a sweet 19th century ghost

September 1, 2016
by annwood
19th century ghost

19th century ghost

It has such a spirit about it.  And it even smells and feels like it was just unpinned from the clothesline.  A lot of the Edwardian garments I get are formal, often black or brown – somber or special occasion things.  The everydayness of this ensemble paints such a picture – the generous side pockets in the polka dot skirt, the wear on the front of the pinafore apron where hands were dried a thousand times or a laundry basket rested.

antique pinafore

And that little straw hat – it’s tiny – pure style – not a sunshade – it would have been pinned to her head at an angle for walks in town.

19th century ghost

There is another pinafore apron that came with the group that was very stained and is already soaking –  I start with just hot water – sometimes that does the trick – then ivory laundry soap and  if necessary a mild dose of oxiclean.  All the buttons and fasteners are gone and lots of seams have let go but the quality of the fabric is extraordinary and much of it is sewable – the skirt has a bustle and that fabric is quite good.  I love it.  After pinning it together I did put it all on and swooshed around for a while.

I’ve had a string of good luck lately with garments after a long drought – I’m expecting more soon. The black skirt below turned up about a week ago – it’s ideal in every way. It has a big bustle and the fabric is good. The fades and patina are glorious and the brown lining is excellent – I’m already making dolls and owls.

black edwardian skirt

black edwardian skirt

And fresh from my worktable :  miss rose, miss parsley, miss iris, miss carnation, miss pearl and miss birch.

tiny rag dolls

Find The sewing pattern to make your own tiny rag doll and wardrobe here.

tiny rag doll and wardrobe pattern

August 25, 2016
by annwood
tiny rag doll sewing pattern

tiny rag doll sewing pattern

She’s fits in the palm of your hand, just the right size for a dollhouse, and she has a tiny wardrobe : dress, reversible pinafore apron, bloomers and a camisole.

tiny rag doll sewing pattern

There are full instructions for all. It’s a huge pattern with more than 80 color photos and tips to make small sewing easy and beautiful – like turning tiny pieces and hiding your knots.

How about those little clothespins?  They might be the best thing in the world.

tiny rag doll sewing pattern

And she has perfect tiny hair – the pattern shows you step by step how to create  it  easily – and the technique would work for other dolls too.    Plus the  trick for  turning  tiny  doll  parts  will  change  your life.

miniature_teacups
doll house bed tutorial
embroidered felt doll jacket

There are also patterns for a winter and summer wardrobe in the shop plus there are tons of free patterns and tutorials for your tiny doll like the miniature dishes above in the miss thistle society.

I hope you make tiny rag dolls and lots of outfits for them, if you do I’d love to see – send photos to info at ann wood handmade dot com or use #annwoodpattern  and #missthistlesociety on instagram.

tiny rag doll pattern
tiny rag doll sewing pattern

mosquitos on my work table and a pattern sneak peek : turning tiny doll parts

August 18, 2016
by annwood
mosquito work : proboscis

*update – the tiny doll sewing pattern is in the shop.

The tiny rag doll sewing pattern is pretty much ready to go but I’m waiting until next week to release it – just to make extra sure it is all I want it to be.  I’ve looked at it so long and so hard I can’t see it any more – you know? I’ll review it with fresh eyes in a day or two. The big challenge of the pattern was the littleness and looking for the easiest and most effective ways to deal with tiny sewing – like turning the little arms and legs right side out after sewing.  I included the simple method  below in the pattern.  Maybe everybody already knows this trick but I didn’t until a couple years ago and it works fabulously well – so just in case you haven’t tried it:

turning tiny doll parts

Besides pattern and workshop making work I have some mosquitos on my worktable. Mosquitos are slow, detailed work that involves lots of pins and stabbing myself repeatedly with various instruments – the five  below have been in progress forever and are finally in the homestretch.

mosquito work

mosquito work

mosquito work : proboscis

They suffer such indignities – this poor girl is having her proboscis hammered.  I hammer the wire parts on a tiny anvil to stiffen them after shaping and make them a little textured and sparkly. Three of these Edwardian pests will end up in the shop sometime in the near future and the other two are going on special missions. If you’d like to be notified when I have new pieces available you can sign up here.

experimenting with dolls : meet mr. socks

August 11, 2016
by annwood
mr. socks

Sometimes it’s hard to shift out of production work and into true experimenting – really letting go  of outcome.  Production work is predictable – there is a definite beginning and end and the repetition and familiarity can be kind of comforting.  I love to play and experiment, I love the adventure of something new but it takes effort, patience and practice to be able to get my head in that place when I need to.  Part of it is the anxiety of all that isn’t done – it interferes with the meandering quality of experimenting.  The anxious part of my mind protest the gentle open ended nature of the experimenting.

My sketchbook practice helps – I try to spend my sketchbook time in that place – sometimes I get there and sometimes I don’t but it is always good practice to try – especially in a very unideal moment.  I gain more skill all the time at quieting the call of pressing tasks and worries that will absolutely always be there – the perfect moment for experimenting will not ever appear.

A lot of my experimenting lately is around dolls and figures – preparing for my workshop at Squam this September.  I want to bring a few things that demonstrate different techniques – like building from the inside out.  I began without much of a plan – I had a vague idea of maybe trying to make something similar to an odd figure I like that appeared in last week’s sketchbook.

sketchbook 8/3

I started playing and trying things, building a little shape by winding batting over a simple wire form and then stitching fabric on top.  I love the spontaneity of this method – one thought builds on another and interesting things happen.

doll armature

By the time the shape was halfway covered I had shifted direction – the little shape had it’s own idea what it wanted to be and mr. socks began to appear.  He is not what I planned on at all – I think my tiny rag doll brain crept in – but I was happy to meet him.

mr_socks

mr. socks

Hello Mr. Socks!

mr. socks

And his posterior.  I’ve also been making lots of tiny rag dolls and seedpods while working on sewing patterns for each ( at least one of those patterns will be out next week) and I put a couple  tiny rag dolls and seedpods in the shop today.

hand stitched seedpods

miss petunia

miss lavender

 

stripes make a sailor and the easy way to make sails

August 4, 2016
by annwood
gentleman sailor owl

stitching sails

When I first started making ships I was doing little handkerchief rolled hems on the sails. They were pretty but drove me crazy and took forever.  When I put together the paper mache ship pattern I wanted something easier and I found it.  It’s super simple and has other benefits too.

sail

I  cut two pieces of fabric for each sail (not usually the same fabric – I like the front and back  to be different  – even just subtly),  pin them right sides together and stitch around – leaving one little section open. Trim the excess off the corners,  turn it right side out,  press and stitch closed.  I add a whip or blanket stitch around the edge and  layers of patches and lace.  You can click here to download the sail pattern below if you’d like to give it a try.

sail_pattern_annwood_2

This method is much quicker than the tiny hems and makes a very tidy sail.  Also the double fabric helps the sails hold their shape when you fill them with wind.

paper mache ship

I’m making an owl to captain the ship I’m working on  and used my favorite piece of antique ticking for his front.  Putting a horizontal stripe on an owl transforms him instantly into a gentleman sailor.  The owl below is the medium size from the little owl pattern.

gentleman sailor owl

And ticking stripes are nice for sailing mice too.

sailor mouse

a caption contest – win your very own fortuny seed pod

July 28, 2016
by annwood

fortuny rat

Update 8/4 : Thanks so much for all the great captions for last weeks contest! The winner is:

“Left, right, cha, cha, cha! One, two, cha, cha, cha!”

I love the idea of  him practicing his dance steps with the mirror – nice work Lourdes!

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

I’m working on mostly top secret things right now – holiday stuff,  2 brand new workshops for next year and the tedious parts – formatting, editing etc. – of creating the rag doll and seed pod patterns.  Since I can’t show you what’s on my work table it’s the perfect time for a caption contest.

I try to make creatures whose expression and body language imply a history – a definite point of view,  a world of their own.  And I like to photograph them in a way that invites you to wonder what’s going on outside the frame.  This is one of my most favorite photos – taken last year in the Adirondacks.  What do you think this dapper rat is up to? What’s on his rat mind?

Make up a caption and leave it in the comments to this post – an esteemed panel of judges will choose a winner to be announced next Thursday.  Everybody is welcome to enter – please leave your caption comment before Wednesday 8/3.

And the prize – a Fortuny seed pod! Such a tragic flower – gone to seed – collapsed in a pretty heap.

fortuny seed pod

fortuny seed pod

miss petunia’s lazy day and summer reading

July 21, 2016
by annwood
miss petunia's lazy day

I don’t need much of an excuse to pull out my old box of doll house treasures and I was curious if my tiny rag dolls are in the same doll house scale as my furniture. They are, they accidentally or maybe by a subconscious direction, are a perfect fit.  And just like that Miss Petunia is fully outfitted. She has everything a tiny doll needs.

dollhouse furniture

The box of doll house things – the doll house that was the center of my creative life for much of my little-ness is full of wonders. It only resurfaced a few years ago and this was the first time I fully explored all the little treasures.

miniature book

Including one of Miss Petunia’s earliest ancestors – this funny girl I made to live in my house. And a tiny book for her to read. Holding and examining these things I made 40 plus years ago has a very strange sensation about it that I can’t quite put my finger on.

miss petunia's lazy day

Miss Petunia is surrendering to the thick hot city day and lying around in her underwear reading.
It sounds like a good idea.  Are you reading something great? I recently re-read In Cold Blood – Truman Capote is such a master and currently I have two going – A Moveable Feast – Ernest Hemingway and A Path With A Heart – Jack Kornfield.  Also, one of my most favorite books, and I think a fabulous summer read, is Main St. – Sinclair Lewis.  If you feel like sharing your favorites please do – just leave it in the comments to this post.