Coral Queen of the Sea No. 3

Yes, this is the third mermaid I have made. In my post for May 17, 2017, I admitted my chagrin at having so many panels in my stash. In my previous post on May 20, 2017, I decided to take action to remedy the situation and made up a red riding hood doll panel and a mermaid doll panel. Yesterday, since I was on a roll and did not want to lose my momentum I finished off that third mermaid doll panel. My second mermaid had been trimmed in pink rick-rack so I needed to chose a different color for this granddaughter. I laid out the options I had at home. I knew if I ran out to the local sewing store for a bigger selection I would get distracted. My at-home choices were dark green, white, lime green, and frosty blue. I displayed them against the blanket and pillow from the set.

I eliminated the dark green even though it was a near match to the fish on the pillow because it was medium size, not baby size. I did have a chuckle when I saw the price tag of 25 cents on it. This rick-rack package was inherited from my mother's stash and she passed away in 1979, nearly 40 years ago. The white would have certainly worked but I wanted something with a bit more pizazz. The frosty blue seemed "off" against the aqua tones of the mermaid collection. The lime green, although it was not an exact match with the little fishes, reminded of bright seaweed so I went with it. I edged the pillow with the baby lime green rick-rack.

I also trimmed the top waist of the skirt. I did my now-standard trick of sewing sideways across the casing once the belt was in so the ends would not retract too far and be unreachable. The tip of my Clover Hera marker tool points to this stitching line. The central front section stays pre-gathered all the time and the back can be cinched tighter once on the doll.

I edged Coral Queen of the Sea's beach blanket with the signature green. I think it complements the fish even though it does not match them.

That lime green is on each of the doll's accessories, even Mr. Bubbles her sea horse pet. I used it as an identifier of ownership.

In her lounging position you can also see the bright green signature in her hair, on her bodice and on the waistline of her fin gown. She and her seahorse pet Mr. Bubbles are resting quietly. After my doll panel marathon of the past several days, I too will take a break.

Maybe I have learned my lesson. Perhaps in the future I will buy a different panel for each granddaughter and not make three of the same. Three red riding hoods and three mermaids got a bit repetitious. That's why I had to spice each one up a bit with rick-rack. One definite benefit though was that I did get quite proficient at those dolls after turning and stuffing 24 limbs! Now that I think of it, if I include my Lil' Super Heroes dolls from my post for April 14, 2017, my efforts total 32 limbs. Yikes! Perhaps now is a good time to check out Let's Bee Social #178.