New Blythe items

So I finally made some Blythe clothes from the Simplicity Blythe patterns. I've been so busy with my Zippster items, and sales have been slow in my Blythe store, that I haven't bothered making new items. I think the recession in the United States is still bad enough that people aren't shopping like they used to. I made one of each of the outfits, and overall I'm happy with the patterns.




The only pattern I didn't like was for the hoodie. The pattern had the opening at the back but I made it at the front, and used snaps instead of a zipper (anyone know where I can find doll-sized zippers?). I found the hood a bit too big, and the sleeves a weird length - too short for a t-shirt and not not long enough for a long sleeved top. Next time I'll lengthen the sleeves.



The items are now available in my Etsy store.

Updates

Well I'm still settling into my new place after a recent move, so I haven't had much opportunity to do a lot of sewing or add new items to either of my Etsy shops. Stay tuned for a major overhaul of both of my shops and website!

One of my first tasks is to make some new Blythe clothes, which I haven't had a chance to do because I've been focusing on my Zippster store and local consignment. A while a go I bought this Simplicity pattern for Blythe clothes, I can't wait to try out the patterns:



As for craft shows, Zippster will be represented by 100 Mile Finds at two upcoming shows, the first is Friday May 27 in St. Catharines. The next one is June 4 at The Brickworks in Toronto.

New saris for Blythe

Finally finished three new Indian saris for Blythe dolls for my Blythe Etsy store. I purchased a bunch of silk sari remnants from Toronto's Little India neighbourhood a while ago but hadn't had a chance to make the saris until now. Sales in my Blythe Etsy shop have been slow and I didn't see much need to be adding new items, but I did actually sell out of the saris, they are one item that seems to sell well.



I'm really happy with these, I paid special attention in choosing coordinating trim for the cropped tops and used a metalllic thread to add even more sparkle. Available now in my store.

Sketchbook project: done!

Well, it's done - my sketchbook for the 2011 Sketchbook Project is in the mail. Fortunately, the deadline was extended by a few days which gave me a chance to finish it. What I learned: I am not artistic. At all. Creative, yes, but not artistic. This is evident in my "sketches". A lot of my pages look more than a scrapbook than a sketchbook. However, I really like working with charcoal, which is very satisfying but also very messy. Plus I spend considerable more time on a charcoal drawing than one done with pencil or another medium. Had I planned my time better I would have done more charcoal drawings. And I would have chosen a different theme. It was really difficult coming up with "happy thoughts"; I noticed that a lot of the pages are of physical objects which make me happy, and not of events or people which make me happy. There's a difference. Not sure if I would participate in this particular project again but it was fun.



My worktable is once again messy. I'm currently finishing up three new silk saris for my Blythe Etsy store. You can see Margot in the background modelling one I've already finished. They should be up in the store on the week-end.

Blythe updates

Wow, I've spent so much time on my Zippster products that I haven't been doing much for Blythe, but I do have some udpates. Recently I made a doll wrap with a really amazing fabric suggested by the customer:



I've also been able to sell some older Blythe clothing stock, but I don't anticipate making new items any time soon. I do however, plan on making some new saris, since those seem to be my most popular item and I really enjoy going to the Little India neighbourhood in Toronto and looking for the silk remnants.

What I have been working on is greeting cards using my own Blythes as models. Although I started using a light box, I find that nothing replaces natural light. I've decided on a "hobby" series using Re-Ment miniatures as props. There are lots more to come, but here is a preview:

Announcement

I'm very excited to announce that I have been accepted as a member in the Etsy team Blythe Handmade Collective - a group of handmade artisans, crafters, and artists inspired by Blythe and have taken the pledge to buy and sell handmade. The group's mission is to spread the love for Blythe, support fellow Blythe shops, help guide shops to success within Etsy, and to award Better Blythe Business awards to shops that show exceptional Etsian business philosophy and actions. Go Blythe!

Can't say I'm really a 'fun in the sun' type of person, but I do enjoy sitting out on a deck or patio when the weather is nice. I found these plastic chair frames at a supply store, and they are the perfect size for a chair for Blythe dolls. Let the BBQs start!

So I decided to make some slight modifications to my three Blythe dolls. On all three, I changed their eyelashes, and on two of them I replaced some of their eye chips. Previously I had opened their heads to remove their faceplates, but figuring out how to remove the eye mechanisms and change the eye chips was not easy!



I soaked the eyeballs in warm soapy water for about 10 minutes to loosen the glue, then used the hot glue stick method to remove the chip. They came out with no problem. To remove the eyelashes, I also soaked the eyelid mechanism in warm water, and pulled them out with tweezers. To stick the new ones in I used a sewing needle to poke them into the eyelash slot. Very tedious work!

With this particular brand of eye chip, I didn't realize that I had to paint the stub of the chip in order to get a black iris.


My third doll still needs to be sand-matted, so I'll add pics of her when she's done. Here is Penny and Margot with their new eyelashes and eye chips (clothes made by me):

This week I was able to make some Blythe clothes with the fabrics I've made in my night class. Margot is modeling one of the ponchos (she needs it with that short skirt of hers!). I bought the wee pom-poms off of a supplier on Etsy.

Here are some other Blythe clothes
I've made with the hand-dyed fabrics:


This week-end I painted a bunch of table-top accessories and display items ready for my upcoming craft show. More info on that later.

Sewing a-go-go

In preparation of two upcoming craft shows, I've been sewing like mad. To broaden my audience, I've started making bags (for people, not Blythe). It's been a bit of trial and error, figuring out the correct type of fabric to use, and whether to add padding, and what to line them with, and what kind of closure... I have a few that I'm really happy with, so now I need to get going with some more.



I've also finally figured out how to make a good coat for Blythe. Sleeves are such a challenge for me, but this lightweight corduroy is very easy to work with.

Another sewing project on my new serger, this time a wrap for regular sized Blythes. After a few prototypes, I think I've got it right, although I'm still not sure about the metal snaps inside that hold down the flap that covers the face.

Sewing project

One of the first projects with my new serger was to make carrying cases for petite Blythes - I'm very happy with how they turned out. But, I've already broken two needles!