I made the pair of shoes that you saw in yesterday’s tutorial so that I could figure out a better method for sewing these shoes together. Now that I have that, putting together this pink pair was a breeze, and really didn’t take very long at all! Now, her butterfly outfit is complete… Unless I think of something else to add to it. You never know what might be brewing.

I wanted to create a pair of Mary Jane shoes to go with Tuna’s new outfit. The Tuna patterns do not include this style of shoe. However, the Scout & Ria pattern does. Actually, there are several different cute shoes in this pattern! This style of shoe presents some particular complications for construction. It’s more than just a tube, sewn shut at one end. Between the size, the U-shape of the front piece and the limitations presented by your sewing machine, it can get very tricky.

In my previous post, we came up with a program to generate a single 8-armed component of the aah tangle. In this post, we’ll figure out how to spread them randomly around the canvas, as in the image at the top of the post. We’ll use the program from the last post as a starting point. As a first try, let’s just generate a draw 20 aah images randomly on the canvas.

Here is Tuna’s floral tunic! I chose the butterfly fabrics because of the pattern’s butterfly sleeves! I love the way it came out. I deliberately fussy cut the pocket fronts so that there was a large butterfly on one and the smaller butterfly on the other. They really add to the design. Next: A pair of shoes! #artdoll #catdoll #dressupdoll #sewing #koalaandmilapatterns

I am an enabler, LOL! Since I started Tuna, I’ve hooked another sewist, Laurie L.! She is doing a Koala and Mila sew along with me! She chose the Gabriela & Friends pattern. She had these fabrics, which she is using for her inspiration. Because of that, she decided to name her llama, Beetrice and she is a bee keeper! Isn’t that an adorable idea? The face is all cut out, the eyes chosen and the ear lining prepared!

I’ve started in on the second ensemble that is in the pattern instructions. This is for a Flowered Tunic and Shorts. I finished the shorts yesterday. The fabric is so pretty with it’s tiny, white butterflies flitting about that I chose to use them as the theme for this outfit! More tomorrow! #artdoll #catdoll #dressupdoll #sewing #koalaandmilapatterns

Personally, I only wear a few pairs of shoes. I’m not into having a different pair for every outfit. My shoes are functional, not decorative. For my dolls, however, I have an entirely different philosophy. There is no such thing as “too many shoes”. They simply MUST have a different pair for every change of clothing! This doll has what I refer to as “ballet feet”. Basically, she looks like she is standing on pointe.

Any Zentanglers out there who made it through my previous posts on generative art may be wondering whether these techniques can be used to draw Zentangles. Let’s try! Zentangles are built from patterns, called tangles. We’ll try to create a tangle called aah. This is one of the original tangles from the Zentangle originators. There are many variations of aah. We’ll start with a simple 8-armed design. Tandika’s step-out for it looks like this:

While I was locked away from everyone because of the construction, I managed to make this dress for Tuna. I used the Striped Dress pattern from the pattern set. Instead of piecing together strips of fabric, I found a fabric that was already striped. I also started a pair of shoes, but didn’t finish them in time to take a picture, so you’ll have to wait until next week to see them!

Note: Today’s post was originally written and published in November of 2012, on another website I own. I’m sharing it here as a “Throwback Thursday” so that you know my “sudden” interest in dolls is not new and not just a Covid obsession! This post is image heavy. In addition, there are a couple of pictures of an almost anatomically correct, nude doll below! I thought I would show you a doll I made that was delivered to her owner last week!

Indeed, she does! These are from the bloomers/shorts pattern. One niggling problem that I have is that I feel like the waist should be higher up on these. I may adjust the pattern, in the future, for a better fit. Other than that, I think they’re cute! #artdoll #catdoll #dressupdoll #sewing #koalaandmilapatterns

In my last post, I talked about generative art, and showed a simple example using Javascript and the p5.js library. In this post, I’ll show another relatively simple example using slightly different techniques. Basically, the process is still the same: program the computer to generate a simple drawing and add an element of randomness. For this example, I am still using Javascript and p5.js. Many of you may be unfamiliar with Javascript.

How could you resist a kitty like this? From her tiny ear stud to her name tag, she’s a bundle of fun! I got all of her parts sewn together and stuffed, today. Tomorrow I will sew on her arms and legs. They are just pinned for the picture. And hopefully, make her some bloomers. Having fun, staying safe! #artdoll #catdoll #dressupdoll #sewing #koalaandmilapatterns

Yesterday you saw the back of Tuna-the-Cat. Today, I finished all the applique and button sewing. I made the name tag out of a piece of muslin. I stamped the name using Archival ink, and then went over it with a Pitt Pen. My signature is on the other half. This will get sewn into the seam when the body is assembled. I’m very impressed with this new sewing machine.