Visitors for the Quilt Shop

Here's a picture of the quilted skirt for the display table. It's hard to see, but the blocks that look white are really unbleached muslin made with the same pattern as the colorful blocks. I thought having all colorful blocks would draw too much attention to the skirt, so I alternated them. Now that they're quilted (I outlined the houses), they show up better -- like ghost houses. :) All four panels are finished, but I'm not going to staple them to the base until we set up for the show. I'll show you photos from the show. Here are the visitors to the show. The grandpa doll has already take off his lavender shrug (really!), and the grandma doll shed her dress in hopes of getting a new one. All of the ladies were treated to hair styling, and everybody's clothing changed a bit except for the boy, who for some reason missed this photo opportunity.

The young man looks much better with his oversized collar gone and his lavender trouses changed for houndstooth. The lady in the blue dress got a new belt. The lady in the red turtleneck lost her collar and got a new pair of slacks. The grandma doll didn't get a new dress, but she did get a much needed hair-do and an apron. She's going to be stationed in the kitchen, keeping an eye on the refreshments. Grandpa got a new shirt and a scarf. I think he is the gallery owner from the Big City that Janice mentioned in a comment. I hope he finds a lot of quilts for his gallery.

By the way, I did notice the stains on the little girl's shirt. Her red collar ran when I doused her hair with hairspray. I debated making a new shirt for her but then decided she's a tomboy who can never keep her clothes clean anyway, so why bother? She may have her back to the audience or be playing hide and go seek with the boy ... we'll see!

Along with the owner and quilter made by Havanaholly and the two resin people in the apartment, it makes a total of eleven people in the shop. I think the lady in blue will be shopping, the family and grandpa will be admiring quilts, and grandma will be in the kitchen, but they may have other ideas when it comes time to set up.

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Oh .. I forgot one other person. I didn't get her photo today, but there is a lady in the workroom, working at one of the sewing machines. Cindy Lou came from a vignette I made a few years ago in a Greenleaf Dollhouses competition. She got tired of riding the ski lift. Click on her name to see her. That makes an even dozen inhabitants.

Snowy Saturday

Yesterday seemed like a good day to hide from the snow and cold, so I set up a tray in front of the fireplace and wrapped embroidery floss around pony beads to make balls of crochet cotton while keeping one eye on a couple of old movies on TV. Perfect. It takes about 13" of floss, all six strands used together. Put some glue on one end to use as a "needle" and glue the other end inside the bead. Then wrap around evenly. I found a toothpick was useful to open the center hole if it got too small and to push the "needle" through if it hung up. Here are the fruits of about 8 hours of labor: 24 balls of crochet cotton. They are so darn cute! I'm really indebted to Barbara for sharing this project with me. Hmm ... photos tell all. I just see that I didn't leave a single strand of floss sticking up from the center, the starter thread in the ball. I'll clip some strands and glue them in to complete the look.

The mailman brought the doll order from HBS. All of them are going to need new clothes, and Grandma and Mother need new hairdos, too. I thought Grandma might be the proprietor, but she has such a vacant stare that I don't think she's up to it. I'm counting on Hyacinth, made by another Greenleaf Forum member, to pick up the slack. I think Mother may be her assistant. I have two other dolls, a dark-haired Mother who is currently dressed in walking shorts and boots and a male doll similar to the father in The Family pack, who can also join the crowd. That puts eight people in the shop, either shopping or looking at the quilt show. I do believe that's enough!