The Magic of Fall

Hello friends! I am so thrilled that Fall is almost here! It is, for our family, the most favorite time of year...a time when the seasons change (yes, even here in California...even here, the leaves change colors and the air gets ever more blustery and there are pumpkins and falling leaves and acorns and the smell of spice all around). At our house, it is also a time to celebrate many things...birthdays, family visits, ethnic traditions, holidays. It is indeed the most hectic and fun time of year for us.

Now that Summer is coming to a close and Fall is rolling near, Scarlet Elfcup's workshop will once again come to life. Even with the passing weeks, one by one critters and dolls have begun to make a lot of noise, tugging and calling for attention, asking and begging to be brought to life. All summer long they have been sitting idle, quietly and patiently waiting in their heaps of fibers, doll skins, fabrics. Now, it's their time for play!

In a couple more weeks, some Fall critters will be showing their faces and one or two 6" Wee-Bee Mini Elfcups will be here for a special Ethnic celebration. So, stay tuned!

Summer's Going, Fall's Coming

The end of Summer, for me, was marked with a mountain to climb. Things have been quiet around here as I've abandoned shop for a few days to summit the contiguous United States' highest peak, Mt. Whitney. Climbing and being in the mountain is an essential part of finding balance in my life, doing THE thing that makes me happiest and being in the place where I am most in my element. 

If you're just the least bit adventurous or have a love for the outdoors, feel free to enjoy the photographic journey up Mt. Whitney. And after that, I hope you find the inspiration to go seek the thing that makes YOU happiest and do it.

As for the things to come....Fall is nearly here....just a blink of an eye, really. And I'm so excited to share with you some news.

The first very exciting bit of news is that Scarlet Elfcup is joining the collective group, Dollectable, and will be participating in Dollectable's monthly upload of handmade dolls and critters. Truly and honestly, I don't know how I landed myself amongst this amazingly talented group of makers. To say that I am humbled and grateful to no end to have the opportunity to produce work alongside these ladies is an understatement. If you are not familiar with Dollectable or it's members, please hop on over to the group's Facebook page and check out the makers and their incredible handmade dolls and critters. Dollectable's next upload to it's Hyena Cart shop will happen on October 1, 2015 and Scarlet Elfcup is excited to be participating in that upload. So, stay posted for more updates and information in the coming weeks.

Fall is near, which means it's time to bring out the sweaters.

If you were here last year about this time, you might remember the Fall Owls and Kitties. These ultra-soft and pudgey critters were inspired by the making of Scarlet Elfcup's The Owl and the Pussycat playset.

This year, I'm excited to bring these little fellows back along with a few new friends. 

There we have it...the bit of catching up I had to do. For tonight, have peace and rest well. I'll be back for more news very soon in the coming days.

Pica

ALAS!....Sappho sparganurus.

 I am 30 hours of handmade love.

Wood and fiber fill my heart and soul.

Nearly 1500 embroidery stitches cloak my being, head to tail, wingtip to wingtip. 

Nature's beauty and magic is what I portray.

Pica is my name.

He has come to life and he is called Pica (short for picaflora cometa, the Spanish word for Red-tailed comet). The Red-tailed comet is one of nearly 300 species of hummingbirds left in existence. The males are known for their spectacularly long, iridescent, golden-reddish tails. They can be found mostly in South America and thrive in the woodland environment as well as around human habitation.

Pica is a custom creation inspired by Scout, Scarlet Elfcup's first hummingbird creation. 

Pica's body is made from mud silk. Mud silk is created through an incredibly fascinating process and dates back hundreds of years. It is also a very eco-friendly and sustainable process. This article, "Dye for Two Tones: The Story of Sustainable Mud-coated Silk," provides a very good take on the history of mud silking and talks about it's sustainability and eco-friendliness. If you want to see beautiful photos of the process, this site has a small article and lots of pictures. I chose mud silk for it's tight knit and firmness but yet still thin and pliable qualities. I wanted to embroider the fabric without layering backing into the fabric, which would add too much bulk for such a tiny creation. So, mud silk was the best quality for embroidering tiny stitches on a tiny object. Pica is stuffed firmly with 100% carded wool.

On top of the mud silk, Pica's body is decorated with nearly 1000 stitches of embroidery thread. I wanted to mimic the true patterns on a hummingbird. Their feathers are patterned in neat rows of scallop shapes and each strand is painted with an iridescent glow that is ever changing and magnificently brilliant. So, in order to mimic as closely as possible (by human hands anyway) the pattern and colors, I used embroidery thread to produce the smallest stitches that my clumsy hands can muster up. Between nearly 25 different shades and colors of thread, I embroidered each scallop stitch for stitch and changed the color tones as I moved along, in order to give the illusion of iridescence. Unlike Scout's body, Pica's body has several different colors infused...red, green, and a dash of violet. In addition, Pica's body contains feathered details on the underside made with light/neutral toned embroidery thread.

I contemplated for a long time how to change up the wing design on Pica and make it different from that of Scout's wings. Scout's wings were made of a 100% iridescent silk. This time, I wanted to have a little bit more fun and get a little bit more creative. So, I played with several different ideas....all of which did not look quite right on Pica....until I finally decided on the one design that would take the most amount of time and detail....embroidered wings (a brilliant idea offered up by my better half, my husband). Pica's wings are hand embroidered with over 500 stitches that cover both wings, top and bottom.

Pica's tail is made from a 100% iridescent silk lined with two different sheer fabrics made of viscose rayon, machine and hand stitched and then carefully hand frayed.

Pica's beak is made from wood, colored with permanent black pen and attached with a tiny dab of industrial strength glue. Despite the industrial strength glue, his beak is still rather delicate because of it's miniscule scale and should be handled with the most gentle hands. In other words, Pica is not a toy and should not be handled by children. Rather, Pica will be happiest strung from a place where he is free to fly and buzz about in the air.

Pica measures approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long from beak to tail. And he stands about a half inch (1.2 cm) tall.

Pica can be hung as an ornament inside the home or on a Christmas tree.

A Red-tailed Comet

Currently in the making is the amazing Red-tailed Comet, yet another of over 300 species of hummingbirds. This little buddy is inspired by his recent friend, Mr. Scout of the Piper and Scout creation. 

Do you ever marvel at the infinite array of colors that are created by nature, particularly, the amazing vividness of those found in hummingbirds? It is incredible and awe-inspiring. For this particular little fellow, there will be a total of over 25 different colored embroidery threads infused into his body, stitch-by-stitch, approximately 1000 of them...all squeezed into an approximate one-square inch of bird.

And for his spectacularly long and elegant tail...the colors below.

As for his wings....the imagination spans!! More to come soon!

Sisters Coraline and Amelie

A sister is someone who loves you from the heart,
No matter how much you argue you cannot be drawn apart.
She is a joy that cannot be taken away,
Once she enters your life, she is there to stay.

- Shiv Sharma, The Importance of a Sister 

They share EVERYTHING...their toys, their clothes, their deepest fears, their sad days, their happy days, their secrets...that's what sisters do. In their room, Coraline and Amelie have a box where they keep all their belongings. It's a community box of sorts, filled with clothes and toys.
 

There are pretty dresses to be exchanged, hats, head gear, tops, bottoms and shoes to mix and match and share.

There are even favorites to be exchanged...their dolls, named Bebe and Bibi. They love to play dolly and they don't mind when one or the other changes hands. They like to dress their dolls up, even if the clothes are much too large for the dollies. It makes them feel like they are mamas and they like to pretend that they are.

Coraline and Amelie are the best that sisters can be...always there for each other, always there with each other. Lucky are those who grow up with a sister.

Coraline and Amelie are sister creations, inspired by real life sisters, the granddaughters of a sweet grandmother. Creating Coraline and Amelie gave me so much time to remember and think of my own sisters. Both sisters live equidistantly from me, each on the extreme ends of the states...one on the East coast and one on the Hawaiian islands. So, I suppose that I should feel blessed to be in between, where I can visit either without traveling more than 3000 miles. But, yet, I wished we all live closer than we do.

Coraline and Amelie are Wee-Bee Mini Elfcup dolls. They both stand less than 6" (15 cm) tall. They are made with all natural materials. Their doll skins are made with premium quality cotton jersey made in the USA. They are firmly stuffed with bio-wool also made in the USA.  Their seams are sewn twice for reinforcement.  They have embroidered facial features. Their facial structures are sculpted giving each sister distinctive characteristics. Their cheeks, nose and various body parts are blushed with red beeswax.  Their hair is 100% suri alpaca, wefted and then sewn into a crocheted wig. They are sitting dolls with sewn joints made flexible for changing of clothes.  They also have belly buttons and bums.

Both Coraline and Amelie come with two sets of outfits and a rag doll.

Coraline comes wearing a 100% cotton navy corduroy dress detailed with sprinkles of Liberty of London 100% cotton floral printed fabric. Her dress is faced at the neckline, hemmed, and ruffled on the capped sleeve with Liberty of London. A small pocket embellishes the front of the dress and is detailed with a dash of Liberty. Underneath, she wears white 100% cotton undies. Her head band is made of 100% cotton ribbon, decorated with a hand knitted bow made from 100% alpaca yarn, and fastened on the back by a nickel-plated snap button. Her moss-colored Mary Janes are hand knit with a 100% fine alpaca yarn.

She comes along with an extra change of clothes...a hat, knitted top and skirt. The hat is hand knit with 100% fine alpaca yarn. The top is hand knit with an eyelet pattern and is made of 100% fine alpaca yarn. Her skirt is made from 100% cotton, fastened at the back with a nickel-plated button. And her navy blue Mary Janes are hand knit from a 100% fine alpaca yarn.

Coraline's rag doll, Bebe, is a itty-bitty doll who stands at a whopping 2 inches (5 cm) tall. She and Amelie's doll, Bibi, are the smallest dolls ever made by Scarlet Elfcup. Bebe is made of 100% cotton muslin and stuffed with 100% clean carded wool made in the USA. Her face is embroidered with 100% cotton floss and her cheeks rosed with red bees wax. Her dress is made of Liberty of London 100% cotton fabric. Her hair is made from 100% cashmere, sewn directly to her head.

Amelie comes wearing a 100% cotton scarlet dress detailed with a sweet lace pattern. The dress opens fully on the back with two nickel-plated snap buttons. Over the dress, is a hand knit cardigan made from 100% fine alpaca yarn and embellished with three tiny functional buttons. Underneath her dress, she wears white 100% cotton undies. Her head band is made of 100% cotton ribbon, decorated with a hand knitted flower made from 100% alpaca yarn, and fastened on the back by a nickel-plated snap button. Her scarlet Mary Janes are hand knit with a 100% fine alpaca yarn.

Amelie also comes along with an extra change of clothes...a beret, knitted top and summer shorts. The beret is hand knit with 100% fine alpaca yarn and embellished with a knitted tie fed through eyelets. The top is made of 100% cotton linen and decorated at the sleeve with 100% cotton lace. Her cute polka-dotted shorts are made from 100% cotton knit. And her blue Mary Janes are hand knit from a 100% fine alpaca yarn.

Amelie's rag doll, Bibi, is a itty-bitty doll who stands at a whopping 2 inches (5 cm) tall. Bibi is made of 100% cotton muslin and stuffed with 100% clean carded wool made in the USA. Her face is embroidered with 100% cotton floss and her cheeks rosed with red bees wax. Her dress is made of 100% cotton fabric. Her hair is made from mohair yarn, sewn directly to her head and capped with a night hood made of 100% cashmere.

Coraline and Amelie...sister dolls made for a dear grandmother and her sweet granddaughters.

"Haraka Haraka Haina Baraka"

Tiny creations require lots of TIME...if not the same, then sometimes even more time than larger creations. Sewing small parts require fine dexterity of the fingers and a lot of finessing of the fabric. Itty bitty clothing for itty bitty dolls require maneuvering and navigating thin hemlines, skinny elastics and miniscule stitches and this takes bundles and bundles of PATIENCE. Knitted clothing gives flexibility to CREATIVITY. The thing that I enjoy most about making tiny things is the amount of detail involved....the more details, the more challenge there is for me, the more I enjoy the process. As such, things come together slowly and in it's own time. There is an old Kiswahili saying "Haraka Haraka Haina Baraka"....."Hurry hurry has no blessing." In the creative process and in almost everything else in life, I find this holds so true.

Sisters, Coraline and Amelie, are nearly done. In the coming week, they will be packing up their eensie-weensie clothes and heading home to a patiently waiting mama.

Look! A New Book!....Mathematics in Practicum

The girls have had their noses in THIS book all day...flipping forward, flipping backward, page for page, reading charts, learning new lingo and abbreviations...s1wyif, permutations, inversions, sequence....sound like a lot of mathematics? Imagine that...mathematics in practicum. Take the 1-row, serpentine, spiral and shaped 1-row methods and voila!....the end product?....rectangles, cylinders, triangles and parallelograms that form an infinite array of fabric textures and patterns.

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending Cecelia Campochiaro's Sequence Knitting class to learn techniques for creating an incredible array of fabrics. Cecelia Campochiaro is no newbie at knitting. Up until very recently, Cecelia worked full-time and knitted as a hobby in her spare moments. The result of those endless hours of passionate knitting....a published book....Sequence Knitting.

Sequence Knitting is an incredible compilation, created over the past 5 years, of Cecelia's knitted sequence patterns and contains the latest technique in knitting whereby a fabric can be created simply by knitting a sequence over and over. The book contains nearly 400 pages of beautifully photographed charts, patterns, projects and discussions about Cecelia's tried and true methods. This is a book for the passionate knitter at heart. If you are such a person and you're interested in purchasing the book, simply go to www.sequenceknitting.com. To find Cecelia, visit her on Ravelry, Facebook, or Instagram.

The girls are still deep in fiddling with the book. When they've finished perusing to their hearts' content, we will continue on with the rest of their clothing. Little one needs shoes and a hat. The hat she has on is borrowed and she insists on having her own. Big sis needs some shoes and undies. They're both also anxiously waiting on some toys for the road. They're giddy about meeting their mama and they can't stop talking about it, even in the midst of a fascinating new book.

A Comparison in Facial Structure

If you followed the last blog that was posted yesterday, July 15, you remember that the current work in progress is two sisters (whom I have a picture of, for inspiration). These are two beautiful grand-daughters to someone for whom I am making these custom cuties.

In the last blog, you recall that I was not satisfied with the facial structure of elder sister, the first version (shown below on the right). In the picture that I was given of the grand-daughters, older sister is a pretty little girl with beautifully defined and carved cheeks. If you saw the picture, you would guess her age to be about seven or eight years. I really wanted to convey her graceful and unique facial feature. But, try as I might, the result was what you see in the photo on the right below....a face that conveys maturity for sure....but, far beyond her years. The facial sculpting of elder sister version 1 reveals eyes that are much too droopy, cheek bones that are much too high and the hollowing of the cheeks that are much too puckered...giving the sense of a much older adult as opposed to an older child. So, as per usual, when trial #1 doesn't work, we move to trial #2, then trial #3, and so on until the desired look is achieved. And what you see in the photo shown on the left below is the final result....eyes are lifted and brightened, cheeks are defined and carved but still full and round giving a sense of childhood rather than adulthood. 

And there we have it...two sisters in the making.