As the March Talent Showcase continues, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to someone who knits, sews and does a lot more crafting than I do! Lyndell could costume your doll to fit any holiday, it’s pretty amazing! Here’s Lyndell from the Etsy shop, BlytheStar.

Hi Lyndell! What can you tell us about yourself?
I’m a gran’ma and a constant crafter, happiest when I’m in the middle of making things. After decades working in offices in various admin / secretarial roles I finally made the break about a decade ago and now I work as a costumier and milliner. I sew and knit costumes, mostly for stage productions but sometimes for movies or TV and I work part-time for a milliner making fashion hats for women. When all that is not keeping me busy I make clothes and toys for my two grandchildren or I make clothes and accessories for Blythe dolls.

How did you discover the world of Blythe?
A hopeful suitor gave my grownup daughter a French Trench Blythe doll in 2004 – FT is very much a mini-my daughter. Although that suitor was unsuccessful we are now an inter-generational Blythe family and my granddaughter’s name is – Blythe.

What made you decide to start crafting for your dolls?
Well, I started sewing dresses for that French Trench, her name is Bibi. I had been sewing clothes for a friend’s Barbie and found the Blythe body shape a whole lot easier to sew for! Like many people in the fashion and costume making industry, I started as a child sewing dresses for my dolls; I guess I just never really stopped.

I noticed you do a large variety of types of crafts – which one do you like doing the most?
Knitting – I love knitting and the whole process of turning a ball of yarn into a garment. I love the tactile feel of a good quality yarn running through my fingers and knitting is so adaptable – you can make everything from a fine lace shawl to a thick warm coat. There are so many different techniques in knitting – always something new to learn and master. Currently, my favourite technique is ‘short-rowing’ which I use a lot to create shape in the clothes I knit for Blythe dolls.

What was the first design that you came up with for your shop?
My first design that I thought would be a ‘seller’ was the knitted bathing suit. Currently I don’t have any left in the shop – must do something about that!

How was the experience of selling your first crafted item for Blythe? How did that make you feel?
Absolutely ecstatic! Actually had 2 sales on the 2nd day the Etsy shop was open which was very exciting and then worrying … would the buyers like the goods? had my descriptions been misleading in any way? would the parcels get lost in the post?

What would you consider to be your favourite design to make?
The favourite design is always the one currently in my head and not yet made. At the moment this is a circus outfit – loosely based on the classic Petrushka costume. Second favourite is usually the last outfit off the needles – currently the cherry red ‘pleather’ raincoat and cap. Like a lot of my designs that one was inspired by the fabric – a lovely Italian light weight vinyl.

There’s a lot of niches in the dolly clothing market – where do you fit in?
Not quite sure if I’ve found that niche yet. I would like to make costumes for Blythe – complete theatrical outfits, historical fashion, ballet tutus … however, those are very time consuming so they have to be quite expensive and it is always hard to find those larger blocks of time. Meanwhile I’m offering more conventional Blythe garments plus some jewels and a Passport service! My garments are professionally made and finished – in sewing I aspire to the quality and craftsmanship of the awesome Kikihalb.

I know you haven’t been crafting for long, but what have you learned so far about yourself and the process?
Oh I have been crafting and making things since I was little – but I’ve only gone fully professional in the last decade.
What has crafting taught me about myself and the process? That I’m a perfectionist and that I will spend hours doing something I don’t really enjoy (like beading) to get the result that I want (nicely placed twinkles). With most of the crafts that I do I’m a ‘results’ person; the crafts that I also enjoy for the ‘process’ of doing them are mostly very tactile & sculptural such as knitting, spinning and blocking hats.

What kind of routine do you have for when you sit down to craft?
Drink coffee, draw design, drink coffee, gather the materials, drink coffee …

For all the things that you use when crafting, what is one tool that you cannot live without?
My expensive and very sharp scissors – good scissors are a wonderful thing!

What can you tell us about what we might see from you in the future?
I have so many plans for things I want to make for the BlytheStar shop! Hats for Blythes, flapper dresses, more ballerina tutu outfits, glam ‘red carpet’ evening gowns …

Thank you so much for doing this interview with me, Lyndell! What kind of advice do you have for someone who’s new to Blythe?
Thanks for the opportunity, I do love being part of the Blythe community. Advice for a newby? Be prepared to fall in love with these funny big-headed dolls they can hijack your heart!

You can find Lyndell on Flickr, over at her blogs (Fashioned by Lyndell and Blythe Dolls’ Bon Voyage) as well as at Etsy (BlytheStar and Fashioned by Lyndell).

Dress & Necklace Giveaway!

Lyndell of BlytheStar has graciously decided to give away a sparkly turquoise dress! The winner will also be receiving a matching (not pictured) necklace for their doll.

You can get up to eight (8) entries for this giveaway draw and you can enter until Saturday March 16th 2013 at 11:59pm Pacific. The draw will be held on Sunday March 17th 2013 and the winner will be announced on BlytheLife.com. Remember to use a valid email address for all comments. If you win, your email will be forwarded to Lyndell so she will be in contact with you about your prize.

Please only use one email address per person, those using multiple email addresses for more entries will be disqualified.

Mandatory Entry: Comment below about the interview with Lyndell of BlytheStar! This is worth 1 entry into the giveaway.

Bonus Entry #1: Tweet about the contest! Please retweet the following once per day from your public Twitter account! (If you look below, there is a box for you to include your Twitter username, if you do, I can easily verify your bonus entry!) Each tweet is 1 entry into the giveaway for a maximum of 2 entries into the giveaway. Please comment below to tell me that you’ve been tweeting (1 comment per tweet!)

Check out the @blythelifecom interview with Lyndell of BlytheStar! #giveaway http://bit.ly/Zj4hfF

Bonus Entry #2: Blog about the contest! Be sure to include some details about the contest and include links to BlytheLife.com, this interview/giveaway page, BlytheStar Etsy shop and the Fashioned by Lyndell blog! For 1 blog entry, this is worth 5 entries into the giveaway! You must comment below with the URL to your blog post.