I have been working on two very special dolls for a while. They’ve been coming along slowly, a little stitching here, a little stuffing there. I have everything I need to finish them, but I so very much want them to be just perfect and I know that my hands do not work perfection, so the going has been slow. But the other day I committed to finishing these dolls by the end of the week. Yes, I did. I said it out loud, so it is, therefore, a commitment. (Even more so because my husband heard my out loud words and agreed that it was time for me to finish them up.)
Hair was stitched in place on one, using my way of folding and turning and holding fabric this way and that until it seems to be right and then stitching it into place. And when it was all finished I saw, to my surprise, two little braids that just happened to be, held in place with a sweet little bow.
Knowing that these two dolls were going to the same home, and not wanting any jealousy between these dolly sisters, I thought that the second doll (who thinks she is first, because she is older by a just a bit), should have braids also, but this time I tried too hard with my brain. When my brain works on fabric, it seems to be much harder than when I just let my hands do their own work. So this doll was a bit harder to make quite right. I finished and was nearly happy with it.
(Nearly happy is much different from Mostly Dead. Though as we fans of The Princess Bride know, mostly dead is not all dead and is, of course, still slightly alive. So it can still be fixed with a magic pill coated with chocolate.)
Ahem. Where was I? Oh yes, I was nearly happy. So I sat back and, taking a lesson from The Princess Bride, ate a bit of chocolate. Because if a chocolate coated magic pill can cure the mostly dead, can you imagine what it can do for the nearly happy? And so, after my working pause, bit of chocolate and reassessment of the situation (and washing my hands), I returned to the doll with the blue hair and saw things a little differently, and I am now Mostly happy. Which is a vast improvement.
Oh yes! The dresses! Well, I had determined to sew these dresses yesterday. I ironed the fabric, laid out my pattern and cut out the pieces. And then it was time for supper preparations so I put everything aside for the evening. Well, imagine my surprise this morning to find these two sweet little dresses, all stitched up and ready for wearing. Why, I have often thought there were little elves living among our woods, and it does appear that some of them enjoy sewing as much as I do. So the pieces I cut out yesterday were stitched together overnight, and the hand stitching is so very perfect, let me tell you. I am much pleased with my secret little helpers. And the dolls are much pleased with their dresses (as they had grown weary of sitting naked on the sewing table).
My elf friends did leave me a little note (and not just a few bits and bobs of fabric and thread scraps to clean up). The little note says, Please clean your sewing machine. Very dusty.
Well, it appears I have been given my chore for the day. Good day, friends! I hope happy elves visit and help you finish your work.
Joining Nicole this week. Visit her for lots of crafty inspiration.