Halloween

For Halloween, we get together with our neighbor's family and "haunt" and scare this part of town. I had to share a few of the photos..........one of them is me....can you guess which?

It was only 32 degrees and very windy so the witch had a winter coat under her shawl.


This person is sitting under a table with her head poking through.

Needle Felting

I just found the best place to learn how to needle felt doll hair. Cedara (Tracy Dun) of Thru the Attic Door covers the subject perfectly.

Cranfest

This coming weekend, September 25th to 27th, there's a wonderful fall festival in Warrens, Wisconsin called Cranfest. There are thousands of vendors with country, primitive, antique, modern, new, and used items not to mention all kinds of food and entertainment. If you're in the area you might want to go.





I consign my dolls in a shop in nearby Tomah Wi called COUNTRY SPIRIT. It's on Superior Avenue near downtown Tomah. You can find out more about the shop by clicking on the shop name and it'll take you to the website. I wanted to show you a little of what's in the shop for the weekend. If you click on the photos it will enlarge them.

Make a Scarecrow to fit old clothing you have

IF YOU CLICK ON THE PHOTO IT WILL ENLARGE FOR MORE DETAIL.
I just made 2 scarecrows that fit bib overalls and shirts I’d found in a thrift shop and the clothing fit the scarecrows perfectly even though one was size 4 and the other size 8. Each required a different body pattern but it turned out to be so easy.

HERE'S HOW TO DO IT.

Cover your table with taped together newspaper. Lay the pants in the middle of the paper with the shirt tucked in. With a sharpie marker draw a head that looks in proportion to the body. This is drawN just like any old rag doll so don’t get worried that it’s technical—it’s not. Now draw a neck about ½’ long and draw along where the shoulders are. Pull the sleeve over the top of the clothing and mark where the sleeve was but continue on down along the side of the pants to the level of the crotch. Draw a straight line across this body. Next you’ll cut 2 from muslin and sew up the side, around the head and down the other side. Turn right side out and stuff with rags and sew the bottom of the body shut.

Using the pattern again—cut 2 layers of burlap the width of the head but 3” longer than the head. Sew the sides and top and turn right side out and pull over the head. Cut a Triangle of dark brown felt and stitch this in place for a nose. I stitched a smile with 2 strands of black crochet thread—or 4 strands of embroidery floss. Sew 2 - 1” buttons in place for eyes.

The next thing to do is measure the sleeve. Subtract 2” and divide the number in half. You’ll cut 4 pieces of the arms. I used an old blanket for the arms but quilt batting would work very well too -----I cut 24” wide by that measurement . Roll each piece like a jelly roll and stitch along the edge so it doesn’t unroll. Using double thread in your needle, stitch one to the body where the arm should be. I used about 36” of thread double for each of these because you want it loose and I didn’t want it to come undone. After stitching the first piece to the body—stitch the second piece to the bottom of the first piece…end to end with big stitches so it can move like a joint. Do the same for the other arm.

Now put the shirt on and tuck the burlap inside the neck opening. Button the shirt cuffs. Measure about 40 - 8” strands of raffia and stitch through the middle so you have 80 - 4” strands. Fold in half and tuck into a sleeve end. Sew through the sleeve and raffia several times. Tie a length of jute around the sleeve. Finish the other arm the same way.

Measure the pant legs like you did with the sleeves and cut your 4 pieces attaching them to the bottom of the body where legs should be. Put on the pants and attach raffia inside the pant legs.

You may want to add raffia hair, an old hat, a witch type hat, an old straw hat……….the Possibilities are endless. The best thing about these scarecrows…they sit beautifully wherever you put them.

Fall windows

If you click on the photos, it gives you a much larger view so you can see detail.

I'm so terribly behind in my blog posts as well as my sewing but I do have a wonderful new creation I have to share with you. I've been making pumpkins and made a really nice fall wreath with pumpkins and crows. I showed my friends who said at the same time "oh Lucy, you should use this idea on your windows"....these were windows I'd purchased and I was applique'ing a homespun star to be framed in each opening.

So I followed Cheryl and Sandy's advice. I added a windowsill to the frame and painted the entire thing black. I added pumpkins, grapevine ribbon to one and grapevine to the other and different cats to each. Aren't they wonderful? I'm almost embarrassed to say I quite impressed myself!

I also discovered a wonderful trick I want to share with you. I had a box full of purchased "silk" fall leaves on swags as well as bushes...but they're just way too pretty for primitive use. I experimented with them and discovered you can coffee stain then which is nice but even better than that, you can paint both sides with your slimy,coffee/cinnamon stain and they dry to primitive perfection. They sound like fall leaves, look like they might have a bit of dried mud on them and smell heavenly!

The new Lemon Poppyseed offerings are available..check out everyone's shop. There are a lot of them, but we have some amazingly talented ladies there.

Back to fall

It's such a relief to have my Winter ad done for Country Sampler so I can get back to designing for fall! I've been making pumpkins for Country Spirit, in Tomah WI where I consign, and I've designed a wonderful PUMPKIN LAMP PATTERN that's available as either a mailed pattern or an epattern. There are little mice attached to the pumpkin. Included in the pattern is a plain ribbed pumpkin, I think they look well together.

I've added several new patterns to my website this week and have more started. The nice cool nights and mornings, even though it's only August, make it so much easier to look ahead to fall and winter.

Tomorrow I'll try to post some photos of my flowers. I've turned wash tubs, pails, tool boxes, wheelbarrows and old chairs into containers for them. I even have an old bicycle in the front yard with flowers in the basket and on the book carrier on the back fender.

Keeping up

Debra from Monnie Bean's Folk Art asked how I keep up with keeping ahead of the seasons.

It's not always easy and I work differently from a lot of designers and crafters. As many of you know, I advertise in Country Sampler magazine and the ads must be placed 6 months before the issue reaches the news stands. Because I have to make items to send in for the advertising, I always make at least one extra of each item. If I'm not tremendously busy filling orders at the time, I mentally stay in that season long enough to cut out and do the machine sewing on at least a dozen items for that same season. I might get a few finished but my goal is simply to start them. That way when it's closer to the right time to finish them....I have a huge head start and it seems almost easy!

During the last 10 days, I finished 2 witches and 4 pumpkin people and I still have several scarecrows, a wizard, and 3 more witches started BUT I have to wait to finish them because......

I have to have 3 items to finish for a Country Sampler ad so they're ready to mail by July 25th. These are for the Dec/Jan issue so I'm planning on an angel and 2 snowmen. I'll be working on them this weekend and as soon as they're done, I want to cut out clothing for some of the 11 Santa bodies I have finished and sitting naked in a box in my studio. I made some of these bodies back in January, 2 in February, and the rest when I was making the dolls for my Oct/Nov (which is the Christmas issue) Country Sampler ad. As soon as the clothing is made..I'll go right back to Halloween (because that's the next holiday), get the started items finished and 8 to 10 more cut out and the machine sewing done....then I'll switch gears again and get the Santas dressed. Why do I jump back and forth? It seems less like production sewing when I do that. I've also noticed I dress them more creatively when I don't do them all at one time.

How do I work on Christmas and Winter items when it's so hot outside? I have several tricks. My studio is air conditioned but before it was--I'd turn on 2 window fans on opposite sides of the room--both directed at me. I'd tuck an ice cube in my bra and I kept a bowl of cold water and a wash cloth handy to wipe my face...often. I was chilly enough to believe it was winter. Playing Christmas music and even having a Christmas tree nearby help a lot too.

The snowman and lady in the photo are made from a felted wool sweater (remember when your favorite wool sweater got tossed into the washing machine by mistake?). I've just listed them at Country Fried Primitives. Hope this answers some of those questions and feel free to ask more.......It helps when I don't know what to write about!