t stop squealing with delight with each one. It seemed that I liked each new doll that came together more than the last, and I will tell you the truth, I honestly cannot pick a favorite. If there was ever an upload where  Iwished I could keep each and every last doll, this one is it. My children, who watched in fascination, as well as adding suggestions and offers of help, feel exactly the same way, though they begged, absolutely begged to keep Nuha, the Arab girl. Her beautiful scarf I think made her end up being a favorite. As for me, I’m just not going to say, since each one speaks to me in a completely different way.

I have five dolls to show you today, since the other three are still being completed. Still to come: 16″ Afghan boy, 16″ Thai girl, 12″ Indian girl, as well as plenty more photos of Gita, the 16″ Indian girl. I will have details about all eight dolls for you shortly on Facebook. But you will need to give me just a few days to get them all done, and then, I promise, of course, lots and lots more photos. Oh, one more thing, I promised Dianah, who was so sweet to work with me, that I would reserve one of the eight dolls for her, so of course one of the dolls will not be available for sale. I do hope you enjoy the dolls as much as I enjoyed the process of making them. An extra special thanks to Amy for taking so many of the gorgeous photos, as well as to Evie, Bethany and Grace for helping model the dolls, the wonderful Tarah and Erica, of course, who sew doll bodies and heads of hair for me each week!, and thanks to all of you, for pushing me in directions I would never have thought of going, causing me to step out of my comfort zone once in a while and to try to new things I would have never done on my own.

So, without further ado, here are…

Fuyuki (16″ Japanese boy )

Keiko (9″ Japanese girl)

Eun (16″ Korean girl)

Nuha (16″ Arab girl)

Nuha and Gita (16″ Arab girl and 16″ Indian girl) – and close up of the lovely barrette in Gita’s hair

Jem and Scout

Let me introduce you to Jem and Scout, two 16″ Tumbleberry dolls. Feeling the change in the air from summer to fall brings to mind one of my favorite books, “To Kill a Mockingbird”. I feel I was fortunate enough to have not read this book as required reading in high school, reading the book for the first time, instead, a few years ago as an adult. What a wonderful discovery it was, one of those books that I never wanted to end. My favorite part about it is the way Harper Lee slowly, subtly, develops the characters through the story and by the end of it finding a respect for them and their decisions that at first introduction I had no idea was there. In fact, my  husband and I liked the characters so much we gave Jude the middle name Atticus.

To me this book, though not a children’s book, wonderfully illustrates the innocence of childhood, which is why I chose to make dolls this week inspired by Jem and Scout. It tells of fall, and back to school, and playing out in the sun all day, and brings to mind nostalgic thoughts of happy, playing children. This is what I tried to capture when I made Jem and Scout. Regardless of whether or not the dolls are exactly accurate according the descriptions in the book, this is how I have always pictured them.

Jem has a wool flannel shirt and a pair of overalls. He also is wearing a corduroy jacket for the nippy days when fall is in the air. I made him a cap, since his hair is a bit overgrown, beginning to be in need of a haircut, naturally. I gave him just a handful of freckles, leftover from long days in the summer sun. He also has a pair of brown shoes but prefers to go barefoot.

Scout has a short mess of curly hair that generally is unkempt when she is off playing with Jem in a pair of overalls and checkered shirt. Her skin is tan from lazy summer days.  I feel sure that she would always be barefoot as well, however, I made her a pair of matching lavender Mary Jane shoes that go with her shirt. She also comes with  a vintage style orange and cream floral dress and bloomers that surely Calpurnia makes her wear on Sundays. She has a matching orange yoked sweater and her hair is contained with a gray ribbon. She couldn’t find her shoes, so she is wearing a pair of Jem’s old boots.

I had so much fun making these two dolls. I hope you enjoy them as well!