Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Hurricane Hair Ariel ! Or maybe she's cosplaying Merida...




Crashed hard on the sofa shortly after Dearest Son hit the hay, so no sewing last night. When I read the weather forecast this morning, I learned that it was cooler outside (80°) than inside (82°), so I went for my walk. Surprisingly, Ginger-kitty walked with me, all the way to the end of OurStreet and back. She meandered the softer, shaded green lawns while I was relegated to the black, slightly steaming pavement, but we both got some solid exercise. Did it again this evening, then next week, I’ll expand the distance a bit. It felt good to get some sun, sweat just a little, let my legs move beyond being tucked under a chair.


Watched both of the Sewing with Nancy videos on doll clothes. Nothing really new, techniques I’ve been doing for years, taught by Simplicity patterns - mostly sticking to flat construction and basic shapes. To me, it’s more of an ad for Joan Hinds’ 30 Minute Doll Clothes books. The 30 minutes claim is kind of a cheat, since she does a lot of steps ‘off the clock’, like serging all the edges, ironing, and gathering, or uses expensive tools to turn garments right side out, or iroining on trims instead of stitching them, also not ‘counted’. Plus, most of her dresses are actually blouses and skirts, at a half hour each. Yes, even I can make doll pants in 30 minutes, but only with a proven pattern. If I’m gonna hafta fuss with fit – and let’s face it, no two AG or clone dolls seem to have the same measurements no matter when they were made or by who  – it’s gonna take longer than a half hour, even with using elastic and wide Velcro ® closures. First time with an untried pattern will always take longer than expected. That said, the clothes are nice, but unless you’re sewing for an AG, the books aren’t very helpful. The videos are somewhat useful if you’ve never seen the techniques before, so you may wanna hit the link above when you have some time.


As for me, I’ve gotta quit hitting the thrift just after muttering, “I’m broke.” Because after I leave, I really am broke ! Thanks to a discount, I was able to get all the goodies, but… (sigh) As you can see, I found the LDP Ariel today, and also scored three girls’ swimsuits. Between the four fabrics on them, there should be more than enough for DP&M swimsuits – free pattern on PixieFaire ! – and various effects to make them each unique. May have to score some fold-over elastic, which isn’t expensive. Lycra swimsuit fabric is, recycling is much cheaper. I was gonna get a women’s suit, but then I’d have them all the same fabric and it was 50¢ more expensive that way.


Dearest Son scored a 1996 Wild West town playset that routinely brings $30. on eBay in worse shape ! His MLP ponies will have a great time there – maybe they can pretend it’s Appleloosa. We got everything for $9., less than half the price of a brand-new LDP, so I’m pretty happy.


Speaking of Ariel, she cleaned up very nicely ! She still had the original clear elastic in her hair, along with some hairspray, and three red stitches from where her hair was sewn to her dress. Gosh, I hate it when toy companies do that !



Not sure if I’m gonna sew tonight, I’m nearly as wiped out as I was last night, and I’ve barely done anything all day. I hope I’m not getting sick or anything. Here’s hoping it’s just the heat ! 

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