Llamas, Frogs and Forget-Me-Nots

What do they all have in common? Well, nothing much, really, except that they all have something to do with doll clothes I've made recently :P Sorry I haven't posted in a while, things have been kind of busy lately. In addition to making the clothes below, I have been working on a new book, taking a tapestry weaving class, knitting a new little dolly, studying Russian and Korean (well, the Russian is just brushing up, since it's not the first time I studied it, but still, it's time-consuming), and I am still working on the Snegurochka costume for Elena (look for an update on that in the next week, hopefully, I'm almost done sewing the dress). 

So the first outfit is the Llama outfit, modeled by Kateri. The llamas are handwoven out of organic colorgrown cotton. I used the same yarn to trim the top and skirt, as well as on the sandals and the handle for the purse. The rest of the outfit is made of organic cotton too :) I picture her going to an outdoor market, or some sort of art show or something in this outfit. Some place outdoors, in the summer, just relaxing and doing a little shopping, or something fun like that ^_^

Here are a few pics of the llama pieces, just off the loom:

The second outfit I call "Forget-Me-Not", just because the color of the fabric looks like certain kinds of forget-me-not flowers. Well, that, and I couldn't think of what else to call it! lol It is modeled by Bu-Yong, and is made of organic cotton with swarovski crystal accents. I made the shoes too. I was going for some kind of ballet flat. I can't say I succeeded entirely, but they are useable for now...

And now for the frogs. I am making Kisa a costume inspired by the Russian fairy tale "The Frog Tsarevna". This trim is based on a charted knitted pattern created by Huldamor on Ravelry. She was nice enough to allow me to weave it :) I will actually be weaving two of her patterns for this costume. I'm using very fine, organic cotton lace-weight yarn. Here are some pics of the trim I have finished so far (and of course, Kisa too!):

I'm really happy with the way this trim turned out! I haven't been able to start the second trim yet - I had to put this project on hold temporarily, because I need to use this loom for the tapestry weaving class that I'm currently taking. But as soon as that is done, I'll weave the other trim, and then get to sewing the costume!

Well, that is all for now. I hope you're all well, and enjoying Spring!

~Debi

P.S. Ringo says "hi"! He is doing really well :) The warmer weather is making him quite sassy.

Elena

It occurred to me that I never posted any pics of my new doll! So I will do it now. She arrived on November 21, and I have named her Elena. She is a 35cm porcelain ball-jointed doll made by JRDolls in Russia. She is different from my other dolls, of course, but the main difference is that she has white skin. Because of her pale coloring and sweet expression, I think of her as Snegurochka (the Snow Maiden, from Russian folklore). I found out that the artist was calling her that too! So, I am making her a special Snegurochka costume. ^_^ It will be a while before it's finished, but I plan on posting pictures of it as a work in progress, so keep an eye out for them - they will be titled something like "WIP: Snegurochka Costume", and of course, will include pics of Elena too. I will be writing the first post very soon. But now, I will just show you some pics of Elena, taken when she first arrived home:

Elena's Homecoming: Top Row: Ishtar, Kisa
Bottom Row: Bu Yong, Elena, Ciara Angelique

Christmas Party: Back Row: Ishtar, Elena, Kisa holding Maria
Bottom Row: Bu Yong, Ciara Angelique

Bu Yong

Last week my new dolly arrived ^-^ So I would like to introduce her to you. Her name is Bu Yong, and like my other dolls, she is a porcelain bjd made by JRDolls in Russia. She is part of a new, smaller line - my Kisa and Ishtar are about 40cm tall, Bu Yong is only 35cm.  As far as her background goes, at first I had some trouble choosing a name and a story for her! I think she is very beautiful and has a unique look, so I wanted to choose something that would reflect that. Finally I decided, she is Kisa's cousin, and is half Russian half Korean. Her name means "lotus flower" in Korean. I actually chose this name not only for the meaning, but also because it is the name of one of Han Ji Min's characters in  the Korean drama "Rooftop Prince". To me, even though this doll has red hair, something about her expression and her eyes really reminds me of Han Ji Min in this role, and I also really liked that character - she was intelligent, talented, and very courageous: she was willing to die for love. Anyways, enough of my babbling :P Here are some pics of my lovely Bu Yong ^-^

One of the first pics I took of Bu Yong after she arrived. At this point I still had not decided on a name for her.

I think she looks so pretty from all different angles :) She is actually quite different from Kisa and Ishtar in many ways, but I think she is just as beautiful!