What I have been up to- on the sewing board...

June has flown by so quickly and I haven't done a Flag day post, or a Father's day post, just totally forgot about those holidays! I have been totally immersed with projects that have taken a back burner for many years and I am finally taking the time in my limited spare time to do them. 

One is Marie Therese' and Annabelle's house which I have also decided to use for the Ingalls family dolls. Since Marie Therese and Annabelle reside on the shelf with Marcus and the Gene and Tonner dolls, and the Bespaq, I figure it is time for the Victorian and Civil war Barbies to come off the shelves and be displayed in the dollhouse that steps back into time, my favorite era. 

One of the projects was to spray paint the GAW bed my friend Marina had given me and create a mattress for it with the fabric striped 'ticking' which I did. I don't have progress photos, but what I did was used 1/2 inch thick foamcore for the mattress,and covered it in a 'bag' of fabric, very simple really. Then I made miniature pillows from the same mattress fabric and miniature pillow cases from white muslin. Mrs. Ingalls is plumping up the pillows. 

 Here you can see the master bedroom and the bed transformed. I used several coats of flat white spray paint on it, and sprayed each piece seperate , they came out looking ery well. The blanket is actually a pot holder crocheted I found in my stash that makes a nice little coverlet. I am going to be working on a quilt and sheets for this bed soon. 

Right now I am working on Fourth of July outfits for the Gene Marshall dolls and that is something that has taken precedence.

For now, here are more photos of the house-

I have been organizing this house so it is Victorian era only with props and figuring out what else is needed. I need more beds in the other bedroom and possibly a sewing machine for Caroline Ingalls, and chairs for the dining room. More to come!

Happy 150th Birthday Laura Ingalls Wilder!

Happy Birthday to Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author of the Little House on the Prairie books, her birthday is today! She would have been the ripe old age of 150 years old!

Shown above is my custom #55 Just Like You American Girl doll, meant to resemble or be my custom Laura Ingalls. She is celebrating her birthday with a chocolate cake, decorated wtih sunflowers. Probably a lot more decadent than anything the real Laura Ingalls had as a little girl on her birthday. 

For more information on Laura Ingalls Wilder, visit Little House on the Prairie
website. It has tons of info on the TV show, Laura's story, the books, the history, and recipes and crafts from the time period and more. 

I am sorry that I have not been active on my blogging, but have been sick with the respiratory flu bug for a couple of weeks now, and so has my husband. It began with a headache/earache then a sore throat and then a persistent cough and cold. Yesterday and today were the first days I could breathe without wheezing and felt really good. It really knocks the wind out of you. Ugh. I hate being sick. But, back to normal now. 

Hopefully I will have some pictures of some dolls up soon, as new dolls have arrived and I haven't taken any photos yet! Been too sick...

Happy Birthday to Laura Ingalls!

Little Town on the Prairie...meet Nellie

Many of you know I have been working on period costumes for reproducing scenes from the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have also been collecting props as well as dolls that showed Mary and Laura, Carrie and Grace in the different stages of the books. So there is a small Laura and a Big Laura (teenager) as well as later, married Laura. 
The scene I have been working on again, off again is from Little Town on the Prairie. Laura is about 15 ? it is unclear sometimes in her books) , and Nellie Olsen, her old nemesis from Walnut Grove & Plum Creek, walks in late to school. She can hardly believe her eyes!

The original picture from Little Town on the Prairie, showing Nellie looking down at Laura  on page 130-131. From the chapter 'Miss Wilder Teaches School'

Below, my interpretation of the scene with dolls in 1:6 scale---

Laura is an old 1995? Dorothy from the wizard of Oz doll that needs a new body. (I am planning on buying an obitsu body that is about 21 or 23 cm high since she was short) The desks were from Ebay, floor is scrapbook paper. Laura's dress is off of Ebay too- I cannot remember but I think it is from their series of dolls in colonial, pilgrim, and pioneer dress. This was pioneer 2 shopkeeper, I think. I have another dress like this without the apron for teenage Mary Ingalls. I made the brown leather books, the one Nellie is holding and the ones on Laura's desk. 
Nellie is Joyful in Japan Poppy Parker from the W club. I knew, I knew as soon as I saw the photos that this was the one doll I HAD to have for my Nellie. The arrogant and lofty side glance, the bun, fit the picture perfectly. Joyful in Japan makes an elegant version of Nellie Olsen and I am pleased with how this preview of the scene is shaping up. 
I just finished her dress this week. I had to redo some Gildebrief patterns to get the jacket just right. I may try again since my version does not have the hanging Boleyn sleeves with the ruffles of organdy like hers and what Laura describes. I took some artistic liberties with her dress. I am thinking the cream skirt does not entirely do this outfit justice so I may see if I have enough fabric to do her skirt with the polonaise like Laura describes to match the jacket. Here are some closeups of Nellie, being extremely ladylike...

I had the fabric for the skirt on hand, but the lovely fabric for her jacket was from Hancock fabrics in one of those quilt squares. I knew when looking at the design of a paisley type it would be somewhat historically accurate to the patterns back then. Nellie's clothes supposedly came out of a church barrel so they were 

nice dresses, and were made from cast off's since her family was now poor and lived on the edges of town.

The tiny lace was in my 'stash' and was perfect to create the ruffles at her neck wrists and throat. 
In a book on Laura's life- and questions she herself answered, Nellie Olsen was a composite of three girls that Laura knew, made into one character, evidently who all had the same unkind qualities. It has always fascinated me what made Laura round it down to one girl, unless it made keeping track of dialogue and the storyline easier. 

I hope you enjoy this re-visiting of Little Town on the Prairie and the Little House series. ~Lisa

Baking Bread in the Little House kitchen...

Once again I have been baking, or rather, baking for Ma Ingalls. It bothered me there was no goodies or food since Laura talks of baking bread, fishing, many activities which centered around food. So I finished some loaves and biscuits. Who didn't eat biscuits? Being from the South, I remember my grandmother telling me about going to school and taking large homemade biscuits with ham on them, and that was their lunch--however the town kids made fun of her and her sisters because the bread wasn't sliced loaf bread purchased for a nickel at the store! It shows how times have changed. 

There is more bread up in my Etsy store but it's going fast. I never thought in a million years I would create something for a project and then have other collectors admire it and buy it! It is fun. Still planning my boulangerie with sketches and specific dimensions with hubby. I am thinking of making a mockup of foamcore board with the components to get a feel for the dimensions before I start with wood. 

I hope to have the breads I finished last night up in the store by tomorrow or Tuesday!

~Lisa

The Dugout Project progress so far...

As many of you may remember, I started work last month on a large project- replicating the pictures from the Little House books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder, starting with On the Banks of Plum Creek. I decided to do the ambitious project of actually building the dugout and staging the dolls believing it would be more realistic, and I was right! Today I had a day uninterrupted (no small feat for me with two businesses, phone ringing  and email that has to be answered.) It was a beautiful day and I made alot of progress!

The exterior of the dugout is done, but not the interior , not yet anyway. I still have to do some more research as Laura was not very specific about how large the dugout was or how much furniture they had, if any. But the exterior is looking very good, if I do say so myself. ENjoy the pics!

Town Party Little House scene...

 

 

 

So today I did a little rough drafting as I call it, to figure out how to replicate the scenes in the Little House books with the dolls & props. This scene is one I have always wanted to replicate, but much better than this rough sketch above.

I think in the real long term, what I would like to do is have a picture from the book on the left, and a picture of the diorama, using the dolls & props to replicate the picture in the book, on the right. Today I just propped the book On the Banks of Plum Creek behind the dolls. I'm just missing a doll to be Willie Olsen with the jumping jack. I think putting elastic clear hairbands around the doll to hold it onto Nellie and make it look like she is holding it away from Laura would work. I havent played very much in the past few days with my Little House doll family, and I miss them, something about these dolls gives me a warm fuzzy feeling- they are fast becoming my favorites.

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New family- The Ingalls family!

 

The Ingalls family is almost complete- Pa Ingalls finally arrived. I was really pleased with him. He arrived yesterday, but I had so much to do that I didn't have time for pics until today.

 

Pa Ingalls was won off of Ebay. I finally decided ona 1999 Harley Ken and found this one, with a Rhett Butler doll 'Gentleman' suit on, and couldn't resist. He came like this, but also with the dress shoes, socks and frock coat and white hat that matches this outfit. I decided to leave Pa in it, as this could be his summer Sunday outfit. His fiddle and bow are from the Barbie I can be...fashion pack.

There is a Johnny West buckboard wagon that hopefully will be arriving soon that also has an outfit or two with it. I will be getting more western clothing for Pa soon, but thought you would enjoy the pics. I already have created a Little House on the Prairie cast of Characters album on my Flicker, so be sure to check it out.

Here is Pa playing the fiddle for the family - imagine this is the house in the book from 'On the Banks of Plum Creek'.

 

I only have toddler Grace to create, as well as young Carrie who was small but walking from On the Banks of Plum Creek- she is on the way- Victorian Kelly from Ebay. So more updated pictures later when she arrives!
~Lisa