My Studio

I have this amazing space for my studio. I think it is about the size of our 2-car garage. It isn't a refurbished garage but originally a 'rumpus room' in this early-1970s house.

Rumpus? As in noisy, uproar, din? Not any more. Now there are the quiet sounds of thinking, creating, dreaming. There are the sounds of shears cutting through fabric, needles being threaded, the gentle laughter of fairies and whispers of dolls.

Sewing machine cluster

Plenty of light

Photography studio-within-a-studio

Tent photography

Backdrop photography

Center island for storage and work space

Fitting a prototype

The only rumpus comes from a sudden burst of steam from the iron. Or the roar of the serger, when I am working briskly.

Bleuette's New Coat

Bleuette wants you to see her ensemble for the gala.

Note how stylish she looks in Dollfancier's interpretation of the evening gown in Bluette Clothing Patterns by Louise Hedrick and Barbara Craig Hilliker (pp 136-140).

Beaded felt evening slippers, bottom right, complete her look.

While reasure hunting at Bell'Occio, San Francisco, I discovered the perfect ribbon for her sash even before I knew I would make this ensemble. Trust your instincts when faced with the possibility of adding something, be it fabric, ribbon, or buttons...

Embroidery and hard-to-find 2mm sequins embelish the both the tunic and skirt.

The lining of the satin tunic is Muga Silk! Laura Anderson Barbata, extraordinario artista, donated the remnant of this fabulous fabric from her work with the Brooklyn Moko Jumbies.

Muga silk is popularly known for its natural shimmering golden color and its sumptuous royal, heavenly and sensual look. It is the second costliest fabric, after Pashmina silk, in the world.

Only the best for Dollfancier.

Sewing for dolls

People ask me how I got started sewing for dolls.

 My first replica - McGuffey Ana's dress

If the question is why dolls NOW? then the answer is something my mother said in 2006. She was describing the doll dresses her mother made for her when she was a little girl. Dresses with smocking, embroidery, and wee little pockets. Something Nana did that I can look to today for inspiration.

 A fantasy dress for Bitty Brynne

If the question is how long have you known how to sew? then the answer is that I learned to sew when I was a little girl. We learned by making doll dresses. Momma would guide us through the myriad instructions for projects with needle and thread, explaining and demonstrating so that we completed tiny garments with a sense of pride and accomplishment. And both grandmothers supported our learning. 

This coat doesn't fit Bluette - must make her a new one!

Both of my grandmothers watch me and guide me. I remember things they said or did. I remember how their houses looked and the way they included me when they were cooking or sewing. I remember them reading and talking to me. 

A tradition of mothers and grandmothers teaching their daughters and granddaughters to cook and to sew. The cooking didn't 'take' with me but the sewing did. And I return to it now with unquenchable passion. To express oneself with fabric and needle and thread.

What a gift.