On Redheads and Ears, Dutch Chintz and New Sleeves

It seems like there is always one in any group that becomes my favorite and this redhead is it. I saw a picture of a ragdoll with ears and decided mine would have them too. I littered the floor with little bits of muslin until they came out the right size. Sort of. (You have to agree that throwing things on the floor IS one of the best parts of sewing, no?)

And I FINALLY found a red head yarn I like. Everything has always been too electric red or too carrot orange. The search continues for a blondie.

I want to make the faces more sophisticated so I saw a way to put in a "dart" on the side of the head to give the eyes some depth. I'm going to try it, so that's next. And noses. I need a better nose, a sculpted one. I've seen a lot of dolls with upturned "ski slope" noses and don't like that look....something more classic is what I want.

Then I found a quilt store in Texas called I Love Quilting which is the ONLY place which sells fat quarters of Dutch chintz fabrics which are reproductions of the chintzes that the Dutch East India Company brought back from the Coromandal coast of India in the 1600s. These imports electrified Europeans and had everything to do with the growth of the cotton industry. It is possible to buy these fabrics from the Dutch company which is making them, but they only sell them by the meter and boy are they expensive! And really a fat quarter is sufficient for a dress. The Dutch company is called Den Haan and Wanamakers and it is a treat for the eye to scroll over their selections. Yum.

The fabric is coming tonight by courier from the US.  I have been reminding myself not to rush this poor lady, say hello first, be polite and not act like a wild animal to get my package from her.

I saw a blouse with a cool sleeve on it the other day and decided to try to reproduce it. Here it is. I think the upper arm needs to be a bit wider so I'll alter that for next time. This fabric was part of my mother in law's stash and I've really fallen in love with it and alas, it is now all gone!

And here is a short sleeve version --

Someone needs to open a store which carries "out of print" fabrics. Occasionally I can find something older, but none of it is organized. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to find Bali quilt fabrics from 2009, say? Or Windham from 2008?

It's been a peaceful time lately. I do hope it lasts! There just may not be anything nicer than than the moments we can wander around thinking about what we love to do...watching for inspirations.....coming up with new ideas...imagining new creations. May we all have lots of those moments!