I cannot count my day complete
'Til needle, thread and fabric meet.
~Author Unknown

Sharing a common thread with those who love the art of hand embroidery

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Now that Christmas has passed,

I can show you a project that I worked on to give as a gift.
But first,
my son has a unique way of giving me a stash of embroidery floss for a present.



whether it be Mother's day, a birthday

or Christmas,

He always finds pretty containers, and then stuffs them full
of new skeins of embroidery floss........
"my sewing basket runneth over"

now for the project.........most of you are familiar
with Hallmark store's Maxine and her little dog Floyd?
My friend/sister-in-law has always loved Maxine's
character and sarcastic wittiness.  

I always try to make her some kind of unique item......something that 
no store has and that no one else will probably ever have. So 
I  decided to make a Maxine doll.  I carefully sculpted her head
from oven bake clay and after it was cured, I painted  and styled as
best I could.

I also sculpted her hands

her legs/feet with shoes.

I made her body soft and stuffed in a garment that looks
like something Maxine would wear
I then sculpted her little dog Floyd out of oven bake clay.


As most of you know.......she also wears bunny house shoes,
which I hand sewed 

and made to fit on her feet.

My friend loves the doll boxes I create......so.....
I found a very pretty shaped box

and on one side, created a kitchen setting , complete
with table, chair, tea pot, tea cup, a food bowl for Floyd, 
an oven baked clay pie


and a window scene

the other side of the box, I made a place to hold her wardrobe
and other little accessories I made for her

My friend/sister-in-law was delighted.....
as I hoped she would be.
After all of the laughter was over, she told me
that our local Hallmark store is closing........
as many others have recently done.
It is a shame to see these types of stores
fade away.
So now she has a memory of something from that
"era" to make her smile.
I hope this finds that you all had a happy holiday time
with friends and family and that you 
have wonderful hopes for the new year to come!


11 comments:

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

WOW!!! I am totally impressed with Maxine, her dog and accessories!!!!!! You did a fantastic job.

Love the ways your son gives you embroidery thread. ;-)

Enjoy the rest of this year and have a great 2020 ~ FlowerLady

lil red hen said...

Kathleen, this is a precious gift!! You did a fantastic job making the doll, dog, and the box house with contents. I know she will treasure it!

Prims By The Water said...

How fun. What a great job. I so love Maxine! Janice

Hill Top Post said...

I love Maxine and the doll box. Maxine should be happy with the scene through her kitchen window!

Sandra said...

What a wonderful way your son has to give gifts to you. So thoughtful and creative. You did such a good job on making a Maxine figure and then the house and clothes and contents made it even better. Such a personal and special gift to receive.

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Oh my goodness! Maxine and all her accessories are absolutely fantastic. Wow! What a great gift. No doubt your SIL was absolutely delighted. It reminds me of the clay doll a friend and I made for our boss when he was retiring. We crocheted sandals, a shirt, shorts and hat, and I made a box to present it in. There's a story behind why we did it which is absolutely hilarious. The whole day of his retirement that I planned couldn't have turned out more perfect. I noticed that the Hallmark that was in one of the malls here had closed down but I didn't know why. It's a shame that these places are no more. Love the thoughtful way your son gives you embroidery threads. Happy almost new year!

Jeannie said...

WOW! You have so much talent and creativity. You made a family heirloom that will be cherished for generations. Your son seems to have inherited your creativity also.
Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry

drafter29 said...

Maxine is adorable. You have some cool kids.

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

You amaze me. What a thoughtful, loving gift! You really outdid yourself!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

Maxine is the cutest little doll I've ever seen! How smart and artistic you are! I've read this post every day since you wrote it. I'm trying to figure out how I could make the little house. I have dolls....wonder if I could make a little house for one of them. Love seeing everything you make during the year. You always inspire us all! Happy New year!!!

Gina E. said...

You are so thoughtful, and so very creative! Maxine cartoons always make me giggle :-)
Your son must take after you, that is such a fun way to give you something useful.