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Dolls for October

21/9/2017

4 Comments

 
Tiny doll dress by Willowynn
Tiny doll dress by Willowynn
The group of cloth dolls I'm working on right now are taking a LOT longer to finish than I anticipated... and school holidays start next week. Soooo I hope to have five new dolls available here in early October rather than September (as originally promised). Here's one of their tiny dresses...
4 Comments

How to sew French knots

10/9/2017

6 Comments

 
How to sew french knots. Video demonstration by Willowynn.com
French knots on one of my mushroom hanging ornaments
I made a little video demonstration (below), showing how to embroider French knots. I found this embroidery stitch quite tricky when I first tried it and looking at diagrams in embroidery books didn't really help me. But I've since taught myself how to sew them so thought I'd show you how I do it.

​The key is to hold the thread taut with one hand while you wrap it around the needle and insert it into the fabric. Hold on to the thread until just before it is pulled all the way through the fabric (see video below).

This is an example of a singular French knot but you can make them larger by wrapping the thread around your needle twice rather than once. This video shows how I stitch the French knots onto my fabric mushroom hanging ornaments.

​... and here is a little diagram showing French knots in more detail. I drew this a while ago for one of my sewing patterns. Enjoy!
French knot diagram. Copyright 2016. Margeaux Davis - Willowynn.com
6 Comments

My favourite 'thimble'

4/9/2017

2 Comments

 
My favourite 'thimble' www.willowynn.com
Thimblettes with leather disks glued inside - great alternative for hand-stitching.
I've been searching for the perfect thimble... comfortable but sturdy enough to protect my finger. Hours of hand-stitching and embroidery can result in a very sore (or even pierced) middle finger tip, but the hard thimbles always seem a bit cumbersome to me (maybe I'm not using them right?).

​Anyway, a while ago I found a rubber thimblette, usually used for handling paper... I tried it out and now I never hand-sew without one on my finger. They are very comfortable, but a bit too thin to protect your finger when pushing a needle through thick fabric, so I cut a little disk of very hard leather and glue it to the inside of the thimblette, in the tip. The rubber helps to pull the needle through fabric too.

It works really well and feels so comfortable that I often leave the house with it still on. You can get them for around 70 cents each and they come in different sizes. I buy mine from my local office supply store.

​I know there are a lot of different thimbles on the market that will probably do what I need. and I'd like to try them out, but these do work pretty well for me. What do you use? Can you recommend a good thimble? 
2 Comments

    Margeaux Davis aka Willowynn

    Hello

    My name is Margeaux Davis. I'm a doll-maker, sewing pattern designer and illustrator, based in northern New South Wales, Australia.  

    ​Here I'll share what I'm making, as well as some hints and tips to help you sew your own soft toys... 


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    Sewing patterns

    Snail soft toy digital sewing pattern by Willowynn

    Bunny and bear stuffed animal doll digital sewing pattern by Willowynn

    Blue whale soft toy digital sewing pattern by Willowynn

    Fox and wolf stuffed animal doll / soft toy digital sewing pattern by Willowynn

    Fabric moth and butterfly digital sewing pattern by Willowynn

    Elephant stuffed animal doll sewing pattern / soft toy digital PDF download by Willowynn

    Pleated mushroom hanging ornament digital sewing pattern by Willowynn

    Barn owl and penguin stuffed animal digital sewing pattern by Willowynn

    Dolphin stuffed toy digital sewing pattern by Willowynn

    Platypus soft toy sewing pattern PDF by Willowynn

    Doll coat digital sewing pattern by Willowynn

    Doll overalls and pants digital sewing pattern by Willowynn

    Doll dress digital sewing pattern for 3 doll dresses by Willowynn

    Stuffed animal doll digital sewing pattern set. Bunny, bear, fox, wolf, elephants

    Doll clothing digital sewing pattern set / miniature dresses, overalls, coats and pants by Willowynn

    Mushroom / toadstool digital sewing pattern set of 2. Embroidered (beginners) and pleated (advanced)

    Whale & dolphin soft toy digital sewing pattern set by Willowynn (10% discount)

    Embroidered Mushroom / toadstool hanging ornament digital sewing pattern by Willowynn

    FREE Embroidered hanging Christmas ornaments digital sewing pattern by Willowynn

    Miniature jumper & cardigan knitting pattern (digital download) by Willowynn


    Cards and prints

    'The fox and the crow' print by Margeaux Davis of Willowynn

    Pack of 3 Christmas greeting cards / Watercolour illustration by Margeaux Davis of Willowynn

    'Summer ramble' art print by Margeaux Davis of Willowynn

    'The fox and the crow (2)' print by Margeaux Davis of Willowynn

    Art postcard set of 7 / watercolour illustrations by Margeaux Davis of Willowynn

    Willowynn nature / soft sculpture postcard set of 6

    Christmas / holiday greeting card pack of 4 by Willowynn

    Toadstool / mushroom Christmas greeting card by Willowynn

    Baby in nest Christmas greeting card by Willowynn




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  • About
    • Bio
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  • Shop
    • Textile art / dolls
    • Sewing patterns
    • Cards and prints
  • Portfolio
    • Textile art / dolls
    • Illustration
  • Blog
  • Contact/follow