Fairies under construction

I've been working away on kits for my fairy project for Birdsong 4. To get to the point to even start thinking about kits, I had to make plenty of little wool roving fairies to figure out the very best way to get them done and to explain to others how to make them.

And of course, I made sooooo many, that I simply couldn't chose just one color for the kits. I loved them all. And I really love variety.

So, I made up packages with the different types of fairies that I had created. There are neutral or green toned Woodland Fay, Pastel Pixies in softer colors, and Bright Sprites for the ladies who like things a little splashier.

I also had to dye a lot of wool. And dye then sew crepe paper ruffles, by the hundreds of yards. And sew ruffled tulle for the skirts too.

I like it that I don't have two dolls that turned out the same and I can't wait to see dozens of fairy ladies in all the pretty colors when my Birdsong friends make their kits.

And of course, if you know anything about me, I'm sure you know that I like to give people choices. I even have a bunch of dog and cat faces that can be subbed for little girls faces on the fay dolls.

I'll also have bags of colored feathers, and a rainbow of wool roving out to play with, so that individuality can explode in a blast of colors that day.

We'll be making peat pot swings for the fairies to hang out in. I'd tried a ton of other ideas for swings and all were kind of interesting, but there is something extra cute about peat pots, at least to me.

Gosh, I wish the photos of the fairies looked as good as they do in real life. They just aren't something that photographs well. Each has a lot of sweet details that make it special.

It was fun to plan the color schemes and fill the kit bags with tiny pretties, snips of lace, and itty bitty bouquets that when mixed with a dollop of creativity, will become a studio full of fairies when Birdsong comes around!

By the way, I know that this craft isn't something I invented. I simply figured out the best way to make them for myself, but they have been around since Victorian times. Does anyone know the real name of these dolls? They were often made into Angels for Christmas trees. I keep calling them wool roving fairies, but would love to know if there is something I should be calling them instead.