Bamboletta Blog

Myself and the boys took a few days off to stay with some good friends who were renting a house in Tofino. We’ve been to Tofino many times but it’s a place that always shows you more. I went without John, driving the 5 hour stretch alone with B and J. I tell you after doing that drive I know that I can do anything! It was a nice little holiday. Tofino is a place that is so wild and beautiful it’s really quite magical.

When we came back however Jasper and I caught a nasty case of the flu. We’ve both been out of it for a few days now. We are both on the mend now, but taking it really easy. No dolls to post this week on Natural Pod I’m afraid!

Every so often I get an email from someone asking how I do a certain ‘thing’ on my doll. Whether it be attaching hair or putting a doll together. I always try to answer these questions because I remember when I was starting out many years ago wondering about the very questions I get asked now. Anyhow, if you ever have a question go ahead and email me and I’ll try my best to help you out. That being said, I’m going to post a little dollmaking ‘tip’ once in a while. Little things that I’ve learned to make dollmaking that much more pleasurable.

So my first tip is to sew your doll body with a Schmetz Jersey Ball Point Needle size 70/10. This is the best needle for this job as you don’t get those little holes in your fabric that the Universal sometimes can leave you with. I’ve mentioned before that the Lightning stitch is where it’s at, but a small zigzag will work as well.

It has been an exciting day at our house I got 40 pounds of wool today! Ohh the dolls to be made. Is this weird that this excites me so much? Do I need to get out more?

I’m working on a few new ideas for clothing right now. One of which is this cute little top. I work with a friend of mine Constance who pattern drafts them up for me. I love the cute look and versitility of this piece. This gal is going to Toronto to a photo shoot. More details to follow. I hate to talk about something and then if it doesn’t end up working out I’m embarrassed.

I bought a new sewing machine for Julie to use and I am so impressed with it. I have a BabyLock, which I love and adore but this time I bought a Brother CS-5000H. Great machine for under $200! It has a zig zag stretch stitch or ‘lightning stitch’ which I think is essential for sewing doll bodies. The stitch stretches when you are stuffing the doll eliminating broken seam and stress points. This is just something to keep in mind if you like to make dolls and are looking for a new machine.

New gals up on Natural Pod for sale today. Except for the dark haired bob.

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that everyone had a lovely evening last night. New Year’s has always been an exciting time for me, like a present waiting to be opened..who know where life will lead us in the next year? John, Jasper, Ben and I spent a lovely evening at home in front of the fire. I worked on some dolls and John made heads. It sounds a bit boring, but it’s fun. We had the newest Radiohead to listen to and enjoyed a glass of red wine (well, not the kids).

I found a bunch of new wool from my favorite store ‘the Loom’ that I can’t wait to work with. It’s neat when I go into wool shops and see new things, I know exactly what I’m going to make. Berrocco has come out with an alpaca blend called ‘Jasper’ that is pretty dreamy. I hope to have a copper haired gal made up for this Friday using it.

I’m thinking about some things I’d like to work on for the new year.. they include

1. getting Ben’s nature table set up, silks and all

2. become involved more in Ben’s Waldorf school

3. get to Vancouver at least once a month. We went into Victoria a few days ago and it was sensory overload! The traffic, the people, the shopping! Lol, see what I few months in the sticks will do to a gal.

4. do farmer’s markets this year

5. do Circle Craft

6. camp
7. take on more customs

8. John and I out on a date..sans children!

What a crazy list. It’s good for me to write this down. Hope all is well with everyone!

I’ve taken a little break from the dollmaking this past 2 weeks and I apologize for not posting any new dolls for sale on Natural Pod the past 2 Fridays.  Rest assured I have quite a few dolls in the works that I will post next Friday January 4th for sale. Including 2 new babies, a large blonde bamboletta and a  few 14″ dolls. I’m sending out all my new Japanese cute fabric to my ‘dress making lady’ soon for some new cute doll dud’s.