I'm such a bad, bad, bad blogger.

But, here I am again!

Let's see... stuff I've been working on... Oh! For the upcoming big "Down by the Sea" stocking at OTM I am working on another set with a Marisol top, matching capris and a diaper. The fabric that the set is revolving around is a Laura Ashley print with mermaids on it. The mermaids are huge and not generally well suited for making clothing for small children, but I'm rockin' it anyway. The diaper is going to just have one of the mermaids centered squarely on the bum. I'm thinking I might also make a tote bag for the little one to carry her toys and snacks in while she goes on playdates or to Grandma's house. Just a little simple open-top bag wouldn't take much time at all in front of the machine.

Anyway, the crowning piece in the set, and the one thing that I think is going to sell this set for me, is the coordinating doll that I'm making to go with it. I'm making a mermaid, similar to the Waldorf tradition but not Waldorf. Her skin is cotton knit and her tail is cotton velour, but she is stuffed with Bamboo rather than wool, and her hair is a synthetic blend - so she's hypoallergenic. Granted, she does not have the flame retardant properties of wool, but I guess that's the trade off for having a doll that won't cause allergy problems and can be thrown into the washing machine when she gets dirty.

I'm not making her to look exactly like the mermaids on the fabric print for copyright reasons, but she does coordinate. Her tail is the same color as the fabric background, and her hair repeats a lot of the colors in the print. She's so cute that I don't know if I want to give her up, LOL! I'm debating about making her a necklace and/or bracelet with some teeny sea shell beads that I have, but she's being sold with a size 2/3 top - which means she needs to be safe for a 2 or 3 year old to play with. I'm thinking that means no shells or beads. Ah, well.