2008 July

The Hollyhock Heist.

July 14, 2008 By Rebecca 5 Comments

Looks like someone’s been in the flower garden!

This little sweetie is Bennie. Bennie is my original design & measures 16″ from head to toe. She’s been made of muslin, stuffed with fiberfill & hand-painted & sanded, top to bottom many times. Sweet Bennie has a rich, deeply-aged patina. Her left arm is wired to aid in carrying such a large hollyhock.

Bennie’s face has been needle-sculpted by hand and hand-painted. Her bottom lip ‘pouts’ while her top lip is simply painted. She has been painted with various mediums & has been sealed top to bottom with a combination of sealers so that she may be lightly dusted after display.

Bennie’s fingers have been needle-sculpted by hand. She has delicate pink fingernails. Bennie sports brown painted boots with lots of ‘straps’ and ‘buttons’. She wears tan socks.

Bennie’s apron dress is made from 100% cotton prints. Bennie’s blouse is made of white muslin & features hand-gathered sleeves. Both the dress & blouse feature tons of hand-stitching! All visible hems have been hand-stitched (dress, sleeves, collar), as well as the back of the blouse. Bennie’s blouse is finished with beads while her skirt features two vintage, mother of pearl buttons.

Bennie’s hollyhock is super special & one of my favorite flowers! It is made from 10 separate muslin pieces & has been hand-painted & sanded, stained & sanded again. It is eight inches tall. Each bloom is attached with heavy duty thread & buttons, as are the two large leaves.

Bennie’s hair is black 100% mohair. I have lightly glued, then carefully needle-felted it to her head. It is parted & styled into loose messy buns.

I had a lot of fun designing & creating this little girl & her flower. And one new idea always seems to spark others!

Bennie will be available on eBay July 13th at 9:15 PM EST. She will end July 20th at 9:15 PM EST.

As always, Click here to view or bid on this little dumpling.

Filed Under: Dolls, Flowers Tagged With: hollyhocks, primitive doll

Etsy – The best thing since sliced bread.

July 12, 2008 By Rebecca 1 Comment

If you aren’t aware of Etsy, you should be. It is an online market for people who buy, sell, love & support items that are HANDMADE. While Etsy also allows the sale of truly vintage items, and supplies for crafters, the majority of the items for sale there are handmade by artisans & crafters everywhere. The site is full of eye candy & I find myself, more often than not…singing the little ditty…’if I had a million dollars.’ If I did…my first shopping spree would truly be on Etsy.com. Until then…it’s one thing at a time. One thing at a time. Here are a few of my favorite items from some of my favorite sellers on Etsy. You should visit too & find some favorites of your own!

My Favorites

Filed Under: Etsy Favorites Tagged With: Etsy Favorites

More Barns from the Kentucky Quilt Trail

July 11, 2008 By Rebecca 3 Comments

Below are more barns from the US 460 Portion of the Kentucky Quilt Trail.

The Twinkling Star:

Maple Leaf – Early Fall:

Swamp Valley Museum Quilt Square in Frenchburg, KY:

Quilt squares in Frenchburg:

Click here to read my original post which includes some of this project’s history & purpose & of course, more quilt squares for viewing.

Filed Under: My Appalachia, Quilt Trails Tagged With: Appalachian Quilt Trail, barns, Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky Tourism, quilt blocks, Red River Gorge, The Kentucky Quilt Trail, US 460

A Primitive Halloween Witch Clutching her Crescent Moon

July 7, 2008 By Rebecca 2 Comments

This little sweetie is Bella. Bella is my original design is guaranteed one of a kind art & is my first Halloween creation for 2008! Bella is 27″ tall from the top of her hat to the bottom of her shoes. She’s been made of muslin & stuffed with fiberfill. Her lower torso has been rag-stuffed & bean filled, weighting her little bottom. Bella has been hand-painted & sanded, top to bottom many times & has a rich, deeply-aged patina. Bella’s arms are lightly wired allowing her to be slightly posed.

Bella’s face has been needle-sculpted by hand and hand-painted. Her bottom lip ‘pouts’ while her top lip is simply painted. She has been painted with various mediums & has been sealed top to bottom with a combination of sealers so that she may be lightly dusted after display.

Bella’s fingers have been needle-sculpted by hand. She grey painted gloves. She also sports painted black boots with grey socks. Her high boots are highly detailed right down to the pretty blue laces!

Bella’s apron dress is made from 100% black & white cotton prints. (I am in love with this fabric combo on her dress!) Bella’s blouse is made of white muslin & features hand-gathered sleeves. Her collar has been hand-stitched with black embroidery thread. Both the dress & blouse feature tons of hand-stitching! All visible hems have been hand-stitched (dress, sleeves, collar), as well as the back of the blouse. All clothing has been dyed in a coffee/lavender bud bath for a slightly aged appearance. It was then hand-washed & pressed with linen water.

Bella holds in her lap a white crescent moon made from muslin. It has been hand-painted & sanded many times & is 5 inches tall top to bottom.

Bella’s hair is strawberry blonde 100% mohair. I have lightly glued, then carefully needle-felted it to her head. It is parted & styled into wild side pigtails.

Bella’s hat which has been hand-made from muslin & painted, sanded & stained, is securely pinned to Bella’s head with a pearl tipped corsage pin. It can be removed for year round display.

Bella will be available on eBay July 6th at 9PM EST. She will end Sunday night, July 13th at 9 PM EST.

Click here to view or bid on this not so spooky little girl.