So here I am...

...with my craft blog.

I've started this as eventually I'd like to have some sort of craft business, so it's a place to get my stuff out there and see what people think I guess.

For now I'm having fun experimenting and making things for myself. It's a nice distraction from life to be using my hands and creating something.

At the moment I seem to be leaning in the direction of dolls and soft toys. I'm making up from other people's patterns to get an idea of shapes, techniques etc. See what I like, what I don't like, what works, what I don't think works, how different shapes on paper translate to 3D etc.

I had done some experimenting earlier this year with my own patterns, but currently we are between houses and most of my stuff is in storage so I can't work on them right now.

I also thought this blog would be as good a place as any to keep track of what I have made recently, where the pattern came from, what fabric and stitches I used, and what I thought of it.

Today I am working on a tiny felt teddy bear, if I finish it before bed I'll post it tonight.

Last weekend I completed Baby Bea

She was made using a kit from Katkins Designs. A friend and I made one each so I could help her along the way (she's not as confident at sewing as I am). The doll, bloomers and top was sewn by machine, but the pinafore and lace collar was done by hand (because my friend go frustrated with the sewing machine so we stopped using it).

It was quite rewarding doing the hand sewing. I really love the more country look of the running stitch hem and it was so relaxing just sitting with a needle and thread rather than being back and forth to a sewing machine.

The pattern is rather good. She comes out rather floppy (which I guess is the point of a rag doll!) because her upper arms and legs have no stuffing in them. You sew the arms/legs togeter, stuff up to the elbow/knee and then sew across the limb and leave the rest empty. Her head is a bit flat, it's just two flat bits of fabric sewn together with no specific shaping, but I think I could have stuffed it a bit more which might have helped. And her hair insists on falling over her face and being flat on top. I guess she needs some strong hair spray ;)

So that's it for my first craft blog post!