Warning: Betsy spam and wafflings contained in this post!

I spent the better part of yesterday scrubbing the old girl out. i have tried to discover her heritage, too - but as of yet, i still don't know who made her.

first jobs - new tyres (whitewall, please) and new foam cushion/mattresses (the existing ones have rat holes, are uncomfortably stuffed with coconut fibre and contain 59 years worth of dust and old flatulence - i am scared of them). it may take time to source fabrics similar to the original coverings (i love the red piping) so we may temporarily cover the new foam initially. my husband also wants to do some (minor, we hope) structural work to her.

then i think we need to find new linoleum for her. i adore the original lino but it is rather stained/dirty and fragile. i am scared that scrubbing to clean her will destroy it. but i also fear we shall never find either new old stock lino, or new retro look lino that we love. being (i imagine) the hardest thing to find,  it needs to be the first purchase. then we can select new fabric for the mattresses, curtains and paint which work together.

 so yes - we also want to re-paint the interior and the exterior. we think the exterior was originally off-white, and the interior green was a pale yellow. we would like to go back to the original colours, and i would also like a few red accents here and there, to tie in with the piping on the cusions.

the couch transforms into a bunk bed, and the table folds down to become a double bed. just the right size for my husband to lie down with neither head nor feet touching walls - lucky!

the laminate on the table and bench is pristine. very excited about that blue marble laminate! *squee*


Betsy has her original ice-box and gas oven - gas oven perfect, ice-box a  bit peely and needs work.


the curtains were the saddest part for me. they were rotting and filthy, and of course disintegrated despite my most gentle hand-washing. it was rather devastating for someone who loves vintage fabrics =( luckily the privacy curtain had been stored in a cupboard so i have a good idea of what the original fabric looked like before it became brown and rotten! i have purchased a seersucker in similar colours/pattern but once painted etc shall choose something more to my taste.

long, waffling post. there is sure to be more to come! haha (=  so excited to welcome Betsy into the family and am looking forward to building happy memories as my kids grow and we take her on fun trips!

confession time. here seems like a safe place to confess because traffic is slow. i haven't done any dolly sewing in, what, two weeks? i re-opened my commission list because i keep feeling the urge to sew, i get some fabrics out, think about patterns and feel uninspired. i thought taking commissions on would help me find direction.

instead, i find myself going in all new directions - hoping to start a market stall with hand-sewn items for humans (as opposed to dolls). the process is rather more complicated than i imagined and currently i am working on a bunch of new ideas, to photograph and sumbit with application to a local market that i love. then to work on quantities after sumbissions have been approved.

and the big, exciting news is that we adopted an old caravan! she is a real beauty. we have named her Besty, and she was made circa 1953 and is mostly original. *choir of angels sing "aaaahhhhh" in perfect harmony here*. 

today, what i really want to do is go and play caravan, but instead must tidy up for visitors, finish off max's art smock (erm, yes, master procrastinator here), hem his new school pants, finish covering his books, buy new school shoes and get haircuts. oh and do some collation work for our (now ex) kindergarten. not all of these jobs have to be done today but only five sleeps 'til school starts!

so best i get on with the jobs so i can go and play. some quick pics before i run: apple pincushions,  hooter (actually, not the best name for this little stuffed owl guy), all with market stall in mind:

 

and this is the rego for Betsty. last registered in 1973! i still can't believe we have her!

so i owe the commission people an apology. next week, after my son starts school (no school on monday, tuesday is the boy's first day of school,  public holiday wednesday - he does half days for the first week, she has whole days like usual) i promise to get back into the blythe sewing.  i still feel passionate about it but feel a bit stale? i want to come up with new patterns but then feel frustrated when i get to a third draft and it still isn't working even close to how i want..........

to coincide with the fourth issue of Tiny Feet, i have just updated my storenvy shop with three tiny clown suits and four tiny dresses. i was honoured to be asked to contribute to the lastest circus themed issue - my favourite theme of all time! the mag is a feast for the senses - i can almost smell the popcorn.


http://www.tinyfeetmag.com/allissues

please check it out - the amazing contribution at the beginning of the mag  by the talented Cookie Dolls...... her dioramas are something to behold.

oh and if you want to check out my storenvy, here 'tis: http://www.fritzybitz.storenvy.com/