Thursday, May 23, 2024

Creating Luna Lapin πŸ’™

Greetings lovely friends & readers

It's nearly 2 years ago now since I treated myself to the book "Making Luna Lapin" using some birthday money.            A couple of months ago I pulled it out of my bookshelf & decided it was time to bring my own Luna to life.


 I had no Grey or Oatmeal coloured felt to make her body, but what I did have was an old Op-shop woolen skirt in a grey fleck - I decided to use up what I had in my stash.  I was worried the edges of the wool might fray but once blanket stitched I just trimmed any loose threads & it's fine.

The cream wool blanket with pale blue borders had come from Mum's when I cleared out No 44.  I had a purpose in mind for this.

Luna's body is entirely blanket stitched by hand but I decided to do her ears, body, & soles of her feet by machine - the rest all by hand.  I am pleased with this & it's enabled me to stuff her more tightly.  


 I used offcuts of vintage Tilda in a soft grey floral to line her ears & the soles of her feet.

 I made her the Polka Dot Dress (so called in the book) but I made mine using up some of my treasured Tilda stash - I think this piece might be from the Plum Garden range.  I used oddments of ricrac to trim her pockets & her sleeves.


This orphan earing was in Mum's jewellery box so I cut the back off & stitched it to her neck just under the Peter Pan collar.  A girl has to wear her finest jewellery when she's dressed in her best frock πŸ˜‰

Using an oddment of broderie lace I sewed her the French Cami Knickers in the book but I made mine a bit longer.


I put off making the wool coat for awhile as I wasn't feeling confident in my sewing.  After the school holidays I decided to give it a go.  This is what I'd earmarked Mum's wool blanket for - the book suggests wool felt but I decided again to use what I had on hand.

I was able to cut it out using the blanket stitched edge as my hem. This was wonderful to be able to do this. Again I made mine slightly longer than the pattern states.



I just LoVe all the details that the coat has ... false pockets, sleeve tabs & a back tuck. 
Although it is showing as grey-ish in my photos on this overcast day, it is actually the softest pale blue.
Last Sunday all I had left to do was the buttonholes ... I simply could not fit the thickness of the wool blanket under the buttonholer on my sewing-machine !!  In the end I just sewed the buttons on the top & sewed some snap fasteners underneath - this works fine & holds it nice & snugly on Luna.


Of course a girl that's going off on a trip in her swish new wool coat needs a fancy suitcase to take with her don't you think?  This adorable suitcase just kind of fell into my shopping cart when I was browsing on Etsy.  I was delighted with it when it arrived & it even opens & has compartments (!!!)  πŸ’—


The next item I would like to make for Luna is the Patchwork scarf - I have lots of small Tilda offcuts that I could use for this.


And perhaps the lace up boots .... I think she could do with a pair of these.  I have no desire to make her any of the other clothes in the book although there is a huge assortment of garments as well as her own comfy armchair !!!   
The Mr asked me if Luna was to give to Juno (my step-grandaughter) but I told him "one day maybe"........  
Right now the grown-up-girl that writes this blog gets to enjoy her for awhile  πŸ˜‰


Last Saturday my eldest Grandson Alec turned 9 (!!) How on earth did that happen (??)  
His Mum Sarah asked me to make a chocolate cake for his birthday cake using her recipe which I was not familiar with & not that happy with the end result ... however M & M's can solve a large array of issues & cover up all sorts of faults 😳


Alec got to go ten pin bowling with 6 other friends including Sid.  We had a wonderful time at the venue & Sid won the rounds for his team.  After this we went back to the house for a pizza dinner (& cake).


It's a grey dismal day here in rural Waikato  - not cold but overcast & showery.   What's a girl to do but wait til your Mum is otherwise distracted,  then go to sleep on the good mohair rug that you're not meant to be on !!!  


Thank you as always dear friends, for your welcome visits here today,
Wishing you a wonderful rest-of-the-week ... remember to be kind to yourselves & to each other,
With much love & friendship to you all,

30 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday to all.
    The Rabbit is so beautiful , you have so much talent .
    Have a good week, hugs June.

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  2. Luna is so lovely - I don't wonder you want to keep her for yourself.
    Happy birthday to Alec - it's so nice when they have smaller celebrations with a few good friends. I think I'd like to curl up on a soft mohair blanket on a miserable day - cats know best!

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  3. Luna is beautiful, Julie, and I can understand you wanting to enjoy for a while longer.... How wonderful to use that blanket for her coat.
    Looks as though the birthday boy had a wonderful extended family day - and chocolate cake!!!
    Hmm, my boy has discovered the warmest spot is on the carton (still waiting to be unpacked) directly under the heat pump.
    Blessings
    Maxine

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  4. ooooooO! French Cami Knickers...Goodnes! How wonderful...
    HeHe! Settle down Willie...Settle down..! :).

    Luna Lapin looks lovely, absolutely lovely...The ears do it for
    me, really sets her off, and really looks the part...
    But, the coat is lovely to, so much detail, and would look great
    as an adult coat in various colours...Lovely...!
    And the little case sets everything off just nice, l don't blame
    you Julie, for wanting to keep it for yourself to enjoy...! :).

    And Sid, nine years old, goodness, and a very special cake to
    have and share with his school chums...looks like he had a
    great day all round...Happy Burfday Sid, Happy Burfday...! :0)

    HeHe! And miss Pippi has the right idea..Bless!x Sweet dreams..! :)
    Nowt like a 'good' mohair rug to settle down on...is there a bad one!
    πŸ”” 🎢 πŸ₯‚πŸΎ☃️πŸŽŠπŸŽ‰πŸ˜˜❤ πŸ”” 🎢 πŸ₯‚πŸΎ☃️πŸŽŠπŸŽ‰πŸ˜˜❤ πŸ”” 🎢

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    1. Oh! So sorry Julie...It's Alec that's nine, not Sid......
      My fault...HeHe! And my age...
      Happy Burfday Alec...Happy Burfday...! :O).

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  5. Dismal here too! Luna has cheered me up! I would love a coat like hers!Great job Julie.xxx

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  6. Luna is just perfect in every detail, but oh, the coat melts my heart.

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  7. I have the Luna book, bought on a whim but haven't yet made her either! I also have a book with some of her friends in it too. I love how you used what you had and the coat is particularly lovely. She will be a lovely heirloom to hand on (if you feel you want to, of course.) I would be like you and keep her for a while!
    Have a lovely creative week
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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  8. Alec could not have gotten a better cake, his favorite recipe decorated in M&M's. He'd never know it was due to any kind of issue in frosting it. My hands now cramp from reading you did so much by hand stitching. Luna is quiet lovely and I think she may look dandy with your Good Fairy (?) on the cute baby crib. Sweet Juno will just have to visit and admire, snicker snicker. (bad me) We are having hot humid July heat here for 2 weeks now. Going on the bike at 7:30 am and off by 9:30 as the heat is too bad. Still with a less bit of rain than it has been. Ran the furnace in the morns 2 weeks ago and now the air conditioner for the hot evenings. Yuck and yuck. Climate change is just messing with us something awful every where. Good thing Miss Pip and Precious are unaware of it. Lynn and Precious XX

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  9. Oh Julie, my own grown-up-girl-heart has melted over your Luna! So much work you've done, and the result is simply gorgeous. I'm very tempted to make my own Luna, but my doll skills are nothing in comparison to yours. So beautiful.
    Happy birthday Sid!!! Nine? Yes, the years have flown, my friend.
    Love
    Jennifer
    x

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  10. Luna Lapin is absolutely beautiful Julie & if I had made her I would not be wanting to part with her either. Not ever!! You have done such a special job of her with all the extra little touches. Sarah in USA xx

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    1. Thank you so much Sarah - that is so kind of you to say. xx

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  11. Once again you have excelled yourself with Luna... extraordinary detail and patience required..... very well done Julie.... Lovely to enjoy a birthday party.. the cake looks great and I bet it tasted good !
    Hugz

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  12. WOW Julie, another amazing project completed, Luna Lupin is gorgeous as is her beautiful wardrobe.
    Happy Birthday to Alex, the years go by so fast, my eldest son is 40 today, have no idea where that time has gone.
    Have a lovely weekend and stay warm and dry - showery & cold up here in Waitoki - Pam x

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    1. Thanks so much Pam - yes I am thrilled with how Luna has turned out. We started out with a glorious day but soon the rains came in. Enjoy the weekend Pam, xx

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  13. Luna is a very stylish rabbit. Julie you did a marvelous job making her. Happy Birthday to Alex.

    God bless.

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  14. Your Luna looks fabulous Julie, well done, wow 9yrs old, hope he had a wonderful day. Miss pippi has style, and class, where else should she rest her weary head hehehe, well Julie we have a bit of sun, but mostly cloudy today, the whole family here has covid, went through the whole pandemic without catching it, but no one seems to care much about it now, have a great week.

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  15. Luna Lapin is absolutely beautiful. She deserves a special place to sit and be adorned with love. Her coat is adorable πŸ’™

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    1. Thank you so much Sandy. I am very pleased with how she turned out xx πŸ’—

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  16. Oh my goodness! Luna is so cute! I love her coat! I'm cutting out my knotty head dolly today! xoPom Pom

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  17. ¡¡¡QuΓ© preciosidad!!! te ha quedado ideal con la tela Tilda y la lana de la falda te ha venido fenomenal y Γ©sas bragas🩷🩷
    BESICOS.

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    1. from google translate ........
      What a beautiful thing!!! It looked perfect on you with the Tilda fabric and the wool on the skirt was great on you and those panties
      KISSES.

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  18. Luna is adorable! I do think the little pockets should be real though, after all they would be perfect for the odd chocolate bar or sweet? A great use of the random earring. Her knickers are very beautiful and an acceptable length! :) Cute wee suitcase, perhaps her chocolate and sweets can go in that? Happy birthday to your grandson, crikey they do grow up quick. And the sweets saved the cake!

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  19. Luna is so beautiful Julie, and her coat and suitcase are just gorgeous!! I think you should keep her too, and enjoy her. The cake looks pretty good to me, the young ones surely grow fast! Ah Miss Pippi, she looks so peaceful and comfy all curled up there.

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  20. Your work, as ever, is exquisite! I kept imagining those clothes for myself. Do you make your own clothes? You really are a talented seamstress. I love how you have used what you had and the blanket and earring from your beautiful Mum. Happy Birthday to Alec! That cake looks delicious and I’m sure that there was none left over. My eldest grandson will be 18 next week, where does that time go? It really is bittersweet. Much love from, Jennie πŸ–€πŸ–€

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    1. Thank you so much Jennie - that is such a sweet kind comment. No I don't make my own clothes. I find it easier to sew for "tiny creatures" where you can pop a bit of craft glue in here & there if necessary ... this is a bit tricky for grown up clothes. πŸ˜‰ I did used to sew for myself but think I became too fussy. Have a lovely week dear Jennie x0x

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  21. Big happy birthday wishes to Alec. The choccy cake looked delicious. You have done a beautiful job on sweet Luna...she's gorgeous! I love all the special bits xx

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  22. Luna is beautiful. You've done a wonderful job making her Julie. Yes, I really think she needs to stay with you! Happy birthday to Alec. xx

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  23. Luna is absolutely adorable, down to the last detail. Of course the grown-up girl who made her should get to enjoy her for as long as she would like. I love the way you included your Mum's earring, and even ordered her a suitcase. Does that mean she will need more of those outfits you don't want to make? ;)
    You are so right about M&Ms. They can solve all kinds of problems, even with no cake involved. But they did make that cake look really fun. Our boys loved having bowling birthday parties, and I loved that they let you bring the cake and gifts and gave you a table to have your party after the bowling. We didn't have to have the house full of little boys tearing up the place. Miss Pip looks lovely and cosy on the beautiful, forbidden rug.

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