Miscellaneous

In compliance with the special request coming from a certain lady by the name of beadbabe (see the comments to my previous post) I will show you the two sisters, Sepia and Octa, together:


Although quite different in character, they get on very well, as you can see here:


And last not least, this is a picture of the two sisters rising to the occasion of the American elections:


They are waving their and my congratulations to the American BJP participants. I am a little tired today, like millions of people must be, due to lack of sleep, because I listened to the radio almost all night long. Unfortunately, Obama's speach was not broadcast in full, so I will look for the complete text in the internet.

This is not the place to elaborate on my political views, I will just say this: If Obama adheres to his own words and all Americans team up, a better America, an America that can be respected and trusted again, and along with it a better world can and hopefully will be built. I also hope Obama has the best guardian angel available.

Independent of politics, I think the BJP in its own way already contributes to making the world a better place: Creating, showing and discussing art, initiating friendships across borders and continents - that's something, isn't it? Let me close with the last verse of a poem that I wrote about my first visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London some years ago:

All that beauty made me dream
of a fascinating theme:
Imagine our world to be
full of peace and artistry,
devoid of powerplay and war ...
A distant goal worth striving for!

Alright, I will have an early night today, and then on to the November Journal Darling Doll!

Best wishes, happy beading,
Sabine

October Journal Darling Doll is finished!

Dear BJPers,

Election Day in the United States of America, and OCTA enters the Blog World. The first event being a LOT more important than the second, I suppose my latest Journal Darling Doll will sit in the internet for a while before being noticed. All the same, here she is, introducing herself:


I'm OCTA, Dears,
greet you with cheers.
Hope all of you are very well.
Here is the tale I wish to tell:

Sabine's birthday came and went,
another life-time year is spent.
Sixty-seven years old now,
Sabine made a solemn vow:
"My age in mind, I here declare
that I will use my time with care."

Will she succeed? I do not know,
but certainly I do hope so.

And this is Octa's rear view:


In comparison to her more refined and reflective sister Sepia, Octa is a bit on the rather garish side. But there you are: Twelve dolls, twelve personalities. I have understood that much already: Do what I like, they will have their way.

Here is a close-up of Octa's face. The hair was crocheted and then sewn on. The "blonde" consists of light plastic beads, the highlights are mostly glass beads. Can you see the earring, two gold-coloured beads dangling from her ear?


I attached an old watch to Octa's leg to represent the thought of everything, including our lives, being finite. We have to accept this fact, but often avoid reflecting on it. We have a saying here: "Es ist später als Du denkst", meaning it is later than you think it is. This thought is illustrated by the watch set at five to twelve.


The fabric for the October doll had already been chosen and laid out, when, on the 9th of October, I passed by a secondhand clothes shop. I had never paid much attention to this particular shop, but that morning I was drawn to the window display, and there, right in front of my nose, was THE October fabric: A silk tie printed with a design of scales - any libra's dream. Of course I bought that tie immediately, before anyone else could snatch it up. At closer inspection I found that the scales were Justitia's scales. The crests of arms between the scales showed a prisoner in striped prison outfit behind bars, prison-cell keys, and handcuffs. Very sinister! I hid all the unpleasant images on Octa's front behind embellishment, but left them uncovered on the back and limbs. On the back, the details don't show anyway, because they are covered by the pouch and the paper with the poem printed on it:


By the way, did you notice that Octa is a little fatter than Sepia? This is not due to all the fibre fill she ate. Nor did I use another pattern. The only difference is that I did most of the embellishment before I assembled the body.

Now that I know how to do it, I just can't resist playing with photos, and I am having a hard time deciding which pictures to publish. Here is a last image of Octa, showing her sitting in front of my sewing machine.


Cheerio for now, I am off to the cinema. When I come home and go to bed I will put the radio near my bed. This is an absolute exception, but the radio station I usually listen to is having an "American Night" from midnight till six o'clock in the morning, closely following the developments of the US election. I won't hear all of it, but will certainly listen in at the start of the broadcast, then whenever I happen to be awake, and in the morning.

All the best,
Sabine