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The Best Companion in the ‘Verse

Take my love, take my land, Take me where I cannot stand. I don’t care, I’m still free, You can’t take the sky from me….

Do you recognise who this doll may be a tribute to? If you guessed Inara Serra from Firefly / Serenity, well done! It was such a great show. I remember the first time that I was introduced to their world. I first watched the Serenity movie at a movie marathon, going in I I’d never heard of it, and out of the 4 movies, I thought that it would be the most boring. How wrong was I?! It was the best of them all!

Inara was one of my favourite characters. Such beauty and poise.

Three years ago, my childhood friend had a daughter that she named after this gutsy heroine; and to be gifted a doll of her namesake seemed like a natural choice!

Here is my inspiration picture (gosh Morena is gorgeous!!):

And here she completed as a doll:

I opted to create her outfit as a faux wrap dress, although the original appears to be a dress-like garment over a pantsuit? I thought that a young girl might appreciate being able to take her dress on and off, and so it fastens in the back with hook and loop tape. The necklace is inspired by Inara’s, and fashioned by myself. It closes with a lobster clasp and so my friend can choose to remove if need be.

I’ve had this lovely purple fabric in my stash for sometime, now I think that I have used it all up. I’m not sure what it’s composition is, but I purchased it as Spotlight maybe 10 years ago…? It is lovely and silky and I have a top that was made from it in it in a different colour way. The beautiful gold top under the wrap dress is made from the durable and shiny metallic felt available at the amazing My Felt Lady (affiliate link – 5% off your first purchase over $50). The same felt has been used to make her shoes.

I’m a little bit embarassed to admit how long it took me to create Anarah’s handmade Inara doll (I was creating with different patterns at the time of the request and so it took longer once I decided to make it out of my own, yet-to-be-created sewing pattern!), but I am sure that there are none-other like her in the ‘verse… and surely that’s something worth waiting for.. haha

 

P.S. After finishing the doll and writing this post, I feel I need a Firefly/Serenity marathon stat! BRB…

 

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Christmas in July

Normally, I don’t like to think about Christmas so early… But as the Facebook group Handmade Life is holding a special event for Christmas in July, I decided to join in by creating a new outfit for Ellie and offering her up with her new outfit along with her original outfit plus a special occasion outfit. She will hopefully make someone’s Christmas special!

Ellie is ready for Christmas!

I have been meaning to get around to creating a pair of bloomers for my dolls, and I am happy to say that Ellie’s the one to have it added to her special Christmas outfit.

Continue reading Christmas in July

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New Doll Pattern Design + A Gift for You

I would like you to meet someone… my latest dolly, her name is Danni. She is very happy to meet with you!

Yesterday afternoon while the children were playing happily with Grandma, I had the overwhelming urge to create a new doll pattern. I feel slightly guilty working on her while I haven’t yet got the last one taken care of, however my muse was in effect and besides that, I really would love to offer to my customers who haven’t sewn a doll before to have a nice and straightforward pattern to ease them into doll making, but still hopefully appeal to those already confident with the craft.

She’s so happy to meet you!

Continue reading New Doll Pattern Design + A Gift for You

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Video Tutorials

Crafting something new can be daunting. I want to help you to conquer your uncertainty and create with my patterns. That is why I have started a series of YouTube video tutorials to give you the confidence to start creating!

So far there are just two, but I hope that they add value to your sewing experience. Please feel free to make suggestions on tutorials that you would like to see, and I will do my best to meet that need.

Check out the videos here 🙂

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Fawns and Farts

Wow, I can’t believe how quickly the first half of this year has gone. If you’re like me, you’ll be wondering where it all went! My oldest child, Hunny, started Preschool this year. It’s been such a delight to see him enjoying school and playtime. He still looks so petite in his school uniform and it almost doesn’t feel real! In my home this week as the school holidays are nigh, there are two big F words that spoken… It has me wondering if other 4 year olds say ‘Fart!’ as much as he does?! I reassure myself by saying that it must be normal! The other, of course is Fawns.

I have been working so hard on getting the Fawn pattern ready since mid to late last year, I can’t believe that it’s all about to come to fruition. A bit of self-doubt and a bit of confidence here and there has lead me to where I am, but I feel that I am as ready as I can ever be and I am excited to be sharing this with you all. My amazing pattern testers as well must be given their credit, as with their time and support that they have given me they have helped bring my creation to life.

I hope that if you choose to craft a fawn with my pattern that you will love it and be amazed at the magic that you have created.

If you don’t sew, but would like a fawn or a dolly to call your very own, I will be selling some completed cuties as well as some custom spots that will be available. (The one pictured below will be available, with the exception of the blue eyed cutie who is already sold.)

Hunny and Bee woodland fawns

Well, I have a lot of work to do to get ready so I’ll leave this at that, but I am very excited for Saturday and I hope to ‘see’ you then! <3

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Mesmerising Mermaids

I often have more than one project on the go; in fact I have about 8 different creations that I am currently working on. There are four fawns who are almost ready for their debut in my web store, a further 5 dolls and then there is this lovely mermaid who I just finished today. OK, well that was more than 8 works in progress, maybe that’s why I never feel ahead…! Who else can relate?!

Her pastel hair reminds me of Lady Lovely Locks

 

Now, I have some great news… If all goes to plan, I will be launching my web store before the end of the month! Woo-hoo!! Also, the Woodland Fawn pattern is almost ready for sale, so there’s also that to be excited for! I am just needing to cover the terms and conditions of sale side of things for the patterns, as I want to protect myself – whilst still allowing you to make and sell your creations made from my designs. Once this is sorted, the pattern will be available for purchase.

A teaser image from before she was finally revealed.

Like my creations, but don’t know how to sew? Not only will I have some ready made dolls and fawns available, I will also have limited custom spots available for purchase on launch night. And good news for Afterpay enthusiasts…  I am working on getting this set up for the launch.

I am really excited to share more with you as they are finished!

 

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Hello Dolly!

I have been having a blast creating some sweet dollies with my original Hunny + Bee doll pattern! I am finding it a bit difficult however to get the time to create, and am trying to balance this between getting my first pattern available to you for sale (the Woodland Fawn) and of course, the kids keep me busy!

After the fawn is released, it will be all about making sure that my dolly pattern is ready to go! (PSST… Interested in being a pattern tester? Register your interest by joining my exlusive pattern testers mailing list here.) Before any pattern release however, I want to open up my online store for a short while and offer some ready made dollies and fawns as well as some custom spots.

Judging by the response on social media, there are a few people keen to get their hands on one of these dollies so if you’re one of them, make sure to join my mailing list where you might even find a sneaky discount code at release time (shhh, don’t tell anyone!)

 

Continue reading Hello Dolly!

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Beautiful Fawn Creations

So far March has been a month of highs and lows in our household. The high comes from seeing the beautiful creations that are being bought to life by my pattern testers. I am so excited when I see their creations being shared with me, and I am so very grateful that they are loaning their time and skills to me to help bring this pattern out to everyone!

The lowest point was having to cancel my long-awaited and longed for Bali holiday with my family (the morning of the day we were due to fly out!), but let’s not dwell too long on that!

Also we were visited by category 2 Tropical Cyclone Marcus…  Oh and I turned a year older. That last one falls about somewhere in the middle of it all… Ha!

So back to the topic of pattern testing… Who wants to see what the team created? I thought that you might! Please see what some of the talented ladies have created:

Continue reading Beautiful Fawn Creations

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Pattern Testers Needed for the Fawn!

Hey! So it’s nearly time for me to get this sewing pattern into the hands of some testers, and I couldn’t be more excited (or nervous) at the prospect! As I am preparing to release this pattern, I am learning that there is a lot that goes into doing this and I really hope to get it right.

What I am looking for? 5 people who:

  • Have differing sewing backgrounds – This could also be your first time testing!
  • Are ready to provide fearless feedback on the pattern and instructions – I will have some specific questions that I would like you to answer
  • Can sew up the fawn and provide the feedback within 10 days
  • Can take photos of your finished creation and upload them

 

What do I offer in return? It’s not much, but I am happy to announce:

  • My gratitude – I couldn’t be doing this without you!
  • A copy of the finished pattern
  • You are welcome to request to keep any future patterns that I release- for free!
  • During the sewing time, I am happy to assist you along the way – if you need help let me know

 

If this sounds like your cup of beverage, please send me an email to hello@hunnyandbee.com letting me know that you agree to the above, along with a picture or two of something that you have sewn previously – it doesn’t need to be a toy (I would rate this pattern difficulty as being for advanced beginners – intermediate level). I will be choosing 5 people that I hope will be able to assist me in releasing the fawn pattern for sale by Friday 16th February. I will be in contact with those who are successful by the end of Sunday the 18th. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment below or send an email to the above address.