People have asked me how to weave a Boy or a Gender Neutral Doll using the Lily Doll Kit.
They also asked for gender neutral doll clothing, so I have been focusing on designing clothes that work for girl, boy and gender neutral dolls. (Jeans earlier in the summer, this month’s shirt and shorts and Overalls for September’s project).
I also show how to make glasses for the dolls in the Shirt and Shorts pdf and kit. All the kits are available from Mirrix Looms. LINK
I have just uploaded a video to YouTube that shows how to customize the Lily Doll kit and pdf to make your dolls be exactly the way you want them to be.
Last week, we went to a baby shower for friends who are soon to be parents.
I was so delighted to see how many handmade gifts were given to this soon to be among us little sweet person!
Quilting, sewing knitting and crochet were all beautifully shared by the extended family. Delightful!
What did we give to the new baby?
Well, since his parents love space and planets, and have decorated the nursery with all many of space and planet images, it seemed like a good idea to me to give Lil Baby a Star Mobile…. yup… from my book: Crochet Stars. With love, of course! ❤
I have loved wooden dolls since I was a very little girl. There is something about a wooden doll that touches my heart deeply. Perhaps it is the energy of the tree still alive in the doll……
I have a very dear friend who is Japanese in origin and Canadian by choice.
Recently, she went back to Japan to visit her parents and help her Mum with a little downsizing.
Her Mum decided that she no longer needed to keep these two Kokeshi dolls that had lived with her for probably more than 50 years.
My sweet friend wrapped them in Furoski wrapping cloths which I also LOVE. I have used the Furoshki method of carrying things since I discovered it about 20 years ago-
Here’s a link to a very useful quick Furoshki tutorial from the Japanese government:
The large Kokeshi doll is very heavy and tall- about 14 inches/36 cm. I love that she still has the bark of the tree on her. Her little sister is about 8 inches/20 cm tall and has the ‘See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ monkeys hiding behind a bamboo tree. Delightful!
I treasure these elegant old dolls that came around the globe in my friend’s suitcase- what a special gift!
The other day when I was out in the yard photographing some inkle weaving, a bee landed on the loom and ambled around. She didn’t seem bothered about me and my camera and she let me photograph her.
I was concerned that she might be having a hard time in the heat, so I sat my camera down so I could bring her a little dish of water, but she flew off and started nuzzling tomato flowers.
I hope that she and all her sisters are doing well, and I am grateful to her for stopping for a little visit.
Life is full of little blessings that make our hearts sing, isn’t it?
The Lily Doll Project that I am designing for the Mirrix Chloe loom is all about imagination.
So to celebrate imagination, I designed a Mermaid costume to be woven on the Chloe loom for the Lily Doll.
The Mermaid Tail slips onto Lily Doll’s legs so she can have adventures in a Mermaidly way.
But it struck me this morning that the Mermaid Tail and the Lily Doll pattern could be ‘mashed up’ to weave a doll that is a Mermaid and not a little doll with legs, dressed as a Mermaid.
There are always so many options, aren’t there?
Here are the links for the Lily Doll kit and pdf pattern:
I have worked with my dreams all my adult life. I use the images, stories, and themes that happen in my dreams to shape my art and artisanship.
After my beloved son in law died suddenly from a heart catastrophe brought on by Covid, I had incredibly powerful dreams in which I was able to talk with him and listen to his new stories about his journey after this death.
He told me that I absolutely HAD to write a book about finding my way to hope and grace in living with the all encompassing grief unleashed by his passing…..
I was also having many dreams about Star Babies….. I have been dreaming about Star Babies for more than 30 years… I dreamt, over and over, about how the Star Babies were the most amazing experience of joyous, innocent, contagious and delicious laughter. Dreaming about them and their new adventures was incredibly healing. They lead me to keep finding references to how the stars offer us laughter and connection and hope, which I felt was synchronicity working it’s finest magic.
I was finding so much comfort and solace in my crochet, and talked with my wonderful editor at Stackpole, Candi Derr. We agreed that we can heal our broken hearts with lovingly creating small, but significant things that wrap up our love. And as we talked and I designed, and crocheted, crocheted, crocheted, it became clear that stars were meant to be the metaphor, and pardon the pun, but the STARS of this book.
Of course, I had to begin with the Laughing Stars that evolved from the Star Babies, and that seeded this book, Crochet Stars-
And then, I found all kinds of ways of creating more and more stars….
Some of which act as frames to embrace the memories of those we love, but who now dance among the stars-
And some of whom crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but still live on in our hearts….
I added a little lace to the pupster’s pics, and played with colors on the back of the stars:
It’s lovely to think of them all playing and laughing in amongst and with the stars, and the Star Babies, too!
Crochet Stars is now available from all the online book sellers! Yay! Happy Crochet! ❤
It’s such a joyful moment when a box appears on the porch and it’s my new book!
I was thrilled last week to see Crochet Stars up on the online book sellers, but, to have the book in my hands is pure joy!
Crochet Stars is so dear to my heart- it is a small book – a new format with my wonderful publisher, Stackpole, which feels just so right on so many levels.
Writing this book was a journey of healing on the path of grief. It is full of so much love and is all about finding healing and laughter and hope through the joy of making small but sweet and precious things with our hearts fully infusing our hands as they create gifts of connection and love!
This little Laughing Star is based on a series of delightful dreams that I had over many many years, and it is, in a lot of ways, for me, the ‘Star’ of the book…. but then, I LOVE all the stars that I designed for the book!
Stars are such a powerful metaphor for the light of love, laughter and healing that flows through our lives.
I deliberately designed several very small stars so that people can give them freely and happily as gifts to say to people: Thank you for being here, and I appreciate you and oh my goodness! You matter! ❤
Joni Mitchell had it so right when she sang that we are stardust and we are golden.
I hope that this book, Crochet Stars, will bring golden stardust to life in so many ways! ❤
Tottie Talks Crafts Blog 