Fairy

Miss E has this really cute growth chart behind the door in her bedroom, and every time I look at it, I want to smile. It has three adorable little fairies on it, and each has a pretty floral dress and gingham wings. I've been wanting to create little plushies like them, so last night, I took an hour or two to get one started and then finished her up this evening.

As prototypes go, there are things I'll do differently next time, but I think the pattern is a keeper. I started with the pattern I've been using for the dolls like Chloe, reduced it 60%, tweaked the hair (next will have longer hair) and added some butterfly wings. Wings were a bit of a challenge, so Miss E has the first one to play with. I decided to leave them to fray, much like the bits and pieces of fabric on the front of her dress. The wings are made from muslin and lined with flannel, making them incredibly soft yet stiff enough to stand out. Her dress has a little collar and pockets (sorry, fake) to match her sleeves; the last little bits of that gorgeous Amy Butler Gothic Rose. (I really might have to get more. Love it.)

I practiced my embroidery on the face, and it's not half bad. I'm signed up for an embroidery class in early October (yippee!), hoping to improve my doll faces. I've got at least 20 faces sketched out to try as I go, but Miss E loves the sleepy smiley look on this little fairy. She makes me smile just looking at her.

She's tiny -- maybe 7 or 8 inches, head to toe, at most. I should measure her, but she's currently sleeping in Miss E's arms, so that is not possible. Turns out, she and Chloe are BFFs, and both are being hugged tonight. I wasn't sure how the small size would be for a toddler, but she seems to just adore the tiny size, so it's a hit! I like the size because it's easy for her to carry around, and small enough that I can stash her in my purse if Miss E gets tired of carrying her. I was toying with the idea of calling them Pocket Fairies, but haven't researched to see if anyone else has those already. She's a bit too big for a pocket, really, but so dang cute! I'm ready to make more! :)