Silly Girls and Secrets

Time for a change I think - a new template for my bloggywog. I've read lots of articles and forum posts recently and the general concensus is that 'less is more'. All the best blogs are based on very simple templates without loads of colour and funky fonts to emphasise the craft work. Well who am I to argue? I must agree it does look better. I like the way with Minima (this template) the photos are framed and the info bar (or whatever it's called) is on the left for a change. What does anybody else think?

So was it just me or did anyone else forget all about the clocks altering? Despite the stuff all over Google and the forum about Earth Hour I forgot that too!! I am useless. Evie has her first sleepover last night and I had to pick her up at 10.30 this morning. The church bells woke me up at 8.45 and I couldn't work out why. The bells ALWAYS ring at around 1/4 to 10 for the 10 o'clock service??? Aaarrgghh! The hour!!! It really was 1/4 to 10. All I can say is thank Heaven for the church bells.

Well I've been a busy bunny since I got back from Devon. And here are some of the fruits of my labours. The bag is the one I've been working on for my littlest niece for Easter (?!). I quite like it now it's finished but felt it could have done with something more so...





...I got out my dolly patterns. This one is 'Silly Girl' - a free pattern from the fab blog of Missy Ballance which I have had kicking around for ages and have never got around to using. Reading up on others who've used it , it seemed to be a real quickie so I thought I'd give it a go. And while I was making one I may as well make FIVE!!!

The one in the middle is called Pinky Rose. She was meant to be an Easter bunny (to go with Mathilda's bag) but I just wasn't sure... then Evie spotted her and wanted her so that was a done deal! She is wearing a red gingham apron over her stripey dress as we went to make cakes after the dolls were all dressed and Pinky had to join in.

The other two pale pinkish ones are prezzies for my friend's daughters later in the month and they have bags (which I'm just finishing) to match.

The two darker ones Evie has christened The Coffee Girls. Now can you guess why???? She says they stink and doesn't like 'em; which is great cuz I want to keep 'em for myself. My OH was laughing at me last night playing with my dolls. He was miffed really cuz he wanted me to take up a pair of his work trousers and I didn't want to do it. He can't understand why I don't relish mending and repairs when I like stitching. Can someone please explain it to him?

There is a Flickr group showcasing work from the Silly Girl and Missy's other free pattern (although it's a while since anyone submitted anything to it)and I will add all my pictures to it shortly. I'm quite proud of them and they were really quite quick to make. I started these yesterday afternoon and - with MANY interuptions - they were all done by lunchtime today.

So - the "secrets" bit - well OH's comment about dolls got me thinking. He's probably quite right but pleeease don't tell him. I do wonder at times if maybe making dolls is akin to playing with them? And my real guilty secret is that I still buy dolls for myself too. Quirky little handmade craft dolls, rag dolls like Holly Hobbie, and Barbies from my childhood.

I long for a Mary Quant Daisy doll like I used to have as a girlie. As a collection you understand, but I do love brushing their hair and changing their clothes... **gulp** Does that make me a bit weird? Or am I just fighting the growing old thing? It's trendy to collect 'softies' or 'plushies' or whatever you want to call 'em so why can't I set a new trend and be into 'dollies'? You heard it here first. :0)