Suzy Ultman is one of my favourite illustrators. Her images are whimsical and colourful, with a modern take on a retro vibe. Characters are odd and cute, without being cutesy. I’m not even sure if that makes sense–all I know is this: her images make me happy. I’ve been slowly collecting Suzy Ultman fabric, using elements as patches for my airplane activities envelope and teacher gift bags.
When I spotted this fabric on sale at Hawthorne Threads, I snatched up 2 yards. Each doll measures about 10″ tall, perfect for small stuffed dolls. Last week, we had friends over on a playdate and the littlest was celebrating her 2nd birthday. I quickly sewed up 2 dolls and Froo decorated a birthday gift bag. It was all very last minute and I forgot to take a photo.
However, Froo insisted that I make her 3 dolls and chose the ones she wanted, along with the backing fabric for each doll. Her mind would not be swayed, so I had to cut into some fresh fabric that I’ve been saving. A couple of hours later… et voilà! Suzy Ultman dolls. I am smiling just looking at them:
Boo wanted one too–he kept trying to steal the birthday girl’s dolls, saying, “my birthday!”. I picked a doll wearing a squirrel costume, just so I could use Festive Forest by Allison Cole for the backing fabric.
Froo has a great eye for fabric selection. I guess I buy fabric that suits my style, so inevitably, everything matches, but I would have chosen other prints scraps that needed to be used up. The colourful hearts on the white background is from Novelties, by Timeless Treasures. The pink gingham is from Fly a Kite, by Riley Blake–leftover from Froo’s quilt. The yellow bumblebee print is from Lecien, I had one fat 1/8 of it and used it up on 2 dolls. The last one is the one I chose (which is why it doesn’t match the others).
I took solo shots of each doll, since they seem to have their own little personalities. The dolls are on top of boxes by Paperchase for Target that I bought last winter.
These dolls are such a big hit with Froo! Not so much with Boo. I don’t think he really wanted a doll–just the attention that you get for your birthday. Both Froo & Boo have crazy-after-swimming-lessons-hair going on:
Finally, a photo of Froo’s 3 dollies enjoying a peaceful, afternoon nap:
This marks my first summer project of the year. I don’t have too many sewing projects planned for this season–lots of outdoorsy things instead, but I did receive a nice package in the mail:
Eek! Have you seen a better looking tank blouse pattern than the Datura? I added the Sureau dress at the last minute because it’s not everyday that you receive mail from France. Besides, I love a dress with 3/4 length sleeves. I can’t wait to get started!