All Change!

I now live in an area where craft fairs, farmer's markets and the like have a very different demographic to my last home.

So some time ago I decided to change my focus from designer dolly clothes to something else, and see how it goes, for a time at least. But change it to what?

I was strolling through a local town - not one of the more prosperous ones, though - and in a very traditional hardware shop I saw an apron, a rather 'old-fashioned' apron by my standards, but clearly an on-trend. highly-desirable retro-style apron by the standards of the three young women who were admiring it.

Its price?

£85

Yes, you read that correctly. There was a whole rack of them in the shop. I say 'was' because the rack is now empty and those who enquire are told there are, it seems, 'no more to be had'.

EIGHTY FIVE POUNDS!!!

What the hell, I thought, I'll make a couple and see what my much younger, much more 'trend-aware' friends think of them.

Retro-style apron

 So I did.

Heck, I've been sewing for well over 50 years - everything from ball gowns to horse rugs via curtains, dog-clothes and christening robes - so a retro-style apron held no fears for me.

The main fabric was a chance find in Abakhan's bargain bins some time ago; the piece was about 3m long and cost me under £10. It's a 'Timeless Treasures' (USA) design which sells for well over that price per metre. I do like Abakhan's (well, the Manchester branch anyway - more on that another time)!

It's pure cotton - 'quilting weight' according to Timeless Treasure's website - and was a pleasure to handle and make up. The red spot used for the flounce, pocket binding and one side of the ties is also pure cotton, but a UK one, described as 'craft weight cotton'. It's as near identical in weight to the US quilting cotton as makes no matter, and was equally pleasant to work with. The red is an exact match to the red in the main print.

I was very happy with the result, and so are others - the apron pictured above was nabbed by an acquaintance who does farmer's markets (she's a baker and makes delicious yummy biscuits and cakes) and has been looking for a pretty, feminine, cotton apron with decent coverage. This lady is tall - about 5ft 10" - and a size 18 in RTW. Her only criticism was that the waist ties are a little too short (which I thought they would be - I was being economical with fabric on my prototype). Otherwise, it fit perfectly.  I too am a size 18 in RTW, but a totally different shape and considerably shorter; it fits perfectly. A teenager - 5ft 7", about a size 8 -10 - loved it and wants one 'exactly the same' as it fits perfectly. As the style doesn't bunch around the waist, it's flattering, too.

Cute button, or what?

The neck-strap fastens with these cute heart-shaped buttons; there are two buttonholes on each end of the strap so it's really very adjustable.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that it's fully lined - with another vintage-style cotton print, sourced from Immanuel Fabrics.

Waist-tie, bound pocket-top and lining.

See!
The lining fabric is so nice that it makes the apron fully reversible (except it doesn't have pockets on the reverse).

It's such a horrid day today that photography was difficult to say the least, but I hope you get the general effect.

I've got another three aprons 'on the go' - all using the same basic template, but with differences in trim, and with three very different fabrics and colours. It's not fit for a cat to be out today - my kitten looked at the weather for a moment then came back inside and used her litterbox - and half my garden has blown over the other half, but there's nothing I can do about it until the wind drops, so I may as well get on with my sewing.

I've been absent for a few months as the opportunity arose, quite suddenly and unexpectedly, to move to a new area.

I'm now living - and loving it! - in a tiny, remote, rural village in the Ribble Valley. We have five buses a day, very narrow broadband and in September I planted several hundred daffodil bulbs in the long-neglected garden which is now my responsibility.

My sewing machines live permanently on a large table - yes, over the summer they managed to breed! - and I can sit looking at beautiful sunsets, woodland, moorland  and fluffy sheep as I sew.

I've also taken up corset construction. I've always liked Meccano and d-i-y - and sewing, of course - and on making a lightly-boned bustier for a friend's anniversary party, thought 'Hey, getting more into this might be interesting ...'

And it is, oh yes it is.

Back on Twitter

I'm back on Twitter - no reason given for my suspension, other than a half-hearted 'whoops, sometimes we make mistakes' generic apology. I told myself I'd give it to the end of the month and I will, but I seem to have lost interest in it, to be honest. What chance is there of another 'whoops!' - at a time when I might have invested a lot more into it than I had done a week ago?   
  

I've had a friend staying for a few days, so what with taking her to local 'attractions', being as  busy as I could manage to be on the sewing machine and with the knitting needles, too, I've had no time to blog. Helen was very taken with my doll's clothes, and tomorrow I'll put up photos of some the outfits I sent back with her for her granddaughter's dolls. 

When I visited Abakhan last Friday, I found some lovely fabrics in their craft cotton bargain bins - some of them are famous US brand names, and would have sold for around £12 -£15/metre. I've paid less than £3/m! Again, photos tomorrow. I love that shop - I'd like to live there!                                                                                                                                                                              

Twitter annoyance

Suspended from Twitter -and can't find out why!

About ten days ago, I was persuaded, by the members of a forum in which I participate, to set up an account on Twitter. I'd been putting it off and was reluctant to get involved, but decided I'd give it a try. I said on the forum that I'd give it to the end of April to see if I enjoyed it, or saw its 'point'.


Well, I joined, and after I'd begun to decipher how it worked, followed some of my forum friends, and they followed me back. I also found some other 'tweeters' who I thought might be interesting - crafty folk and organisations - and a couple of 'thought for the day' type tweeters. I sent out a few tweets, and started to find a few things of interest in it. Hmm, I thought, this is time-consuming, but might not be quite such a time-waster as I had imagined.


I had sent out the grand total of about 15 tweets, had maybe a dozen 'followers', and was following about 20 myself. On the bank holiday Monday evening I came in after spending the day with friends, and logged onto Twitter - only to find my account was suspended. I can find no reason at all why this has happened, and every time I attempt to contact them  - their motto being  
'Have no fear, Twitter Support is here!'
I get a message reading
There was an error preventing ticket submission. Please try again later.
Well, Twitter Support, you're clearly not there and haven't been there at all.  I've tried 'later' - up to 30 hours later.


What a waste of electrons, time and effort Twitter has thus proven to be. 


I could have spent the wasted time of the past week far more constructively and enjoyably at the sewing machine, making chocolate cake, learning the rudiments of Mandarin Chinese or just lolling about on the sofa, thinking. 


I wonder what I did to upset the Chief Twits so much that they threw me out? Whatever it was, it seems to have been very effective!

How can sunshine be so cold?

Brrrrrr! It looks gorgeous outside - sunshine and blue sky just like last week when the temperatures were in the upper teens and even 20-21 degC - but it's bitterly cold. 

With that in mind, instead of posting sunny photos of BabyBorn in new spring outfits, and Barbie in the sundresses and shorts I've been making, I thought a more cosy pic might be in order.

This little cutie on the left was a donation to a local charity shop which raises money for the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. 

The doll was given to the shop naked, in 'as new' condition, and was handed to me to increase her value. Dolly and Ted – House of Fashion was very happy indeed to help raise more money for this very worthy cause.Naked dolls sell for very little in charity shops, but well-dressed ones fly out of the door as real paper money is exchanged for them. As well as the 'blue hearts' summer outfit, I made her the cosy pink reversible top and trousers she's wearing - with pure wool hat, cardie and bootees - and the red-and-tartan fleecy jacket and poly/wool trousers. You can just see her pillow and blanket under her feet. 

I think fleece and wool is what I need to wear if I venture outside today!

Welcome to Dolly and Ted - House of Fashion

Hello! and thanks for visiting.

My name is Eena and I'm the owner, buyer, designer, pattern-cutter, machinist, compliance officer, book-keeper, general dogsbody and chief bottle-washer of Dolly and Ted – House of Fashion - the home of modern fashion for popular UK play dolls.

I design and make clothes and accessories for children's - and my and your! - favourite dolls - from Barbie and Bratz to BabyBorn, Corolle and the 'Annabell' series. I make them all myself (except for a couple of accessories, clearly labelled) in my clean, pet-free, smoke-free home here in leafy Prestwich.

I sell these items at craft markets in north-west England and locally through personal contacts;  follow my blog to find out where I'll be selling next - do come and say 'Hello!'

If  you can't get to a fair I'm attending, why not contact me through the blog? I'd love to hear from you!