The kilt looks are finally completed, with some shirt exchanges once I sewed a new shirt. Now all the dolls are wearing belts I made, and I made and added their chains and sporrans (note the houndstooth), some embellished with their emblems. If you didn’t care about any of this to start with, I’ll put only one doll here and the rest behind a cut to save real estate on your monitor. If you do look at them all, thanks. I learned a lot of new things and spent my time on this project mentally plotting the rest of the Neverending Saga. That also gave me the opportunity to make good changes to the sixth book before diving into the seventh.
I might have resolution to a situation that’s cost me a lot of peace of mind for almost three years, and I’m not mad about that. =)
Tom didn’t have his volunteer gig, so he did some light yard work (and put out the flag for Veterans Day), and I didn’t do any housework. Dinner was a joint effort, and other than that, it was just a day to chill with the hounds.
Tom put together another of the beautiful wooden puzzles he received last Christmas. This one is “Dachshund.”
How cute is s/he?
Meanwhile, I made a big mess of the writing sanctuary NOT writing but working on my ongoing doll kilt project. I learned so much as I went along with the kilts I made that I’m going back to fix things (though not my mistake in putting the openings on the wrong side) and also adding embellishments. I’ll share when my six-pack of kilt-wearing character dolls are ready for their closeups.
In mid-April, I posted about how a few notes* of a song were in my brain, and I couldn’t identify the song. I found a virtual piano keyboard so I could play those notes for Tom and Tim, but neither of them could identify it from what I remembered or from my speculation about who the artist might be. One of those artists was the band Pearl Jam.
Last night, the show I’ve been rewatching played in the background while I was doing other things, and I suddenly realized I was hearing lyrics that matched that music–oh, thank you, Internet, for giving the world a means to quickly look up lyrics.
So… Turns out I was right. A familiar song that I just couldn’t quite remember. Now that I’ve listened to it a few times (especially reading the lyrics), I understand why it persistently nagged at my memory–and so do my characters, one of whom could have written those words.
*These were the notes that I played over and over, except for a couple of blanks, to try to figure it out.
Longhorn ram.Grand piano.Crow.Flower set with stones.
I ended up with six finished 1:6 scale kilts. Then I realized the trouble I’d had modifying the pattern I found (for a human kilt) contributed to how I misread the actual arrangement of the kilt. Kilts open or fasten on the wearer’s right side, what we see facing it on our left. I got that reversed in my brain, so all my dolls’ kilts open on their left side and are incorrectly fringed on their left side. Since these are dolls representing characters in the Neverending Saga, Tom advised me to accept that I’ve created a mirror universe in my fiction. It’s always good to have a science fiction buff around.
Here are the six. From left to right (real left as you’re looking at it, not some fictitious left), their characters’ initials are AC, MA, DFS, BW, PA, and CA. I tell you that so I can give credit for the pieces I didn’t make.
I made AC’s white shirt (in the 1990s), vest, kilt, and socks. The shoes are Mattel’s.
I made MA’s kilt and socks and the strap with the ram charm. The green over-shirt, black long-sleeved tee, and shoes are Mattel’s.
I made DFS’s gray shirt, kilt, strap with the piano charm, socks, and necklaces. The shoes are Mattel’s.
I made BW’s kilt, fly plaid, belt with the crow charm, and socks. Black shirt and shoes are Mattel’s.
I made PA’s red shirt, black belt (many years ago), kilt, and socks. Shoes are Mattel’s.
I made CA’s brown shirt, kilt, socks, and chain holding flower charm. Boots are Mattel’s.
I can bring a little life to these characters by imagining dialogue. You might have to zoom in to read it.
Definitely a learning experience, and not only will my next kilts and shirts be better, but I’ll make sure they open on the dolls’ right sides. Literally.
This morning, I was checking to see if I had a couple of miniature charms. As I opened and shut some two dozen plastic containers, I realized craft organization works best when you don’t make a mystery of it. Out came the label maker! (And on the way, I better organized as well as purged a few things that found their way into my supplies and that I’m sure I’ll never use.)
No more wasting time on searches!
And I did find miniature charms that worked for what I wanted.
Love and peace, and if trick or treating is part of your evening, have a fun, safe night!
Back in May 2012, I spotted this Art Car in the wild and captured a photo of it.
In the Neverending Saga, there’s a little boy who likes to tell corny jokes to an audience of adults who think he’s pretty great. In his honor, I found a few zebra jokes, because I’m still looking for reasons to laugh. I share them with you, in case you are, too.
Why do zebras have stripes?
Because they don’t want to be spotted.
What side does a zebra have the most stripes on?
The outside.
What happened when the leopard tried to sneak out of his enclosure by pretending to be a zebra?
He was spotted.
What do a zebra and a panda have in common?
The answer is pretty black and white.
Why is it so difficult to sell a toy zebra?
You can never find the barcode.
What’s black and white and eats like a horse?
A zebra.
Who would win in a fight between a kangaroo and a zebra?
The zebra. Because he has so many black belts.
What do zebras have that no other animal has?
Baby zebras.
What do the penguins get for their lunch at the zoo?
Half an hour, same as the zebras.
Which animal is the oldest?
Zebras, because they are still in black and white.
Why didn’t the donkey cross the road?
Because he saw what happened to the zebra.
