The Village-House

This is my last structure of the village and it is the cutest, well they are all pretty cute. I'm having one of those moments where I look at my work and think....where did I come up with all those ideas?

Flowers, lace and free flow curtains add to the sparkling roof.

The chimney is a sweet idea, cute, huh? (Forgive the sun in the photo).

Can't you see a fairy living here? C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

The Village-Store

I don't know if I mentioned my buildings from my note paper or not but it's changed. Initially it had a school, church, hospital and 2 houses...well, a school, church, hospital and a store!....makes more sense. So, one of the houses has a penciled x through it, replaced with a building that houses food.


I have saved the house for last because it's the most flexible for applique ideas, I can always come up with something even though I used the first idea on another building.

So, what does a shoppe usually look like? It has neon "open" signs and some sort of advertisement for a beverage, beer or soda, it's always there. I figured the most recognized insignia is "Coke a cola" or something similar to it. I came up with a combination of Coke and Pepsi, ha! You get the idea.

The grey square on top of the building is a A/C and heating unit, it also adds another shape although smaller in version.

My canopy windows are close, close, close. They are bright on the brown and are clearly windows.

Note: Next time make canopy with a steeper side angle. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

The Village-Hospital

I'm working on my village at a consistent speed, I know what I'm sewing as a basic plan but I'm adding embellishments as I go. I'm having a grand time brainstorming on each structure. I kinda thought since there is a possibility of making a mat and the mat will be without water, only land, blue would be the perfect color for a hospital. The original drawing called for a plain square building but since my roofing mistake, I changed the plan.

I thought about a emergency entrance and came up with another shape, another way to use color.

This is another building that has writing on it. My dilemma was the writing will have to go on the backside due to the entrance taking up so much space.

This is my idea in my mind, see the yellow door entrance? And my helicopter pad? I thought that was in genius. My hubby told me he wants to see them all stuffed, phooey. I'm still going to be pleased with myself. I hope the village all works together but don't tell him that.

In the long run though, it didn't matter where the entrance was place because there are doors on all four sides of the building.

Imagination at play. C&G Design :)

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

The Village-Church

Going back to my note paper, I can see the church is to be white with a yellow roof. Other than that, what else? I know they have b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l stained glass windows, but how do you do that with a scale so small? You don't. You give your applique bright color so the playing participants can get the idea. I also put opening shutters along side the windows, just to dress it up a bit.

Following my drawing, and not really thinking, considering I made 2 black roof peak for the school, I made another peak roof for the church. If you look close you can see that I even stitched the centers to give it the appearance of a steeple. I guess I had to do it......but a peaked roof isn't going to work, back to the drawing board.

Much better, better color too.

Funny, this is a set to appeal to kids ages 3-7, a play set to help learn shapes and I can't figure a triangle plain from a regular triangle, oay vey.

I'll just figure the peaked roof to be used somewhere else. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

The Village-Schoolhouse

I had planned on unveiling my studio starting this week, I've decided it's about as done as it's going to get. My decision was to post on a studio item on Raggedy Wednesday and then get some really long shots of all the set-ups in the studio. The cutest blog on the block changed that and I'm having to post a new header on this coming Wednesday. It was really no big deal because I was due for a header change next week but it cramps everything else. Oh well, I can't complain they have nice backgrounds and maybe I'll still unveil.
Meanwhile, I had my first time at working with my new room and I'm loving it! I started two projects that have been in my thought for quite some time. The first involves glue drying so I will save that for later but look here.

This is my note page, for noting adjustment on the project pieces as I go. I had to start with a drawing though because I needed to get the ideas of the appliques, as it was I changed it all around anyway. I selected to start with the schoolhouse since it seems so elaborate.

Ah....I have my seamstress chalk and room for a ruler to make straight lines. I'm tickled with the chalk though, it will get use!

This village will be all felt and it will have unchangeable features to the houses. I'm not sure about making a complimentary mat yet, but it's a thought. Off to the sewing machine. Oh, did I mention everything is pinked?

I've limited the lettering and decided to best thing is to stitch the ones I am using. I had a question for a buyer on Etsy about the paint I use being non-toxic. The best I could say was to tell her the brands and let her know they are on the market. Anyway, it is touch and go while trying to write with a small zig-zag but I managed something close.

There are windows around the building with a fence on one side and two color shrubs with a tree on the other'

Of course you won't be able to see the full effects until I've put the foam inside but since I have a large piece, the rest of the village will be made up before I take the electric knife out of my kitchen.

Off to do the church. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,C&G Design.

Finishing the Soft Sculpture Doll

I must say..it really did not take much to decide about my dolls hair. The pattern called for yarn so we went for the wool 2 ply yarn I have on a large cone. It's not that hard to texture yarn, or so I thought. My idea to curl hair is to tightly wrap the yarn around knitting needles, wet the yarn and then allowing it to dry. In theory, the "hair" will remain in a circular the size of the needle. In theory. The one problem with this technique is winding the yarn the opposite way it was coming off the cone. One twist faded out the other twist and when it came to pushing them off the knitting needle, the yarn popped with a straight spring. I can't tell you how many I threw away before I figured it out. Anyway here is a back view of the dolls head, the ash smudge is something picked up and not actually in the hair. I also added a bow in the back of the dress, the weight of the bow gave the garment more of a flare around her behind, giving her the effect she is bottom heavy, which she is...

Here she is bald with the flash on......

And again with hair.

Here she is with out the flash....

and here she again with hair and in the evening light as opposed to the morning light.

And here she is with a pre-flash, her skin can look so different at times. She also seems to have blush more times than others.

Oh, and her name......

What a nice day for Lu Lu.

The sun is so warm.....

I can see you this way.....

and that way.

I can see you under the shade,

and close-up.

But most of the time I like you to see me with my best friend. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.

Soft Sculpture Doll-clothing

Time for a update on my soft sculpture doll, I had abandoned her for 2 weeks because her clothing were a major decision for me. Should her dress continue with the old time techniques and have cut work? Puffy sleeves? Smocking in the back? In the end I left it plain. The shoe were slotted to be Mary Jane's for sure. They were pretty simple to make too. Using the shoe pattern I used for the composition toddler, I omitted the tongue of the shoe to make a place for the strap.

Two pieces of thin cardboard soles for each shoe. The first piece was used to hot glue the vinyl to the edge of it (first photo), don't forget to notch around the curves. The second piece was glued over the first to conceal the glued parts of the shoe. I also painted the cardboard to match the shoe.

Check this out, I purchased this sandwich sized bag at Goodwill about a month ago, cost me a whopping $.99. My husband looked at me so strangely that I was even doubting myself! I wasn't sure what to really use these for, but I'm glad now that I bought them, duh....shoe buckles.

They came out really good, the bits of school glue you see in the front at the toes will be covered with a sharpie, I reinforced it with the all purpose slow drying glue because vinyl is plastic and I wanted to be sure the hot glue will stay. Alittle blush on the knees, elbows and back of the hands.

Another dilemma, remember my doll has tights on? What do you do under the dress. I decided a matching set of shorts would be nice.

I also could not resist the cute little lace. It works to flare the dress, at least that's what I tell myself.

I finished her arms which weren't so easy, one looks bigger than the other and I'm not sure which one looks better. Can ya tell I'm not all that secure with this procedure!?! I can't make up my mind on anything. Oh well.

Might I mention she is completely done and I'm happy with the results. She will be revealed on Monday, along with her name (as usual).

One little pearl dangle was all she needed. C&G Design

Have a lovely April fool's day all!

Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.

Soft Sculpture Face

I took the challenge and sculptured my dolly face, I waited a few days just casually looking at a blank canvas before I dared attempt it. The thread running horizontal and vertically is what the pattern wanted you to guide by. Nose-center of horizontal line, 1 1/4 from vertical, etc. The threads are to be removed when finished. My nose did not come out to well and I know exactly what happened. Any soft sculpture wants a start and finish with your thread (by the way, is clear nylon) to be at the back of the head. Well, I started at the back but I did not want to add a stuffed cap on top of the indent my thread would make, you see, sculpturing this is part pulling and definitely tightening. So I made a backspace knot beside the first nostril. Consequently when it came to tightening and placing fiber fill, my knot did not hold. Grrrr....geez! I had to go over the stitches again and it ended up to be too much. I made sure I was better at anchoring my thread.

The eyes seemed a bit small to me but I kept at it, making the "crinkles" beside the eyes as toddlers have. What.

The mouth, by far was the simplest. Each corner is tightened up with the inside of the eye to create cheeks.

You see I started ears? That was not part of the pattern but I thought it would be nice.

Ahhhh, no.

And I ever....so carefully removed the ears, embroidered the brown in the eyes and painted the rest adding blush to the cheeks. I varnished the back of the head to have a stiffened surface for my hair and I clear coated the rest of the face with spray paint. The clear coating darkened the color but really enhanced everything. I clear coated because over time the tight stitches may cause a run in the nylon and the paints acts like nail polish in the idea it holds it all together. Oh, and I also corrected the shoulders although I need to finish it.

All in all, she's not bad, she kind of grows on oneself. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.