The Story of Making American Girl Doll Wardrobes for Very Special Girls in my Life, Madison and Alana - Given on Christmas 2012

Pattern I used for Doll Clothing

                I hadn't made any American Girl Doll Clothing since my daughter was young and I had the idea to make some for some very special children in my life, Madison Age 4 and Alana Age 1+. They are a little young for American Girl but they both received American Girl dolls already and I just had the idea to make the clothing to get used for when they are ready to play with them. I bought this pattern about a year ago and started making doubles of each piece of clothing for the two girls. I have to tell you that making the clothing small is almost as complicated as making larger child size pieces. It took me 6 months of on and off sewing to pull together the wardrobes for each girls doll. They were ready for Christmas 2012 so I decided they were nice enough to give as presents.  I also knit 2 little purple ponchos for each girl's doll too and they came out really cute.

Here is a photo of Madison with her
 American Girl Wardrobe at Christmas.
I had given her the American doll the previous year
 but she still wasn't playing with it yet but was dressing a smaller doll all the same.

I had found
a small wardrobe
in a used furniture store and put
a bar in it to hang the clothing.

I then bought doll hangers and some black Mary Jane Shoes on Ebay. I also bought some American Doll plastic purses, barettes, and combs at a place I visited in New Hampshire last Fall. I had some miniature books to add to the doll closet collection too! It was fun making and collecting everything I needed for the Wardrobe.

This is a photo of Madison last summer
with her brother JJ, Mom, Emily, and Dad Jim
on our boat in Gloucester

A Little Fleece Jacket

Dress I made for Madison to wear which matches the
American Girl Doll Dress below

This is the American Doll Dress I made Madison for her Doll. I had also previously made her a dress
like this in this same material for her to wear.
I wish I had a photo of them wearing the dresses together but I don't yet.

This is supposed to be a Bride Outfit

Interior of Painted Wardrobe
with Hangers and Doll Clothing

You can see the books, plastic purse with comb and shoes
This photo was taken while I wrapped them.

Knitted Purple Poncho
Hard to see but they came out really cute.
 I knit two of these for each girl's Doll

Little Jean Shorts

Bathing Suit with Wrap Skirt

Little Skirt, Blouse Hat and Shoes on Hanger

Some little Miniature Books I found, I sent them each
2 little books with the Clothing

This was the Box of Doll Clothing that was sent to Alana in Hawaii where she lives now.  Maybe when she gets a little older I will make her a Doll Closet of her own but for right now I found a pretty Box for the American Doll clothing to stay in till she is ready to play with it.

this is the box closed before I wrapped it
and sent it to Alana for Christmas 2012

Alana got to visit us in Oct for her Birthday. She flew all the way from Hawaii with her parents Haley and Brian. While they were here Alana even ate Lobster and had a 1st Birthday Cake. 

Alana playing with our kid's kitchen we have in our hall.
All the kids love it so much!

Pretty Alana 

Alana blowing out the only candle we had for her Cake! It was Chocolate!

It was so much fun and a real privilege to be able to make
American Doll Clothing for each of them. This is the story of how I did it and what it looked like when I did.

Love, Melissa

Dij Pacharos Snippets Quilt Class - Art Gallery of Viera, Florida

Dij Pacarro on righ in flowered shirt working with
two of her fiber arts
students of the Snippet Projects

Dij Pacarro is a Fiber Artist who teaches some wonderful classes at the in Melbourne, Florida. I was introduced to her at a Seaside Quilt Guild Meeting I had been a guest at and loved her immediately. She is an accomplished Art Quilter and shows her work and teaches at an amazing Artist Cooperative Art Gallery of Viera.  The Snippets class was a chance to learn to Create a beautiful, floral art piece in the impressionist tradition using fused snippets of fabric in place of paint strokes. No sewing machine was required.

 

This was the start of my creation!

Each student received a package of Steam a Seam which is a double stick fusible web that bonds permanently when ironed. 

Quilters use it to create beautiful collages with fabric. You can quilt over it when done.

We chose some fabrics adhered the Steam a Seam and started creating! It was so much fun and Dij had great tips and ideas for how to cut out various shapes.

This is me with my finished Sunflower Creation!

Other Snippets Students hard at
work on their Collages

Dij on left giving advice, my project in foreground

Finished!

Needs something more!

Love the Flowers

Done!

The Workroom for Classes at The Art Gallery of Viera

To register or contact Dij Pacarro at 
quilterdij@earthlink.net or 321-806-5550 

Future Classes with Dij 2013:
Design Your Own Art Quilt - April 6th, 9:30 - 12:-30 ($30 plus optional kit)
Free Motion Machine Quilting - May 4th, 9:30 - 12:00 ($25 plus optional kit)
A Day at the Beach Fabric Collage - June 1st, 9:30 - 12:00 ($25 plus optional kit) 

Art Gallery of Viera
in The Avenues
2261 Town Center Avenue, Suite 111 Viera, FL 32940 321-504-4343 www.artgalleryofviera.com

Pumpkin Hat for a Child

Free Pattern: http://randomstitches.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/baby-berry-hat2.pdf

I first made this child's hat last year for an infant. This year I made it a little larger for a toddler by adding an additional 9 stitches. Perfect Fall Motif and Halloween style hat. You cast this on three needles and knit it in a stockinette stitch, no ribbing! Creates a nice little roll. I found the Free Pattern on Raverlry.com and it seemed like one of the easier patterns, as there are soooo many of these floating around the net!

Fall is the perfect time for knitting! Make one of these today for your little one.

Back to School Clothing made for Madison and JJ

http://averylucasart.com/home.html


My daughter Avery Lucas with her recent sculpture "Envelop"

Making a Rudraksha Mala - Bead Board, Tools, & Rudrakshas - Fall 2010

My dog Captain came by to say a mantra too!

This is on the floor of my meditation room ~~

I have been making malas for over 18 years and it is a wonderful meditative practice which lets me say one mantra at a time. I started doing this at a famous meditation ashram in NY. where I trained for several years. I sell these malas for those who are interested, on Amazon.com.
http://www.amazon.com/Rudraksha-Prayer-Wrist-Bracelet-5mm/dp/B000NCOG50/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1286624034&sr=8-14

This is an example of me making a sterling silver wrist mala with 5-6mm nepalese rudrakshas. I am using pearl accents. Each bead is meticulously matched and wired wrapped using the same tools I have used to make thousands of malas. Each bead have 2 Om Namah Shivayas said (internally) as the link on each side is made. This is done with a high degree of focus and awareness. A wonderful practice :)

Dyelot Stimulus Package Winterberry & Colinette Mohair Meditation Shawl

This was an extremely enjoyable project to knit because of the gorgeous textures and variations. It was knit over the latter part of the Summer of 2010 mostly on weekends while spending time on our boat "The Blue Pearl" in Gloucester Harbor.  I used Dyelot Stimulus Package Winterberry yarn purchased at Coveted Yarn www.covetdyarn.com in Gloucester Massachusetts. I used the free pattern that came with the yarn (also available at www.dyelotyarn.com ) but boosted the width and length of the shawl by adding a skein of Heather Colored Collinette Mohair which is a beautiful yarn from Wales, UK. This was a very meditative and introspective project. Although a simple pattern, the interest of the yarn was striking to put together and easy to pick up and put down between swims and activites on the water. I knit part of it on a trip to The Isle of Shoals  in New Hampshire which is a lovely set of islands off the NH and Maine coast. The islands are wild and desolate. Every stitch has the awareness of mantra remembered and vibrated during knitting.  A very lovely shawl for early morning meditation. Very protective and warm. Inspiring :)

Heather Atwood from The Gloucester Times

http://blogs.gloucestertimes.com/foodforthought/2010/08/22/anadama-bread-from-the-three-melissas-a-culinary-treasury-of-cape-ann/#more-1500

Check out this link. Heather Atwood from the Gloucester Times writes an excellent weekly column called "Food for Thought" and I was thrilled when she featured me today!

Melissa Smith Abbott Interview Part I

Part 1 Video Interview of myself talking about The Legacy of Three Melissas, a book I recently published about history, commentary, and recipes of Cape Ann Massachusetts. The interview is done for a very popular local Gloucester blog called "GoodMorningGloucester" my life on the dock by Capt Joey Ciametaro. Part 2 will be posted tomorrow night.


The book is available at www.anadamabreadbook.com

Book Signing at Cape Ann at Cape Ann Museum

The Book Signing on Saturday made the Gloucester Daily Times this morning with this little "blurb"

Author talks about local inns, food

The Cape Ann Museum presents a book signing with Gloucester's Melissa Smith Abbott, author of "The Legacy of the Three Melissas" on Saturday, Aug. 14, from 11 a.m. to noon in the special exhibition gallery featuring the show "Ars Longa, Vita Brevis: Rockport Artists in the 1930s." The book signing is free to the public.

Years ago, the author's family on her father's side ran the Anadama Bread Bakery, Blacksmith Shop Restaurant, The Cable House Bed & Breakfast, The Faraday Inn, all in Rockport, and The Easterly Inn in Gloucester. Her grandmother, Melissa Collins Smith, along with her husband William P.C. Smith, ran food businesses on Cape Ann for 70 years. The Blacksmith Shop Restaurant was a favorite haunt of Rockport artists during the 1930s. Abbott has put together her family's collection of menus, recipes, photos, artwork, cookbooks, historic documents, and memorabilia in her new book. The museum is located at 27 Pleasant St. in Gloucester. For information, call 978-283-0455 or visit www.capeannmuseum.org.

For more information about the book: www.anadamabreadbook.com 

The Legacy of Three Melissas www.anadamabreadbook.com

Announcing the release of my cookbook which I have been busy with for the last few months! Over 300 New England Historic Recipes with history and commentary on Cape Ann Massachusetts. It is available on my website www.anadamabreadbook.com and locally on Cape Ann at The Bookstore, Toad Hall, Harbor Loop Gifts, and Cape Ann Museum. There will be a public book signing at 11AM, Sat. Aug. 14th at The Cape Ann Museum, Pleasant St., Gloucester, MA 01930


The book includes a chapter on the history of Anadama Bread which my family baked commercially from the 1930's to the 1970's on Cape Ann and distributed the bread regionally, throughout New England during that time. 


There are also recipes for such favorites as Joe Froggers (a rum and molasses cookie taken to sea by sailors), Easterly Inn Popovers, Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins, New England style Clambakes, Clam Fritters, Chowders, Melissa's Garlic Dressing, and many more regional favorites with interesting commentary and history.

Mini Lowfat Blueberry Cheesecakes

8 Cinnamon Graham Crackers

2 Tbsp good oil like Grapeseed Oil

8 oz fat free cream cheese

2 egg whites or 1/2 c. eggbeaters

1/4 c. fat free soup cream

1/3 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1/4 teasp scant - almond extract (just a drop)

Blueberrys

Muffin Tin lined with paper Muffin Liners

Preheat over to 375 degrees.

Grind in a food processor the graham crackers until completely crushed. Then add Grapeseed Oil until blended well. Place Tbsp of graham cracker mixture into each paper lined muffin cup and press down with the spoon. Combine everything else except the blueberries in the food processor until creamy smooth. Pour over crushed graham crackers. Decorate the top of each mini cheese cake with blueberries. bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Chill before serving. Delightful and lowfat.

Carrot Soup

10 Lg Carrots pealed, trimmed, and chopped
1 Lg Onion Sliced and Chopped
4 Cups Vegetable or other Broth
Fresh basil
Fat Free Sour Cream
Salt
Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except Sour Cream into a Slow Cooker Crockpot and set on High. Cook for 3-4 hours. Puree with a handheld food Processor on put soup into a food procesor or blender to puree. Cook a little longer in crockpot until ready to serve. Serve with a dollop of Fat Free Sour Cream and chopped basil in center of bowl. Cracked Pepper to taste. This is a healthy lowfat inexpensive recipe. Perfect for lunch with a sandwich or for a first course at dinner.

Wrist Mala du Jour - made this one today!

Amazing Oatmeal White Chocolate, Butterscotch, Chocolate, Nut, Cranberry Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbs Vanilla

1 Tsp. Almond Extract (secret ingredient)

2 cups oatmeal

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

3 oz. White Chocolate Chips

3 oz. Butterscotch Chocolate Chips

3oz. Dark or Milk Chocolate Chips

1/2 cup Cranberries or Raisens

1/2 cup chopped Nuts - Walnuts, Almonds

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees, Cream first 5 ingredients in a mixer, add the rest of the ingredients except for Chips, Cranberries, and Nuts. When flour is all mixed in add the rest of the ingredients so that they are inorporated into the dough. Scoop Tablespoons onto cookie sheets and flatten with palm a bit for best results. Cook 8-10 minutes, remove and cool on racks. Moist, Delicious, and Wonderful!

Two Seals at Braces Cove, Gloucester, MA - Valentines Day 2010

Valentines Day 2010 at Braces Cove

Charlie looks a little grumpy (was probably cold)

See the two seals on a rock and the lovely Orchid Charlie gave me for Valentines Day!