Tome

With all of the excitement of a new baby, I hadn't blogged our adventures to FOAW for the monthly tome.



This months tome is a fairy house and woods for the fairy to cavort in. Kristin's fairy is pictured here with shots of the open and closed door. I really like the little troll as an alternative if you don't like fairies (which I do).

















































Jan thought about putting a bridge on her tree page (the better to capture the fairies...). I like her rendition of the tree house for her troll too.

Tuesday at FOAW

Tuesday was our monthly trip to Atlanta and Fiber on a Whim. This months project is needlelace and embroidery. Jan has a detailed drawing on her fabric to embroider.




























Kristen did a lot of the loose stitches (which look like crochet to me) and topped it off with the coolest butterfly.







































Jan demonstrates the needlelace on wash-a-way stabilizer. She also showed us how to add wire and sew over it (without breaking a needle). Her leaf page is gorgeous!!










































































The happiness page is one that one of the girls has done and I didn't have a picture of. It uses foil, angelina fiber and charms.

Fiber on a Whim - July

Well we were all bad and didn't finish (or in some cases start) last months tome. You know that I couldn't (and still can't) get into the fat lady. Also as an excuse I've still been working in the yard most afternoons.

We headed out on Tuesday to Fiber on a Whim, BettyAnn, Rachael and myself. Judy and her mom; Ille, Margaret, Margaret & Sue met us there.

This month we get to work with velvet: painting, dying and stamping and foiling it which should be quite entertaining. I'm up for the challenge!! Karla's creations (which she said she hasn't finished beading as of yet). I love the shoes and hands she chose for this months dolly!!






























I love the stamp Kristen chose for her page and her doll is too cute!! I forgot to get a picture of the back of her which she beaded heavily too.













































Jan's tree and the various techniques she used for the foiling was really cool and her doll was painted a wonderful lime green with leaves for hands. Too cute girls!!

Fiber on a Whim - June

June 6th we headed west for our monthly Stargazer Tome class at Fiber on a Whim in Atlanta. This months class is the beaded naked fat lady. I'm having trouble getting into her so I'm looking for an alternative design.




















The peyote beaded stitch was fun and Carla shows us how to manage it. These are some of the samples the girls at FOAW have made.




















Jan shows us how the beading is to be attached to the lady.














The flip side of the lady is a picture framed with beads.



















I'm not sure which one did the beaded butterfly but isn't it wonderfull?



















The beaded bags were done by Carla...I didn't get pics of all of them but the ones I did were amazing, huh?




















Sue, Judy and Ille look over the project samples.














Ille's little doll...isn't she a cutie?




















BettyAnn, Rachael & Carla.














Closeup of the beading that mimicks the fabric design.















Ille and Jan who was showing us how to bead the ladies.














Kristin manning the cash register.










I've really enjoyed the classes at FOAW. I don't know what we will do when the year is over. The girls there are so talented and helpful and lots of fun too! Each one has their own specialty and their tomes have turned out as individually creative and diversified as the ones our little group of friends have done.

The 1st Stargazer Doll

Here's my dolly. She has pipe cleaners to make her movable and plenty of stuffing. Amazingly Patti Medaris Culea has drawn these girls fairly realistically...at least big hips run in my family....lol












Her back with the stuffing seam...she had to be sewn up in the arms since she experienced blowouts in both pits.







She has spent most of her time as 'nakey doll' since I didn't know what on earth I was going to do with her. She is supposed to be clothed in windows and up until a week or two ago I had no idea how to do that.


















Yesterday I got in the window making groove and decided it was time to get her some clothing. As you well know I also adore beads and baubles and I had to completely gussy her up. She still has no face but at least she's not nakey anymore although the Rugrats seem to think nakey is good.

Windows for the Tome

Okay, the question of the day is this: If it only takes a mere few moments to take a picture, why does it take forever to download, formulate text and blog said pictures??? My pictures were printed on the Printed Treasures and I worked on windows for them yesterday...unfortunately I had already cut down most of them when I figured out if I sewed the pics down onto material I didn't have to cut away as much of the frame...bummer, if only I would have gotten in gear sooner.



And a moment of incredible honesty: BettyAnn made the purple window framing Charlotte (keep in mind I am the one who gutted it) and Rachael (who had to teach me how to do the stupid things in the first place) made the green one framing Spunky. I must add that I no longer think they are stupid since I now know how to do them.




The tiny ones are a real pain in the pratt to do but I had fun with them in spite of it.













Now to figure out what color background...subdued color so as not to compete with the pictures and frames and I still have a doll pocket to do...

Remember the famous feet?



















Tome group at Fiber on a Whim.














Rachael & Carolyn.