In My Shop: Two-Faced Friend Doll Kits

I've just put a few Two-Faced Friend Doll Kits in my shop.  These contain the pre-cut materials and complete illustrated instructions to make your own Two-Faced Friend Doll--including lovely vintage feedsack fabrics for the dresses, vintage buttons and notions, all wool felt for the hair and shoes, and recycled materials for the body, as well as the kit packaging.  It's a handy little kit for someone who would enjoy making a doll, but is too busy (or lazy) to select their own materials--you get the credit for hand-making something while cutting out some of the work.  I love it most because nearly the entire kit is is made from recycled or repurposed materials.  Want to see some more?  You can find the kits here.

Sleepover Pals and Wee Wonderfuls Book

I finally did it--I managed to get something made.  These are the Sleepver Pals from Wee Wonderfuls: 24 Dolls to Sew and Love by Hillary Lang. 

  I made them for Miss Bean's 3rd birthday gift since it seems that putting a trio of little dolls to sleep in their conjoined sleeping bags would be something she might enjoy.  And look:

They roll up all nice andy tidy for easy transport and storage--unlike most kiddie sleepovers I have born witness to.  The second I saw this design in the book, I wanted to make it--it's that slumber party in a package that gets me.  I also have a fondness for simple little dolls like these--especially with their balls of hair and those pouffy little sleeves.  

I did make a couple of changes to Hillary's already awesome design--I replicated the felt hair on front and back so I could give them awake faces on one side and sleeping faces on the other side--just because I figured Miss Bean would like that.  I also did not line my pre-quilted fabric since the quilted fabric I chose already had such a pretty fabric on the flip side it seemed a pity to cover it up.  This did present some subsequent challenges which I managed to deal with by binding the edges of the individual sleeping bags with yellow binding tape.  

And there are still about a dozen other doll designs I want to make from this book, like...

...Koji, some sort of dino creature made from corduroy...

...this little elephant as handbag...

...this doll in a kimono with buns in her hair that look like panda faces...

...and Betsy, a cloth paperdoll on a pillow with a little pocket in the back to store her wardrobe of outfits.

I really, really love this book--one of my favorites, actually.  There really are no bum designs in here--they are all lovingly realized and I would enjoy making any of them.  The book itself is really nice too--hard cover with a lovely yellow binding, good illustrated instructions, full size templates in the back.  I read on Amy's blog a while back that one of her girls is so enamored with the book that she actually sleeps with it--which did not strike me as crazy at all because the book is so good it is the sort of thing that makes you want to curl up next to it and fall asleep with it--so it can be close by to inspire your own dreams of doll and plushie-making. 

Like, that maybe one day you could publish your own book, so beautifully-realized, filled with 2 dozen or so of your own designs....you know what I mean?

I Love Paris Doll Kit

I ordered this little I Love Paris Doll Kit from Miko Design a while ago and decided I might as well make it since there was a little girl I know who still needs a birthday gift (beyond belated) and already holds visiting Paris amongst her 7-year-old aspirations.  Also, there is that Rumplestiltskin challenge I am on board with and this counts as using what I already have, right? 

But isn't she pretty?  Best part, the doll itself probably only took me an hour to whip up since she comes all silk screened on one nice big piece of fabric with clear dotted cutting lines and easy instructions--but then, I did add a few accessories and extra pieces of clothing of my own design because a girl who visits Paris requires a decent wardrobe, right?  Like a little peter pan collared jacket and a beret (skirt was made from part of the silk screened design in the kit)...

...and some leg warmers (made from the neck of an old turtleneck sweater) to go with that classic french sailor mini shirt dress, as well as a scarf made from some of that Liberty of London Tana Lawn I purchased in London (because what Parisian woman does not have a pretty scarf in her wardrobe?)...oh, and the baguette, croissants, over-sized flower pin a la Chanel...

Yeah, it got a little out of control there at the end but I am really pleased with how she turned out and how simple she was to outfit.  It is the sort of thing where I kind of do not want to give here away now that she is finished--which does not happen to me very often--but I really, really love this doll.  I think it might be that stripey french sailor mini shirt dress.  Whatever the case, you can see that I have also purchased another kit from Miko Design's shop--this one was a collection of remnants that were just ever so slightly flawed in their printing (like barely noticeably flawed) and came with a mix and match set of bodies, heads, arms, legs, etc--enough to make 3 more dolls (2 french lapins and 1 more girl--these remnant sets pop up in her shop fairly regularly so keep visiting if you are looking for one but do not see one now--they are a great deal).  So you might be seeing a few more of these turning up--and maybe one for just me.

In My Shop: More Toys & Stuff Than You Can Shake a Stick at...

It is all photo mosaics, all the time around here lately.  But I just wanted you to know about all the stuff that has landed in my shop--this really was the biggest shop update I have ever done and my shop overfloweth with all manner of stuff....this is what happens when you craft 24-7 for about a month, in case you were wondering what that looked like.  Seriously, I am ridiculously sleep deprived at this point and am surviving on an intraveinous green tea drip and triple chocolate coated almonds--on the upside, Craig Ferguson and I have become real tight and meet up nightly around 11:30pm.  

 I am looking forward to being back around the blog again more regularly, with some new tutorials and fewer photo mosaics...And, if you are interested or are still needing to finish up some shopping for some kiddos, you might want to stop in and check out my shop--find it here.

Bitty Bebes in Need of Good Homes

Two little itty-bitty babies in my shop. Go visit them--cooing is optional.

A Vampire for Lucy

This was the little vampire doll I made for Lucy. She had her 6th birthday party today. We love Lucy--especially Beeper. I think she is probably his bestest friend. Also, while we love Lucy, we still sometimes call her Lucifer because she has this streak of cunning and a bit of wickedness that is often surprising to observe in a kindergartener. And naturally, given her dark streak, Lucy loves monsters. So, a little vampire doll to play with and cuddle up with at night seemed perfect for our little Lucifer--I mean, Lucy.

Yeah, it's kind of Edward-Gorey-esque. But I am okay with that because I love Edward Gorey. I made it from Emily's Black Apple Doll pattern you can find here. And then I added on the mary-janes and a little red velveteen capelet--which you can find my tutorial for how to make those, right here. I made the little white felt ghost too, but you are on your own with that if you want to make one of those.

And I might add, Lucy was 100% Lucy today at her party, and 0% Lucifer. Must be the added maturity that comes with turning 6.

Shop Update--Loads O' Stuff

Okay--maybe "loads o'stuff" is a bit of an exaggeration. But there is all this stuff + more in my shop. Find it here. Go now--check it out. Go on. And tell someone else about it too while you're at it.

Two-Faced Friend Kits--In My Shop

Perhaps I've gone a bit overboard with the Two-Faced Friend offerings...what with the dolls, the patterns, and now this--a Two-Faced Friend Doll Kit. I've assembled 5 of them and they are all in my shop now--4 girls and 1 boy (because who needs more than 1 boy anyway--one is more than enough to go around).
You say you'd like to know what comes in such a kit? Well, let me tell you since you have expressed an interest:

• Pre-cut fabric pieces, including pieces cut from some of my favorite vintage feedsack fabrics, body pieces cut from recycled materials (white cotton sheets), and flannel to fully line the doll
• Coordinated vintage buttons
• Vintage rickrack trim
• Wool felt shoes, dress embellishments, and hair
• An embroidery design for the face(s)
• Fully illustrated instructions for sewing your doll together
• Lovely packaging made from recycled grocery bags

This is a limited time offer though because I really am not in the kit making business but thought it might be kind of fun just this once...and also, these sorts of feed sack fabrics do not grow on trees so don't get your hopes up you'll be seeing the fabrics around the Beeper Bebe shop in lots of other guises...I don't think so. I am such a fabric hoarder you're actually kind of lucky they made their way into these kits. It was quite painful cutting into them--but I did it for you. Because I know whoever purchases one of these kits will appreciate the lovely, one-of-a-kind nature of these feedsacks...Anyway, enough about feedsack seperation anxiety. I'm just hoping someone out there might think these kits were a good idea...anyone?

My Very First Pattern and Dolls in my Shop--NOW

Now this is a really, really big deal for me personally, so take a deep breath and stay with me here. I just completed the creation of my VERY FIRST EVER Beeper Bebe pattern designed for sale. Can you believe it? Should I pinch you? Should I pinch myself? Shall we just high-five and do a little booty dance like football players are always doing in the end zone after a touchdown? Whatever the case, let me tell you ALL about it...

Well, the pattern is for my Two-Faced Friend dolls--if you do not know what that is, well, it is like two dolls for the price of one since the doll is different on the front and back sides (see loads of photos of them here). The pattern comes with complete, step-by-step instructions with illustrations (!) for those who are reading-comprehension challenged and also because all those really cool Japanese plushie books do that and so I thought I'd jump on that bandwagon. It also comes with FULL-SIZED patterns for both a boy and girl doll. So, in mathematical terms: 1 pattern = 2 different dolls (or 4 if you count the front and back sides of each doll). If you go ahead and buy the pattern, I will send it to you in a PDF format direct to the convenience of your own email inbox and you can just print it right out on regular old printer paper and off you can go on your plushie-making adventure with no need for scanning or enlarging too-small pattern pieces. And also, it comes with the embroidery designs for the faces. Yeah, I'm totally serious. Get your own pattern right here in my shop.

And on a side note, holy-schmoley it takes a buttload of time to create a pattern with illustrated instructions. I am pretty sure Beeper thought his mama had forsaken him over the long holiday weekend as I worked deliriously trying to finish it. I may well be served with divorce papers by my lovely and patient husband yet too. This is the price you must pay to make a pattern, dear readers, so keep that in mind as you consider whether to buy a copy for yourself--marital harmony and mother-child bonds were put in jeopardy just to bring you this pattern.And in other Chez Beeper Bebe news, I have made 4 new Two-Faced Friend Dolls that are all up for sale in my Etsy shop right at this very second. So, should you not be the sewing type, you need not forsake all hope of owning your very own Two-Faced Friend. These are sort of special to me as they served as the dolls photographed for the pattern and include some new detail modifications to my original doll design--AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, they are all constructed from mostly vintage materials. Every single one is made with lovely vintage feedsack fabrics, vintage buttons and vintage rickrack. And the bodies of the dolls were made with reclaimed white cotton sheets--so there is a whole lot of reducing, reusing and recycling going on here.

I do plan to put together some Two-Faced Friend Doll kits this week. These will come with the complete pattern, cut-out doll pieces from some of my very favorite vintage feedsack fabrics, vintage buttons and trims for embellishment, and the other items needed to make your own without all the pattern-pinning and cutting fuss. And I have been working on some sweet and simple packaging for these. Look for those this coming weekend...

Oh, and one more thing then you can go back to doing to whatever you were prior to all my enraptured ramblings, I started a Two-Faced Friend doll Flickr group--you can find that right here. So, should you decide to purchase the pattern and make a doll or two, you can share your doll design prowess with the world--or at least, with me.

Tutorial and Pattern: Doll Accoutrement (and July Toy Society Drop)

I made this little lovely from Emily's Black Apple sweet as hell doll pattern (find the link on her blog, Inside a Black Apple) for my July Toy Society Drop ( read more about the Toy Society and its random acts of plushie kindness here and if you are bored, you can see all my drops over the past year here). Of course, I made some modifications--knee socks and a bib detail I added to her dress. But then I also decided she should have some accoutrement--because shouldn't all dolls have a little accoutrement? So, I made the capelet, beret and little mary jane shoes. And then I thought, well, why shouldn't I share these simple little patterns with you to either embellish your own Black Apple doll, or that you could use for your own doll design? These little pieces take like an hour to whip up and add so much je ne sais quoi to your doll (not to mention how much adoration you may inspire in any small children who would be so lucky as to receive a doll with said accoutrement). So, go ahead, find my simple, easy-peasy pattern with instructions here:
DOWNLOAD DOLL ACCOUTREMENT PATTERN AND TUTORIAL

And so the doll was dropped on behalf of the Toy Society last Friday, just outside Java Train in Saint Paul, Minnesota (yeah, I am little delayed in this post--been camping on Lake Superior the past few days...more on that later...). Makes for drop number 7 in my year long commitment. I've already got plans to make a weiner dog plushie for my August drop...hope you'll stop back to see that one too.

Bitty Bebe--Ready for Adoption

So, she's out there in my Etsy shop--the first completed Bitty Bebe. All ready for someone to adopt and love her. I am going to try to get her brother and sister out in the shop this Friday--once I am back from Belgium and recovered from all this truffle eating and wine drinking--I mean, working. Stop on over and at least give her a little coochee-coochee-coo or something. It can get lonely out there and she is just an itty bitty bebe after all.