Rag dolls...

On my way to meet a lady for lunch.  She commissioned these rag dolls--the ones I had so much trouble dressing.  They didn't misbehave or anything, (ha!) but she wanted me to use baby dresses that she and her sisters had worn, and those sweet delicate things were hard to cut into. 

But I got them done, and I think they turned out well.  I was supposed to make little bonnets out of the sleeves, but there just wasn't enough fabric to make a proper bonnet. 

The black doll was easy to dress--she got her own fabric and all, of course.

Hope your weekend is lovely!

Dolls in progress, and a commission.

So doll show's over, garage sale's over, and Mother's Day has come and gone.  (Hope yours was lovely!)

I got a commission recently which means the finishing of these several in-the-works dolls will have to wait, but I'm excited (and scared) about the commission.  A collector in Phoenix wants me to make her four rag dolls.  One of them will be a little black faceless doll to go with one she already bought from me.  The other three are white faceless rag dolls.  No big deal, right?  Right.  Pretty simple, those rag dolls.  BUT.  She wants me to dress them using baby dresses that she and her sisters wore.  I LOVE this idea, and I'm so excited.  But she sent me these dresses and they are the dearest, most fragile looking things you ever saw.  Delicate embroidery, scalloped edges, tiny pin tucks and buttons.  I'm petrified to cut into them. 

I suppose I'll have to remember the Nike slogan and just do it.  The dolls are sewn, to be stuffed and assembled and finished in the next few days.  But I plan to take my time with the clothing.  Oh, you bet I am.   

In the meantime, here are a few on the work table, waiting (patiently? sort of) to get their sanding and painting, their arms and legs and clothes. 

Another not-quite-Izannah doll...she'll be dressed in 1920's fashion.

This poor thing doesn't even have her clay yet.

Not sure who this one will be, but she whispers that she wants to wear light blue.

This girl has been soooooo patient with me.  I think I delay finishing her so I can keep her hanging around.

Iris season is almost over here...

A dear lady doll maker friend posted as to the relevance of blogging, and it occurred to me that I have not posted regularly.  I'll make a point of it more often, if only to keep in touch with people that I've met/communicated with here.

But since I have no finished dolls (might have to take photos of wips later) I have to show off the mini-iris farm that our yard has become.  The hubs has said I can plant the whole front yard in iris if I want, so long as I don't try to do it all in one year.  This is not much of a threat, as we have a very tiny front yard.  :~)

Beware this is a photo heavy post, and nothing to do with dolls.  I have the iris virus, and have (I think) infected my mother in law with same.  At least I'll have another yard to plant when I fill mine up.

A little red noid (no i.d.) that has bloomed the whole season.

Paprika Fono...a rebloomer and very vigorous grower.

Life of Riley.  One of my favorites which does amazing things with late afternoon light.

Another favorite, but I didn't know til this year.  Blooms everywhere, vigorous growth, and not only is it amazing with purple black color, it smells soooooo good.

We do get rain in the desert!

Another noid, but it's a keeper.

These are Clarence in front and Alpenview behind...see how the falls (lower petals) and standards (upper petals) have reversed colors?

Another noid, but soooo brilliantly colored!

I think this one is Immortality, but I'll have to wait and see if it reblooms--Immortality is a famous rebloomer.

Spin Off.  Not prolific, but a gorgeous bloom.

Gala Madrid, almost four feet tall.

Alien Mist.  I love these space age iris, with the little horns on the beards.

This one is a space age (see the horns?) but also a Noid. 

Panama Hattie.  Love those stripes!

A noid...but very fragrant and hardy.

Another noid...I love the orange beards in all that pink and magenta.

Another Noid...I didn't think I liked it at first, but when the sun comes through it, it's magical.

Not a good photo of this noid, being crowded by another bud, but it has the old historic simple form.

Alien Mist again...because I like it so much.  See the horns better in this photo?

Tiger Butter.  I shouldn't have shaded it when I took its photo, but see how the under side of the falls is yellow when the top of them is wine colored?  I don't know how it can do this when the petals are so thin.

Betty Knight (very fragrant).

Dawn Glory.  Not so very tall, but determined to bloom--even bloomed in the pot when we were moving last year.

Dusky Challenger.  I hope this fellow makes it, since there seem to be no new baby rhizomes yet. Each rhizome blooms once, then sets off babies...so if it only blooms and doesn't make babies, then it is lost.  I love this one!

Hostess Royale.  Amazingly visible from a distance in spite of such delicate color. 

Another noid...I like the yellow at the shoulders of the falls.

This on is Slovak Prince, and he is beset with the aphids that have invaded this year.  They haven't so far done any damage than I can tell, but we set a population of lady bugs among them in hopes of stemming the tide.  They're awful!

Penny Lane.  Smells delightful, and how can you beat that gold color?

I hope you weren't bored with my whole season of iris blooms.  :~)  I get a little one-dimensional during bloom season. So just in case you aren't sick of iris yet, here are a few photos of the beds these iris live in (and the clematis that has bloomed like crazy this year).