The Start of Witch Season

 

I have just started witch season in earnest and I am showing a little girl from last year as all my dolls this week have been commissions I cannot share.

Look out for new witches and fairy godmothers over the next few weeks.

I am getting ready for the Mysterious Earth Conference next weekend in St Anne's, a new event for me but one I am really looking forward to.

If you wanted to come along to the YMCA in St Anne's I will be there but it is ticketed and needs to be pre booked. Lots of fascinating talks planned.

It was really interesting to look back at these photographs, work in progress is always fascinating. Even my own! Having rested my hand and continued with my physio exercised I am finding I can make two or three of these painted faces a week. I must not however over do it and end up with the shakes.

Poor thing looks so forlorn completely bald!

All the dolls arrive in organza bags because an acquaintance opened a wedding event business two weeks before lockdown and then sadly folded. She had bought literally thousands of organza bags in anticipation of a long career and then kindly gave them all to me!

I will use them until I run out rather than have them go into landfill. Also, I do think they keep the dolls fresh and nicely packaged when they arrive.

Summer House Mouse

 

Clementine is a little harvest mouse in a pretty Liberty print dress waiting for autumn to arrive. I can feel it in the air first thing in the morning and the garden is starting to change subtly. We back onto woodland and I am just starting to sweep up some leaves and the horse chestnuts have turned.

I enjoy all the seasons but I am always ready for the change when it comes.

Mandarin is a little gentleman mouse with turquoise to his heart and lavender in his stuffing. Dressed smartly in peacock blue with a zing of orange. I just love this combination for late summer, the range is from The Summer House by Liberty and I am adoring the orange and peacock blue together.

I went for a peacock blue shot cotton shirt for a change from white linen as it enhanced the rich colour palette sweetly.

This little trio was inspired by The Summer House fabric collection by Liberty. I particularly like the Conservatory Fruit print with the oranges on peacock blue. The little girl to the back is in Kew Trellis, which reminds me of Knot Gardens from Elizabethan England.

The rich colours are so reminiscent of my garden at the moment. Late summer dahlias in rich tones are dominating and I just love them.

A Quartet of Meadow Mice

 

Meadow is part of a small series based around the idea of the late summer meadow. We are so lucky in the village, our Parish Council plough the verges and sow wild flowers which are a riot of colour at the moment. Rusts, reds and corals all buzzing with insects.

Using upcycled linen her skirt is embroidered with a wild flower border and teamed with Wild Flower Vintage by Liberty Riviera Collection.

She has a piece of carnelian to her heart with a generous amount of my dried camomile for a subtle fragrance. In keeping with the tone of the Liberty fabrics all their tulle underskirts and bloomers are cream not white. I just loved making her and working all the embroidery.

These little meadow mice have pinafores for a change. Over the upcycled linen I have made each a Liberty pinafore from the Riviera Collection. So sweet to wear and a horror to turn when stitching! The pattern pieces are so small you have to wrestle with the bodice to make it turn. Thank goodness for haemostats.

That said I really like the combination of the little plain dress with the patterned pinafore. Welcome to Lea and Maedwe.

Little Mead makes up the trio of this set in his plus fours and silk cravat.

I love the burnt orange of Mead's silk scarf, such a lovely colour. Teamed with a Liberty print waistcoat and tweedy cotton plus fours he is a smart late summer gentleman. With carnelian to his heart and camomile in his stuffing he reflects the late summer blooms all around us. Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts xx

A Trio of Berry Mice

 

A little trio of Summer Berry Harvest Mice. All our brambles and damsons are ripening, with rose hips on the rugosa and berries on the rowan. I liked the idea of using a related collection of fabrics, the ones chosen are Liberty Botanical Jewel collection. I like that each is related but different and little Cassis is looking left for contrast.

Each mouse has a unique outfit but the colourways are related and I kind of like that. Each mouse has rose petals to their stuffing and a tiny garnet at their heart, like a drop of berry juice.

I love the raspberry leather for their shoes, just great to use and a gorgeous colour. I like also that Blackcurrant has a much larger patterned dress under her cape and that I used bright red for the little boy's scarf not purple which would have been too tonal.

Damson mouse has a lovely print dress called Mamie Flower from the Botanical Jewel Collection by Liberty. Teamed with plum cotton from the Tilda Chambray range and with raspberry leather shoes.

My next little collection will be colours in that late summer moment when harvest time arrives and we start to slide into early autumn.

Berries are ripening, hips and haws are starting to dominate over the flowers and my garden, at least, is starting to look tired after the vibrancy of high summer. It seems to happen earlier now, my baskets and bedding are starting to flag and my late summer perennials are coming into their own. On that thoughtful note, have a lovely weekend and my warmest wishes xx