Kelly Casanova Weaving Lessons

Search Results for: weaving

Thursday

by 1 Comment

This custom dolly is safely on her way to her new home, so hopefully the new owner won’t mind me posting these pics. I
made a little wool felt ted to go along with her.

This morning I made some fresh bread as the weather was cool. We then took sandwiches to the local gardens and had a picnic in
the shade of a weeping willow next to a pond. Besides the usual
struggle to keep the young’un in one place, it
was lovely. We also stopped in at the small secondhand book store

there and bought a few children’s books, which the older ones are now
poring over on the couch.

I’ve had a bad week but yesterday and today are feeling a little more
normal, the heat exacerbates the nausea so cooler days provide relief. I’m working on the Emmeline apron for my sister’s Christmas present (yeh, a little late, I know!) and its nearly finished. I’m sorely tempted to keep it for myself, but I’ll make another.

Knitted pouch doll

by 2 Comments

What a blurry photo! I just finished this little doll tonight, she is so cute! She is a pouch doll with a knitted body and hat. I used some beautiful organic Victorian wool for the knitting, it is so good to use. I’m giving her to 18 month old daughter (no hair, so she can’t pull it all out!)

Little Theresa

by 2 Comments

Here she is as promised. She is the first doll I’ve given a fringe (bangs if you’re not an Aussie) and it looks quite cute. I gave her freckles too. She is 9 inches tall and going to reside in my Etsy shop today.

The perfect pet?

by 1 Comment

We’ve had Polly a couple of months now and she is just wonderful! I never knew rats had so much personality (ratinality?) and are so easy to care for. She does not require special food, just what we eat or have in the pantry. She gets let out and played with every day, but if we miss a day its no drama, she’s still happy. She is very clever and cute and excellent for children (you have to watch the little ones who like to “squeeze”!)

Her enclosure is a simple plastic crate with a baking rack as a lid (my husband’s ingenuity). Her drink bottle hooks over the side and she drinks when thirsty. Her bedding is ripped up newspaper (we simply keep the free local papers and use them) which is changed roughly ever 3 days. Rats do not smell, they are very clean, but the bedding has to be changed often. If we go away we simply give her to someone else for a couple of days and she’s fine.
She is lovely, I highly recommend a rat if you want a low maintenance, cheap and rewarding pet.

What I’ve been up to

by Leave a Comment

I made this skirt in sewing class, it turned out beautifully. I splurged a little on the fabric ( considering I normally but from the bargain table) but it was worth it. Its very much my style.

I made this dress out of scraps in sewing class, but I’m not keen on the colours and it looks a bit like a nightie. DS was happy to put it on for the photo opportunity, but refuses to wear it now. No surprise there.

Hannah!

by Leave a Comment

Meet Hannah! She was a real labour of love and took the best part of a week to fully complete, but she turned out wonderfully. She is
made with the usual natural materials and the wool used to knit her hat and scarf were locally produced in Victoria. She is 18 inches tall. Definately my favourite so far! She is in the Etsy shop now.
SOLD – Thankyou!

Cloth doll making tips

by Leave a Comment

Here are a few tips that might help you out if you’re a beginner:

1. Do an internet search on the type of doll you’re interested in to get ideas and hints and an idea of materials you might need.

2. Use good quality materials if you can afford to. If you’re scared you might mess up the first one or two, try making them out of inexpensive calico or something similar first.

3. Use small machine stitches when sewing up the body, I set my stitch length to number 2.

4. I find it much easier to fold the fabric in half, draw the body design on, then sew and cut out last. This way you can control the pieces more readily and can get really fine seams when you cut it out.

5. Draw the outlines for the body on with a dark pencil so you can be precise when sewing.

6. For sewing tight curves I use the rule of stitch, stitch, turn. For larger curves the rule is stitch, stitch, stitch, turn. Leave the machine needle down in the fabric whilst turning, and make the turn gradual, not sharp.

7. Take your time to make your doll, rushing or stressing is not enjoyable.

8. If you find yoursef getting frustrated with any aspect of your doll, leave it for a while. You will have a fresh perspective when you come back to it.

Any questions? Well, I’m still learning more all the time, but ask anything you like and I’ll try to answer.