Author: Elizabeth Ruffing

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Santa would be proud

Thanks to Jennifer for including my “Lovely Lucy” in her “Santa would be proud” Etsy treasury today.

Linda and Lucy, sitting above, are both on the new web page on our Ruffing’s site that I made up for my soft dolls and toys. I’m always amazed to see how many of everything we seem to have once I make up the web pages for each category on our site. I’m still on my quest to organize and correct our website. I’m making progress a little at a time.

Today, I cut out five kitty cat doll bodies like “Bluebell and Bridget” the Siamese mom and kitten and “Daphne” the tabby cat folk art cat dolls below, for my upcoming collaborations with Max Bailey. I was aiming for two, but somehow I just kept going. I think it will be fun to work with someone else. I find it difficult to keep up my momentum when I am working alone. It’s easier when someone else is counting on you to do your part. Plus it’s fun to see what someone else adds to what you are doing. We are both pretty excited about it.

We had a couple of flurries here today and it was quite cold. My mom was ready to run out to look at the snow, but it was over before she even got to the door.
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Fairies and Butterflies watercolor art by Elizabeth Ruffing

Fairies and Butterflies watercolor art by Elizabeth Ruffing

Fairies and Butterflies watercolor art by Elizabeth Ruffing“Fairies and Butterflies” is an original watercolor painting of little girl fairies watching yellow butterflies.

Fairies and Butterflies watercolor art by Elizabeth RuffingI am making a limited number of reproductions of this image as a signed giclée print, on 8 1/2 by 11 inch art paper.

Fairies and Butterflies watercolor art by Elizabeth RuffingTwo fairies are knee-deep in a field of pink tulips. Butterflies are flying all around them. One fairy is laughing and enjoying them, while the other seems somewhat disconcerted by them. I liked the idea of a meeting between the two types of winged creatures. They are enclosed in a border of pink columbines.

Fairies and Butterflies watercolor art by Elizabeth Ruffing
This is what the 8 1/2 by 11 print might look like framed without a mat. (A mat and frame are not included.)

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Cool artists, snowflakes, and “after” shocks

My “Rabbit Dances” print was included in this “Cool Artists and Snowflake” Etsy Treasury today. Thanks, Iris, for including me!

I’m thinking of adding some more print sizes over on our website, so that there will be more options to fit standard-sized frames. We stopped at A C Moore yesterday so I could see which sizes were more popular, or available. The most popular smallish sizes are always 8 x 10 and 11 x 14 inch frames. I’ve made the smaller prints on 8 1/2 x 11 since that can easily go in either an 8 x 10 or an 8 1/2 x 11 mat and frame set. I may add an 11 x 14 paper size, and possibly 12 x12, and 12 x16 paper sizes. We have some prints that will fit 10 x 20 as well. I’m still fixing the pages that are on the site, but if anyone is interested in other paper sizes for prints, just contact us.

Today I went down a list of miscellaneous things I needed to do that I hadn’t gotten to yet, including cleaning up and vacuuming my workroom. Believe it or not, the above picture is the “after” photo. I should probably invest in a snow plow so I can clear a swath to get in there from time to time. After cleaning, washing, packing, shipping, and I can’t remember what else, I felt the need for some cookies.

Fortunately, “make some Toll House cookies” was also on my list of miscellaneous things I meant to do that I hadn’t gotten to yet, which meant all the supplies were ready and waiting. So, I took care of that too 😉

Oh, and by the way, when I went to pick up that Interlibrary Loan book that I thought was never to be, it was the wrong book! Too funny. I thought I might be in trouble when I wrote out the title and the author and she said, “Which one is the title?” But then, maybe it was another library that sent over the wrong book. Maybe next time.
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Eerie lighting and doll bodices

It’s been pouring and dark most of the day, and it’s seemed more like night than day. I’ve been making a muslin bodice for our original folk art kitty cat dolls, carefully hand basting it and then pulling it apart, making new markings, and then basting it together again. Whenever you make a clothing pattern for a doll, or anyone really, a muslin is a good idea. A muslin is a version of your garment made in an inexpensive fabric, sewn together with a basting stitch, which is a straight stitch with a long stitch length that can be pulled out easily.

The bodice is the most difficult part of a dress to fit, next to the sleeves. I used some cotton fabric for my muslin, marked a rough draft of my pattern pieces directly on the fabric with a permanent marker, and then I sewed it at the shoulders and the sides. Next I tried it on the doll, and marked the arm and neck holes again using a pencil, so as not to mark the doll by accident, again directly on the fabric. Using a seam ripper, I pulled the stitching out, and sewed new shoulder and side seams, over and over until the bodice fit right. The fit will still change once the sleeves and skirt are attached, and the lining will add some bulk too. I tried to compensate for that by adding some ease, an extra amount at the sides and shoulders to accommodate the extra bulk of the gathered fabric that will be added once those are attached. It is a process of trial and error.

Once I had my muslin about the way I wanted it, I traced my front and back pieces, using a light box, onto tracing paper with a permanent marker. I will add seam allowances later. I think I will scan my pattern and print it so I can cut it without destroying my originals. The eerie light of the photo is from my light box glowing in the dark of this gloomy day.

I got a call today from a sweet older lady at the library. They did, in fact, find a copy of Picnic at Hanging Rock for me. So, my surreal conversation with the librarian actually worked out. I am happy because now I know I can use Interlibrary Loan, hopefully without causing too much trouble.