Handmade gifts, a retrospective

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and that you are enjoying your holiday weekend. All this talk of shopping got me thinking about holidays past, and I thought it might be fun to share some of the gifts I made and gave to friends and family over the years. In most cases, the patterns I used are old and discontinued, but many can be found through eBay, or similar patterns can be found and substituted. I'll suggest alternatives where I can. I almost always made the gifts I gave, finding what I could use in my fabric stash, sometimes adding something new.

Doll dresses, like the one above adapted from Vogue 9641 and designed by Linda Carr, are always great fun to make for little girls. Linda Carr designed many wonderful doll and toy patterns for Vogue Patterns. She also had a book, Classic Cloth Dolls, that had an 18 inch doll pattern and clothing. It can still be found on eBay too. The clothes fit the popular American Girl series of dolls as well.

Vogue still has a couple of similar doll dress styles in their Vogue 7564, 18" (46cm) Doll Prairie Clothing Package . I also would highly recommend Brown House Dolls both for doll dress patterns of all types and sizes, and for cloth doll patterns. Bev Brown does a fantastic job making her patterns, and there are so many designs to choose from. The doll patterns in her international cloth doll series, which can be found under "Cloth Doll Patterns" on her site, come in an 18 inch size. They are a good alternative for anyone wishing to make a cloth doll like the Vogue dolls shown here.

I made this doll back in 1996 from Vogue 8336, also a Linda Carr design. Vogue's currently available 7418, 18" (46cm) Rag Doll & Clothes could easily be substituted for the pattern I used.

I hand painted this doll's face with acrylic paint, using my own drawing. I believe I made her dress from a skirt I once had! I attached fabric flowers to her bonnet.

And I made lots and lots of teddy bears over the years. I made the baby bears below in 2001 from Vogue 9643, another Linda Carr design. Simplicity currently has two similar patterns for clothed teddy bears that are very cute. Check out Simplicity 5247, Vintage 15 and 18 Inch Stuffed Bears, and Simplicity 5461, Classic 18 and 22 Inch Stuffed Bears with Clothes.

I made these cuddly guys from baby blue chenille and white flannel. Boy did that gunk up my machine! Be sure to clean out the lint, from your bobbin case area especially, when you are sewing with chenille and other fuzzy fabrics. Fake fur does the same thing. I used Velcro to close their diapers. I hand embroidered their recipients' names on their bibs using a chain stitch and some pearl cotton floss.

This ma and pa bear set below was huge! I don't think I realized just how big they were going to be when I read the pattern envelope. I made them back in 1989 from Vogue 640 and they were 32 and 40 inches tall! Yikes.

I made them from fake fur which I had trimmed, using a pair of scissors, around their muzzles, paw pads, and inner ears. The Simplicity patterns I mentioned above could be made up in fake fur, or, if you'd like a more classic teddy, Vogue currently has another Linda Carr bear design, Vogue 7534, Teddy Bears With Anniversary Medallion Package.

I used plastic safety eyes which are actually very easy to attach. Again, I used pearl cotton for their noses and mouths.

There are just so many teddy bear patterns out there, it's hard to pick just one or two to show you. Any one of them can be made from a variety of materials for a totally different look. I can easily see the Simplicity bears I mentioned above in the random calicos I combined for these bears below, back in 1993.

These bears were made from McCall's 6814. This is probably the pattern from which I learned to machine sew. I made every animal on it, the bears, the dog, the cat, the seals, as far back as the seventh grade at least. Before that I had experimented with Barbie and other doll clothes, but I think this was the pattern where I learned accuracy on the sewing machine.

These were made from scraps of calico cottons I had in my stash. It amazed me how many parts I could fit on my tiny scraps. They were a great deal of fun. I just love that feeling of "making something from nothing", just like scrap quilting.

I made covered buttons for their eyes and noses.

I gave them lace collars.

Below, you can catch a glimpse of the famous Red Bear, made from this same pattern back in 1984. Babies are intrigued by bright colors, as you can see. Red Bear was kindly donated by this little boy to his baby sister when he had grown up a bit and it seemed she would appreciate him more.

This sweet bunny was made from Simplicity 7718, back in 1993. McCall's currently available M5078, Country Rabbits would easily do as a substitute. I made my bunny from wool I had left over from a pair of pants. Her eyes are black plastic safety eyes, and her nose is appliquéd on by hand. I made her entirely from scraps from my stash.

As you can see, there is no end to what you can make, often just using what you have already. Sometimes it is a very satisfying challenge to make something using what you already have. It sparks your creativity.

Other gifts I used to enjoy making were handmade holiday cards. I went overboard in high school, trying to give all my friends cards that I printed and then hand colored with colored pencils. I didn't want to leave anyone out, and it got out of control. I couldn't get them all done, and mailed some out uncolored. It led to a few awkward moments, especially when a couple of the boys thought maybe I made a card only for them and mailed it out special. Oh dear. Well, what fun is it if you don't get in over your head once in a while?

One more gift that may not be handmade, but always makes a hit is a pot of catnip for kitties! Not all cats respond to it, but as you can see, many do!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and happy crafting!

Kitty Cat Dolls

I had a long sewing day the other day. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and I wanted to make sure I wouldn't hold Max up with our new folk art cat doll project, which we'll put in our online doll gallery when she is finished. It was just a checkup. I was feeling fine. But, wouldn't you know, I hurt my back while I was there, just picked something up the wrong way I guess, and I came out a crooked person. So ridiculous to hurt yourself at the doctor's. Anyway, I am still a crooked person today, and am trying to find things I can do without moving around too much.

This is my other kitty doll, the real kind, fast asleep in his bed. Now that we have chilly weather, he has rediscovered his cat bed and is putting it to a lot of use. He purred himself to sleep while I was sewing.

Sewing and soup-ing

I started sewing our kitty doll bodies today on my new sewing machine. I'm still getting used to the buttons I need to push instead of dials I need to turn. So far, it's great. I really like the "fix" button that ties the thread off, and the "needle up/down" button, which I used a lot when I was pivoting around tight corners. I borrowed my mom's Ott-Lite and put it right over my fabric so I could see better. The newer machines have stronger lighting, but that's okay. It worked out fine. Incidentally, I hate that I look like I have big, old man paws in that photo! Foreshortening does some odd things.

We were so cold today that it seemed like a good day for some homemade soup. I made some vegetable soup using a hodgepodge of ingredients. I had some stock I made and put away in the freezer maybe two years ago! I thawed it out and everyone told me it tasted fine. None of us have come down with botulism yet. So, I think it was okay too. I added a can of diced tomatoes and a little chopped onion and garlic, and then I put about five cups of other vegetables into the boiling stock, about a cup each, adding them in order according to their cooking times. I used fresh carrots, fresh parsley, frozen cut green beans, frozen peas, and frozen corn. I also added a cup of whole wheat macaroni, and some salt and pepper.

I probably could have used more stock in my stock-to-vegetables ratio. As it is, my soup came out more like a stew, using about six cups of stock. Closer to eight cups might have made it more soup-like, but it was hot and warming, and we were cold, as I said. So, there were no complaints!

Santa would be proud

Thanks to Jennifer for including my "Lovely Lucy" in her "Santa would be proud" Etsy treasury today.

Linda and Lucy, sitting above, are both on the new web page on our Ruffing's site that I made up for my soft dolls and toys. I'm always amazed to see how many of everything we seem to have once I make up the web pages for each category on our site. I'm still on my quest to organize and correct our website. I'm making progress a little at a time.

Today, I cut out five kitty cat doll bodies like "Bluebell and Bridget" the Siamese mom and kitten and "Daphne" the tabby cat folk art cat dolls below, for my upcoming collaborations with Max Bailey. I was aiming for two, but somehow I just kept going. I think it will be fun to work with someone else. I find it difficult to keep up my momentum when I am working alone. It's easier when someone else is counting on you to do your part. Plus it's fun to see what someone else adds to what you are doing. We are both pretty excited about it.

We had a couple of flurries here today and it was quite cold. My mom was ready to run out to look at the snow, but it was over before she even got to the door.

Cool artists, snowflakes, and "after" shocks

My "Rabbit Dances" print was included in this "Cool Artists and Snowflake" Etsy Treasury today. Thanks, Iris, for including me!

I'm thinking of adding some more print sizes over on our website, so that there will be more options to fit standard-sized frames. We stopped at A C Moore yesterday so I could see which sizes were more popular, or available. The most popular smallish sizes are always 8 x 10 and 11 x 14 inch frames. I've made the smaller prints on 8 1/2 x 11 since that can easily go in either an 8 x 10 or an 8 1/2 x 11 mat and frame set. I may add an 11 x 14 paper size, and possibly 12 x12, and 12 x16 paper sizes. We have some prints that will fit 10 x 20 as well. I'm still fixing the pages that are on the site, but if anyone is interested in other paper sizes for prints, just contact us.

Today I went down a list of miscellaneous things I needed to do that I hadn't gotten to yet, including cleaning up and vacuuming my workroom. Believe it or not, the above picture is the "after" photo. I should probably invest in a snow plow so I can clear a swath to get in there from time to time. After cleaning, washing, packing, shipping, and I can't remember what else, I felt the need for some cookies.

Fortunately, "make some Toll House cookies" was also on my list of miscellaneous things I meant to do that I hadn't gotten to yet, which meant all the supplies were ready and waiting. So, I took care of that too ;)

Oh, and by the way, when I went to pick up that Interlibrary Loan book that I thought was never to be, it was the wrong book! Too funny. I thought I might be in trouble when I wrote out the title and the author and she said, "Which one is the title?" But then, maybe it was another library that sent over the wrong book. Maybe next time.

Eerie lighting and doll bodices

It's been pouring and dark most of the day, and it's seemed more like night than day. I've been making a muslin bodice for our original folk art kitty cat dolls, carefully hand basting it and then pulling it apart, making new markings, and then basting it together again. Whenever you make a clothing pattern for a doll, or anyone really, a muslin is a good idea. A muslin is a version of your garment made in an inexpensive fabric, sewn together with a basting stitch, which is a straight stitch with a long stitch length that can be pulled out easily.

The bodice is the most difficult part of a dress to fit, next to the sleeves. I used some cotton fabric for my muslin, marked a rough draft of my pattern pieces directly on the fabric with a permanent marker, and then I sewed it at the shoulders and the sides. Next I tried it on the doll, and marked the arm and neck holes again using a pencil, so as not to mark the doll by accident, again directly on the fabric. Using a seam ripper, I pulled the stitching out, and sewed new shoulder and side seams, over and over until the bodice fit right. The fit will still change once the sleeves and skirt are attached, and the lining will add some bulk too. I tried to compensate for that by adding some ease, an extra amount at the sides and shoulders to accommodate the extra bulk of the gathered fabric that will be added once those are attached. It is a process of trial and error.

Once I had my muslin about the way I wanted it, I traced my front and back pieces, using a light box, onto tracing paper with a permanent marker. I will add seam allowances later. I think I will scan my pattern and print it so I can cut it without destroying my originals. The eerie light of the photo is from my light box glowing in the dark of this gloomy day.

I got a call today from a sweet older lady at the library. They did, in fact, find a copy of Picnic at Hanging Rock for me. So, my surreal conversation with the librarian actually worked out. I am happy because now I know I can use Interlibrary Loan, hopefully without causing too much trouble.

Our art doll gallery, revised

I revised our main art doll gallery page today, and added four subcategory pages, jointed dolls, doll figurines, soft dolls and toys, and already adopted dolls. I think it is more manageable than it was yesterday. The page was getting so huge, it took forever just to open it in my html editor. I'm going to make up web pages for the soft dolls and toys on our web site too. Right now, they're linked to my Etsy shop.

I don't know what is going on with Blogger lately. My blog photos are uploading either too big or too small. I keep hoping that will be fixed soon. I liked it when everything fit on the page automatically. I'm uploading them large, and then changing their sizes in the html for now.

Okay, enough computer talk...I think I will be working on some doll patterns shortly, for our art dolls, at least part of the time while I am still fixing the Ruffing's site.

Some frost and a whole lot of work later

When I opened my curtains this morning, and saw the soft, white light coming in, I was reminded of winter up north, when it has just snowed. It made me feel so happy. It wasn't snow though, just frost, but it was so pretty that I went outside in my pajamas to take a picture.

This doesn't really convey how the grassy lawns all faded to white in the distance, but you can imagine it :)

And...we FINALLY finished updating our online doll gallery! All of the currently available dolls now have web pages, and some of the adopted dolls do too. At least every doll on the page has a link now, and what a big page! I will, at some point, have to separate the dolls into categories rather than have a page that scrolls into infinity, but, for now, we are so relieved to have it up to date.

Of course, I still have to fix all the print pages up. It seems to be a never-ending job. Just looking at the sheer size of the doll gallery, I am reminded that I need to focus on what I have already started and not take on more than I can handle. My current plan is to focus on making original, one-of-a-kind folk art dolls and paintings, and consolidate what we have available for sale on the Ruffing's site, instead of all the EBaying and Etsying, not to mention the MySpacing and whatever mulitude of other sites I have been trying to cover. I will try to finish the play dolls/toys I have started, but I think I will be doing those for more fun in the future. I'll see what I have time for without making myself crazy with too many projects.

North Carolina back roads

I have now linked all the thumbnail photos that are currently on our online doll gallery page to actual webpages! "Sigrid the Star Baby" was the last to get her own link. There are still those six finished dolls to post...but let's concentrate on what I got done, for now ;)

And we have perfect, beautiful weather here. The leaves are still turning, the sky is an intense blue, and the temperature is just right. We took a little trip to the library today, and I stopped along the back roads to take some photos.

I've just finished reading Where Angels Fear to Tread, and now I'm starting on A Room with a View, both by E. M. Forster. I had asked for Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay, through Interlibrary Loan, but I'm not sure I will ever see it. The librarian I spoke to didn't seem to be able to translate spoken English into written English very well. I've never encountered that before at a library. I did my best to write out what I wanted and rephrase what I was saying a couple of different ways, but the whole exchange was a bit surreal. Perhaps she will surprise me. We will see. Or maybe they will make the Interlibrary Loan form available online soon. That would be nice too.

Anyway, the drive was pretty.

Yesterday, I was still nervous over the election, even though it was over and I was relieved by the results. I must have just been that nervous, so much so that I had residual nervousness! Today, I feel much more like it's a new day, and I'm hoping people everywhere are feeling more positive and optimistic.

The Great Web Marathon continues

We're getting together some images of our original folk art cat dolls to make into prints, which we will start putting in our eBay store soon. We've still got six finished dolls to get into our online doll gallery as well. It will be a great relief to get back to creating something other than web pages soon! Above are my "Fiona" and "Ziggy" kittens, and below are "Ginger and George", "Crabby Alice and Ruthie", and "Hedda and Hopper" by Max Bailey. These jointed, cloth-and-clay dolls are the kinds of dolls we are planning to collaborate on soon.

We all went to vote this morning, before any big lines occurred. I was voter number 320. I am so nervous waiting for the election results. I've been reading while we were taking turns at the computer. This time I went with E. M. Forster, even though I know how those stories turn out, having seen so many of the movie adaptions. Familiarity is comforting right now.

Art Nouveau-inspired Floral Print Sets by Elizabeth Ruffing

I've taken my Art Nouveau, William Morris-inspired floral prints and combined a few of them in print sets. I've added these print sets to our Ruffing's website pages for each of the individual print images. You can find them by scrolling down on the web pages for any of these individual prints, or you can find them in my Etsy shop. Click on the following highlighted titles, "Lavender-blue Iris on Green" or "Cream and Purple Iris on Green", to find the above two prints, available separately or as set of two.

Or click on "Yellow and White Iris on Blue" and "Valentine" for the above two iris prints, available separately or as a set of two.

You can find "Tan and Purple Iris on Green" and "Lavender Iris on Green" above as a set of two, or available individually. These are also available with "Innocence", below, as a set of three prints.

To see more of my floral prints, please click here to visit our Scenes and Florals webpage. I've been trying to catch up on all the unfinished webpages for our Ruffing's website prints, but I'm not sure I am even halfway through yet.