Lovely Green Basket

Knit Dress for Kelly doll

2012-01-08T21:15:00.002-05:00

Kelly dresses
Originally uploaded by juli_musica_poupées.

Free for y'all!

My friend Kathy requested a pattern for Kelly dolls. I happily obliged. Several months ago, I had knitted a couple of dresses for these little Ddung doll fakies (purchased from Dollarama )

I didn't write down a pattern at the time, but this time, I made sure to do so.

Design is based on a Bratz pattern, from http://www.stickatillbarbie.se/

This is quite a versatile dress. It looks cute knee-length on its own. Paired with trousers, it can be worn as a tunic. You can knit more rows to make a sweet maxi-dress.

Kelly doll empire-waist dress knit pattern

Materials:
-2.5mm knitting needles
-Sock-weight, or 4-ply yarn (fine, fingering yarn). I used Bernat sock yarn.
-tapestry needle
-small metal snaps
-sewing needle
-thread

Cast on 21 st
Row 1 - k1, p1 (rib stitch) to end
Row 2 - p1, k1 to end
Row 3 - k5, bind off 2 st, k7, bind off 2st, knit 4 - 17 st on needle
**note: when you are finished with this row, you should have 5 stitches, 2 bound off stitches, 7 stitches, 2 bound off stitches and another 5 stitches.** 17 stitches on row
Row 4 - p5, cast on 2, purl 7, cast on 2, purl 5 - 21 stitches on row
Row 5 - knit to end
Row 6 - purl to end
Row 7 - knit to end
Row 8 - knit to end
Row 9 - k2, increase 1 stitch into each stitch (kfb) across until you have 2 stitches remaining, k 2. You will now have 38 stitches
Row 10 - purl
Rows 11- 22 - alternate knit and purl rows
Row 23 - bind off in k1 p1 rib stitch

Leave a long tail of yarn - you will use this to sew the back seam of the dress using a tapestry needle - end and secure just beneath where the bodice starts (1cm or less).

Weave in the remaining yarn end (at top)

Sew one or two snaps at back of dress.

This pattern makes a dress that falls slightly below the knees of ddung fakie!

Annika in temporary new home

2007-12-28T13:26:00.001-05:00

Annika in temporary new home
Originally uploaded by juli_velo_poupee.

Yippie! Annika is coming along really well! I repainted her lips, sanded her, and trimmed her eyelashes. She's lovely!

I did it! I got my little Blythe Girl - Annika!!!

2007-01-10T17:04:00.001-05:00

Little beret
Originally uploaded by juli_velo_poupee.

After several months of contemplation (and selling a fair chunk of my neglected dolly stash on e-bay) I finally got myself a Blythe! And I love her so much!

She is the same ADG girl that I spoke of in an earlier post, and I made her the outfit she is wearing - it is so much fun to sew and crochet for her!!

I named her Annika, because I love Sweden and Scandinavian names, plus she looks like an Annika!!

:D

Fall winding down

2006-11-18T01:07:00.000-05:00

Well, fall is slowly coming to an end `round these parts. Lots of rain, and I must say, that this has been one of the most miserable falls that I can remember: very little sunshine, and grey, grey, grey.

Oh well. I don't venture out too much when the weather is so bad, so I've been working on several projects. The mod rag-doll that I've been working on is finally done. I'm quite happy with her, too. Will take pictures this weekend. Plus, my re-rooted biba-esque Sindy now has a groovy new hipster outfit, and I've posted some things on e-bay and Etsy. Things are slowly progressing, and I'm quite encouraged by it.

Otherwise, I've been doing a bit of reading. I've been absorbed by a biography about the life and work of Dora Carrington. It's an absolutely fascinating read: she was very passionate and I adore her artwork - so expressive, gorgeous, sad; breathtaking! Admittedly, I had only first heard of her when I saw the 1995 movie Carrington. While I did quite enjoy the film, it (understandably) either ignored or only vaguely alluded to key details of her life. Supplementing the film with my own reading has been very enlightening.

Musically, I've been on a heavy rotation of the following albums:

Ani Difranco - not a pretty girl
Bob Dylan - Desire
New York Dolls
Siouxie and the Banshees (singles collection)
Nick Drake (Way to Blue)
Devil Doll - Queen of Pain

Fair October

2006-10-19T20:56:00.000-05:00

"I promise that I will [post more frequently] after August 15th"

-Juliana Del Rio, August 3rd, 2006

Well, clearly I'm full of bunk.

Blah, blah, finishing contract... Blah, blah, planning my birthday party... Blah, blah, no time to take pictures. Whatever.

Anyhew, here I am again. So the rummage sale went fairly well - sold lots of stuff, but man did I ever under-charge!! I think I got rid of about a third of my craft stash, but took in only $36.00! Ha! Whatever... It's good to get rid of bulk.

And yes, folks, I did say birthday. October 13th 2006 was my 30th b-day... Although I can't say that 30 feels any different, inside I sure don't feel 30. I feel more like this:

(sketchbook doodle of me as a littl'un drawn with an ultra-fine Sharpie pen)

Anyway, haven't totally integrated this milestone... I'll have to ponder a bit more upon it.

On an unrelated note, I came across a semi-interesting site that provides content for blogs. I did a few of their personality tests, but the one that I found most interesting was one on fine art. This is how I scored:

You Are Surrealism

Dreamy and idealistic, you've created a world that is all your own.
It's very likely that you've either dabbled in drugs or are naturally trippy.
You are always trying to push beyond the boundaries of your culture and society.
You believe that art, love, and freedom can change the world.

What Art Movement Are You?

Grooviness.

I wish you all a pleasant evening.

Worship the autumn.

Spins & Needles Craft Meet and Rummage Sale

2006-09-14T18:11:00.000-05:00

Hello.

Things have been going pretty well. For the last couple of weeks, I've been doing a big cleanup - I've amassed so much stuff over the years, and tons of arts and craft supplies - mostly from my year-long stint working at an art store. I have lots of supplies that are just sitting in closets, not being used so what better way to spread the wealth than attending Spins and Needles' Craft Meet and Rummage Sale. You can find all of the info in the above flyer - I'll be there so if you're so inclined, feel free to pop in and say hi... And buy stuff from me (ha, ha, ha!) :)

Items I'm selling will include:

Fabric
Acrylic, watercolour, gouache paints
Painting mediums
Canvas
Yarn
Coloured pencils
Mat and illustration board
and other craft-related goodies!

Hope to see you there!!

J

More dollies, and Flickr

2006-09-06T21:25:00.000-05:00

Juli bc close 03
Originally uploaded by juli_velo_poupee.

Good day.

I have a new pic host/account at flickr - very nifty, I must say.

So here I am with yet another crochet dolly. I made this one for my aunt Bianca who came over from Vancouver for a visit. This time, instead of Red Heart acrylic yarn, I used Bernat satin yarn - which gave the the baby a nice lustre.

My time off has been going pretty well. I'm chugging along making some items for my Etsy shop. Most notably, I've designed a stylized cloth doll - kind of modern, funky dolls with clothing sewn on - quite different from the dolls that I have been making so far, but I'm really liking the results. She's not quite done yet - I'm having quite a time stuffing her long, skinny limbs so I'm going to finally order some Barbara Willis stuffing forks

I'll be taking a few days off from being off - my old job called me asking me if I'd like to do some data entry for a week. I figure "why not?" since it will only be for a week, and that means that I'll be able to make enough to cover most of my share of a month's rent, which means another month off! Woo hoo!!

Musica latina

2006-08-09T14:04:00.000-05:00

I've been craving Latin American music lately - getting back to my roots, I guess. I have only just started researching but so far, I love Shakira's* second Spanish album, Carlos Vives*, and a few titles from the Putumayo series: I love the "Colombia" collection (my maternal country of origin!), "Women of latin America" (awesome) and "Latin Lounge" (very groovy).
*both Colombian artists as well

Having been raised in English Canadian society, I've never really been very much in touch with my latin roots - too concerned with trying to fit into anglo culture (during my adolescence, anyway). Listening to some of these recordings, though has really affected me - like messages from home, or something...

Anyway, not to sound too heavy, I'm just definitely going to check out some more latin music. Putumayo has some great brazilian and afro-cuban stuff that looks wonderful. And, in the spirit of going back to one's roots, I'd also like to check out Italian Café. Not to offend any of my fellow Italians out there, but so far the Italian music that I have been exposed to (aside from renaissance and baroque music) has been a total cheese fest. I'd like to find some that is more organic-sounding (ie. no syrupy ballads, or macho anthems). Any suggestions?

Peace
j

Plans for the next few weeks

2006-08-03T19:57:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned earlier, I currently work as an admin assistant through a temp agency. I've been doing these kinds of jobs for several years. It isn't work that I am exactly passionate about, but it does pay decently, and I've been most fortunate to have a really nice group of people to work with. That said, it has been eight months, and I have built a little nest-egg, therefore I will be not be seeking an extension to my contract (gee, could I sound any more like an office person? Gah!).

The point of this schpeel, kids, is that I'll have more time to work on my crafty-designy, e-bay, arty, bloggy stuff. I realize that I haven't posted in quite a while, but I promise that I will after August 15th (ie. my last day of work).

Stay tuned y'all!

Y'all?

jd

Oh, and here are some babies that I crocheted. You can find the pattern here

New addition?

2006-08-03T14:28:00.000-05:00

Hee hee. It's been a while. There you have it.

Anyhew, so I've been working on several things, but I'm at work and all of my images are at the computer at home, so I'll post some stuff about Blythe.

Okay, so I pretty much thought that I had finished purchasing dolls. When I was working another boring office job, I filled the emptiness inside with lots of e-bay dollies such as Dawn, Crissy, Barbie, Sindy, Strawberry Shortcake, tons of sewing patterns...you get the idea. Anyway, it all got to be somewhat more than only a little bit much, so during my hiatus last year (I take a few months off each year from office work - it's the only way I'm able to tolerate it) I sold off a bunch of my goodies on e-bay. Most of them were just sitting in boxes so it was great to lighten my load. Never again, quoth I... Until I saw this baby:

Is she not just gorgeous? her outfit, hair, purse, and doe are custom made by Jam Fancy, who is a fabulous seamstress and artist. Do check out her blog!! Anyway, this girl won a Blythe design competition, and deservedly so. I mean, just look at that darling crocheted hat!! She is going to be produced as a limited edition, isn't that awesome? Seeing JF's beautiful dolls has stirred an insatiable desire in me to acquire one of these lovelies, myself. I'm thinking about this pretty gal:

She's a reproduction made by Hasbro for the Ashton-Drake galleries (or is that the other way around ??) and I think she's just lovely. Her dress is very me, I must say - I love those groovy caftan-esque dresses:

Here's another:

Quite sweet in auburn, too. I can just see myself making little outfits, styling their hair, or making mohair wigs... *sigh* I'm such a girl!

Yay for dollies.

Progress

2006-05-18T01:25:00.000-05:00

Yay. So I finished my aunt's doll about a week ago. I'm pretty happy with the results.

The patterns are from Brown House Dolls. The pattern for the doll's body is my favourite, I believe; its construction is quite simple, but it makes a very nicely shaped doll. The dress is a typical child's fashion from the late-teens. The whole project came together very nicely, although I admit that I procrastinated a lot.

I'll be shipping her off to Italy tomorrow.

Making stuff & travel

2006-04-21T10:39:00.000-05:00

Wow. It's been a while, huh? Anyway, lots of things in the proverbial cauldron: calico puppy progressing strangely, Vanda's doll still on the back-burner, started a sewing machine cozy, got some fabric to make a top and skirt (I'll see what I can do sans pattern), knitting a shawl-collared cardigan from the fall issue of Vogue Knitting magazine:

Kinda cute, huh? I'm knitting it in a deep, military green, worsted weight yarn, so my cardigan won't be textured like the one in the picture, but the colour is nice and rich. I think I might have chosen the wrong size to knit, though. Mine is looking kind of big... although it is supposed to be sort of a loose-fitting garment, according to the instructions, anyway. Ah well, we shall see.

Went to Montréal this past week-end. Very nice change of pace from Ottawa. So urban, laid-back; artistic and cultural venues everywhere. I could totally see myself living there for a while, although there is virtually no green space, and it seems as though biking in Montréal would be a bit more treacherous than it is biking in Ottawa, plus the BF, who lived there a few years ago, doesn't think he could live there again. The search continues.

Fridays and projections

2006-04-07T21:15:00.000-05:00

Yippie. Friday.

Lately, I've been in a bit of a creative slump, which is kind of annoying seeing as I have about nine dozen projects in various stages of completion (a slight exaggeration, but only slight!).

I've moved on to designing my own dolls, rather than interpreting other designers' patterns. It's been several weeks since I've worked on her, but here's a sort of bohemian-esqe dolly that is nearly complete. Excuse the quality of the pic. I didn't get the focus quite right, so I sharpened up her features using Photoshop
Although this dolly is an original creation, her construction is very similar to the classic Rageddy Ann doll construction. I'm not terribly thrilled with her apron top: the skirt is far too clingy, but I am so digging the blouse I made her: it's just a very simple peasant-style blouse (easy to draft out), and the print was designed and printed by moi. I call this pattern "gentle anarchy" and I made it while attending an awesome silk-screening workshop that I took last summer in Toronto. The workshop was held by Kingi, the fabulous proprietress of Peach Berserk, and her wonderful staff. If you've never checked out the site or the shop, you must, must, must. Oh-so inspiring!

Another one of my hobbies is prettying up my old doll collection. I attribute my new-found love of dolls to my former roommate Anne. I recall her reminiscing about her Sindy doll, and I had an epiphany of sorts. I remembered that as a child, some of the happiest moments of my life were quiet times playing in my room with my Sindys, so I started researching on the `net; I became really interested in doll making, which is what prompted me to learn how to sew. Here is a group shot of some of the girls in my Sindy family.
The two dolls on the left are wearing outfits that I sewed from an old Simplicity pattern from 1977. The black Sindy, and the brunette ballerina, I acquired from e-bay auctions. Oh yes, and the second Sindy from the left was once a blonde with a butchered `do. I re-rooted her hair, boil permed it and gave her a rockin' afro. She is also wearing a head scarf: I was aiming for a kind of late-60s, -early 70s Biba style.

So, that's the deal for now. This weekend, I aim to finish a doll that I am making for my aunt Vanda who lives in Italy, and to work on a calico teddy (or puppy - haven't decided) doll that I'm designing.

`Still loving the mp3 player. New favourite band - Gogol Bordello

Have a beautiful day!

First post (how's that for an original entry title!)

2006-04-06T21:26:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm so thrilled to finally have one of these things.

First, an intro...

My name is Juliana Del Rio, I live in Ottawa, Canada with a super-sweet boyfriend who is very tolerant of my insatiable need to create. I'm a bit of a slacker, so my creativity tends to come in bursts and I bide my wee time sewing, knitting, crocheting, singing (loudly), playing guitar (poorly), beading, cooking, drawing (I'm currenctly obsessed with crayons... don't ask), doll-making, and loving my brand new Creative MP3 Player.

Not surprisingly, I of course have a day-job. Being a permanent temp, I'm currently working for the Public Health Agency of Canada as a senior clerk, and will be doing this until about mid-August. My long-term goal, however, is to run a successful creative business that will merge all of my passions.

Since this is going to be a crafty blog, and not a sucking up to manufacturers of MP3 players blog, I'd like to show you some of the stuff I do. Or, rather, one of the things that I do. It's 10:45pm (ie, past my bed-time), and being anything but a morning person, I'll make this entry a shortish one.

Here is a little shoulder-bag that I whipped up on my machine. The design is by one of the many wonderful folks at craftster.org. Enter "rounder roomy bag" and you'll find a super-nifty tutorial so that you, too can make a bag of your very own. Or you can buy this bag from me at my Etsy shop (a plug is not a plug unless it is a shameless one).

Anyway, thanks for indulging me. I'm really happy to have this space, and do visit often!!

Love, Juliana