Latest Fabric Stash Acquisitions

Latest Fabric Stash Acquisitions, originally uploaded by confections.

My sister and I visited two of our favorite quilt fabric stores on Saturday and this is the partial result. My sister's goodies are not in this stack....

The fat quarters are so tempting. There is a bundle of fat eighths here, too. The William Morris Workshop packet of squares is destined to become medium-sized yo-yo's.

My Blythe dolls will probably get a few new dresses from this stash as well. Lucky girls!

Isadora Reiko's New Curls Revealed

Isadora Reiko's New Curls Revealed, originally uploaded by confections.

Here is my Frosty Frock Blythe doll (Isadora Reiko) with her new curly head, following the boil perm make-over. I think she looks great. Her hair appears much shorter, but it is just because of the curling effect
--no trimming took place!

Waiting for Her Hair to Dry (2)

Waiting for Her Hair to Dry (2), originally uploaded by confections.

I decided to take Isadora Reiko (Frosty Frock Blythe doll) to the spa to have her hair done in a boil perm. It's a strange ritual involving nearly boiling water that Blythe doll aficionados engage in to tame the tresses of their girls and to add curl or soft waves.

Here she is post-boil-perm, waiting for her hair to dry. I'll have "after" photos tomorrow.

My Very First Skein of Wheel-Spun Wool

My Very First Skein of Wheel-Spun Wool, originally uploaded by confections.

This skein was spun on a Louet S-10 spinning wheel at a class at the Black Sheep in Encinitas, California, circa 1989. For a number of years I had been spinning with a hand spindle. In 1995 I traded a Bond Knitting Frame for a Lendrum spinning wheel, my faithful Rapunzel.

At about the same time, I took up quilting in earnest, so Rapunzel languished near the fireplace for many moons. Eventually I joined local guilds and enrolled in a series of spinning and weaving classes and haven't stopped spinning since. It's a constant joy in my life.

The Dolls Have Tea

The Dolls Have Tea, originally uploaded by confections.

I've been backing up photos and looking at my archives and came upon this image of a sweet tea party I attended last fall. My friend's daughter carefully attended to her dolls at their very own tea table, complete with a handpainted tea set.

That same tea set has accompanied us to high tea at our favorite tea shop, Tea-upon-Chatsworth, too. I love the ritual of tea and all of its accoutrements, from the fine china to the vintage linens and fragrant tea leaves.

I've been researching the Japanese tea ceremony as well and am looking forward to getting some of the special tools required to do a mini casual version at home.

New Handknit Dress for Blythe in Progress

New Handknit Dress for Blythe in Progress, originally uploaded by confections.

Isadora Reiko (Frosty Frock) had lots of fun trying on her new handknit dress-in-progress. It's made of cotton yarn and was a swatch I made in a knitting class a few years back.

The little shawl is another swatch of Cotton Classic yarn and her hair adornment is a silk ribbon rosette I handmade. Her boots are from The Valley of the Dolls in Hollywood (now at Royal T in Culver City, California).

Isadora in her New Handknit Party Dress

Isadora in her New Handknit Party Dress, originally uploaded by confections.

I handknit this couture party dress for Isadora Reiko from self-patterning wool and nylon sock yarn. She is quite happy with it and wants to go out dancing in her new frock.