Commissions – mobile phone cosy

As promised here are the two mobile phone cosies I made for a commission.

I’m not sure which was more challenging – embroidery on black fabric or getting a semi-decent photograph of it.

Hopefully, you can just about see the matryoshka doll embroidery on this one.  The fabric is red wool.

I just couldn’t get a good enough individual picture of the dragon on the black fabric.  Any photography tips would really be appreciated.

These phone cosies are not available for sale but I will be making a range of iPhone and Blackberry cases for the Christmas Craft Fairs we are attending…more on that later.

Handmade Christmas Tree Decorations

Over the past few weeks I have been busy with a couple of commissions and finalising a new idea for Christmas tree decorations.  I’m reserving the commissions for a post of their own because they took me so long that they deserve a gold plaque, never mind their own post!

I know it seems too early to be talking about Christmas but it will be here before we know it and last year it totally caught me off guard so, like all good girl guides, this year I’m being prepared…besides we have a mega craft fair two weeks before Christmas and we don’t want to be embarrassed by a lack of stock.

The christmas tree decorations started life months ago now as a rough idea for bodies and I’ve had these embroidered bodies lying around in my sewing box all summer.  With the closing in nights it was time to finish the job.  They are now a mixture of felt bodies and polymer clay heads, hands and feet.  I think the picture speaks for itself.

At this stage I have 18 of these delightful little girls.  Each one is different.  I just need to think of a name.

Scotty Dotee Doll

A while ago now onecrazywoman contacted me with the proposition to swap dotee dolls.  She is making me a dotee doll with a Texan theme and I am making her a dotee doll with a Scottish theme.  I’ve been making this doll on and off now for the past month and finally last night I finished.

This is Morag – she is a traditional highland Scot but a bit kooky at heart which is why she wears a traditional plaid outfit but it’s pink!  She her unruly hair – she never brushes it and the wild Scottish winds have whipped it into a bit of a bird’s nest!

She’ll be on her way to join onecrazywoman’s dotee collection in Texas next week.

~ You can also find onecrazywoman as lovetoquilt2 on SwapBot.

Lion Dotee Doll

I made this lion dotee doll for a swapbot tag.  I’m having trouble parting with this one.

It’s felt with embroidery thread and seed bead detail…quite simple really.  It was really windy when I took this picture so I had to hold onto the tail to keep it steady…it’s a basic tassel.

Matryoshka Dotee Doll

Dotee dolls are small fabric dolls with a face, hanger and tail (no arms or legs).  They are often also decorated with beads.  This style of doll is based on the work of a blogger called Dot and has become popular amongst the SwapBot community where many crafters join to swap dotee inspired dolls.

I have joined a number of these swaps now, the latest one being a Matryoshka Dotee Swap.

I’ve never tried to replicate the style that Dot has used for her Dotees; to be honest I would rather adopt my own style for crafts.  So, with a nod in the direction of Dot but with a personal twist I give you my dotee inspired doll collection…it’s quite small and actually not my collection because these all have new homes in America, but I hope you get the idea anyway.

matryoshka dotee

new year dotee – she’s got her PJs on because I tend to go to bed at New Year

the very first dotee I made

If you fancy having a go at something like this yourself, well, I’m not going to insult anyone with a pattern and besides mine never follow the same pattern anyhow.  What to do is take two pieces of fabric and adorn one with a face and other embellishments, attach to the other piece of fabric (wrong sides together), turn and stuff.  Sew on a hanger and tail….done!  The  first ever dotee inspired doll I made was just a square piece of fabric folded over and sew around the open sides.

Seriously, anyone who is willing to give it a go can make these.  In fact, many people who have never sewn a stitch in their life are joining in this craze with some good results.