Linda Walsh Originals Instant E-Patterns Blog - Doll and Craft E-Patterns For Grown-up Girls!

My Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns Download Beautifully To The Kindle

Linda Walsh Originals — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 11:13:00 GMT

For many years now I have been contemplating getting a Kindle E-Reader as I was curious as to how my e-patterns would appear on it and whether I would like it.

Over the past few years I have written three posts on my "The Book Review Corner" blog about the Kindle. as a few years ago I had decided to add a section to my Linda's Bookstore for Books on Dolls, Doll Making, Doll Collecting, Doll History & So Much More and my Linda's Bookstore For Books About Crafts and Crafting for some of the wonderful e-books that were being formated for the Kindle.

I wrote three posts which were as follows: What About This Amazon Kindle?,Kindle Is Taking Over, Some Wonderful Craft and Doll Making eBooks Are Available For The Kindle and Other eReaders.

In my first post I said, "I do not have a Kindle reader as of yet, but it's on my wish list. I really wonder if reading "arts & crafts" books on the size of a hand held device will really be practical. I think it will work for novels, etc. But, instruction books and manuals, like most crafting books are? Hmmmm?

I do want to find out and when I finally buy one and download some of the arts & crafts books I like that are available, or some of the other books that I like, I'll let you know what I think.

It will be interesting to see if the idea of Kindle takes off. One thing that I know right now is that Kindle can never replace or replicate the joy of "bookstore" shopping that I have with my Mom and which I've posted about many, many times."

In my 2nd post I said, "I do not have a Kindle reader as of yet, but it's definitely on my wish list. I really wonder if reading "arts & crafts" books on the size of a hand held device will really be practical. I think it will work for novels, manuals, etc. but, I'm not sure it would work for e-patterns and patterns.

However, I do want to find out and when I finally buy one and download some of the arts & crafts books I like that are available I'll let you know what I think. If you have a Kindle reader and have downloaded some arts & crafts related books I'd love to know what you think."

In my 3rd post I said, "I don't know if you've been watching the explosion of popularity for the Kindle and other eReaders (like the NOOKcolor eBook Tabletthis year, but if you have, then you know there have been more eBooks sold this year than actual hard copy books.

As a lover of hard copy books I'm not surprised by the popularity of the eReaders. What I'm surprised at is how quickly the eBooks have surpassed the print copies. In fact, it's really kind of sad. There's just something to holding a book in your hands and flipping through all the pages that is lost with an electronic device.

However, you can certainly take thousands of books with you with one eReader tucked into your pocketbook and that is not something you can easily do with 1,000 print books. Plus, eReaders can read e-patterns (like my .PDF Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns so that is a BIG PLUS for crafters. Just think of having an eReader right next to your sewing machine or on your craft table. How great would that be?

In fact, this year I'm determined to get an eReader to not only see see how my e-patterns would look on it, but to see how some of the craft eBooks look on it. I'm not sure which one I'll get as of yet. That will be a surprise.

It seems that many, many craft books are now being converted to eBooks. So many so that's it's hard to keep up with all of them."

In a recent Linda's Blog post entitled "The Pro's and Cons of E-Patterns" my pro comment #9 in favor of e-patterns was as follows:

Because they are in .PDF format this means they can be read by most e-readers like: Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple's IPad, Sony Reader, etc. In my opinion this is a wonderful benefit to e-patterns for the future. Most of us who sew keep the e-patterns right next to us while we are sewing. With an e-reader you could download the e-pattern to your e-reader and keep the it right next to you while you are sewing so as to easily scroll through the pages.

Of course, you'd either have to print the pattern piece sheets out before downloading your e-pattern to your e-reader or connect it in such a manner as to allow you to print the pattern pieces.

Well, as you know from my Linda's Blog post entitled "After Ten Long Months I'm Finally Finished!" I finally finished revising all 270+ of my patterns. Since my massive pattern revision project was done I finally took the plunge and bought a Kindle DX with free 3G and graphite 9.7" display with new E Ink Pearl Technology. I had decided to buy the largest version as I thought the larger size would be better for my "tired, old eyes" and would be more comparable to reading a book than the smaller versions.

My Kindle came in a nice, neat package and I was able to use it right out of the box. There was no set-up involved and my device had already been registered for me at the Kindle store so I was all set to go.

It took me a few minutes to learn how to maneuver my way around it, but I finally got the hang of it and have to tell you that I love it. The screen REALLY does look like the pages of a book and the black/white gray-scale coloring is amazing.

The joystick took a little getting used to, but I finally got the hang of that as well. The buttons on the bottom are a little small for my "tired, old eyes" to see, but are unobtrusive and don't take away from the smooth looks of the Kindle.

I loved the way the Kindle could easily switch from portrait to landscape viewing just by turning the Kindle in your hands. The zoom in feature and font size feature is also very nice for "tired, old eyes." And, I could see how the search, bookmark, note, and highlight features could come in very handy. Plus, the Go To feature does come in handy as well.

Since I knew I had so many of my own items to download to my Kindle I decided I would set up collections for my e-patterns, e-books, my sister's e-patterns, and other books, magazines, etc. that I might wish to download. With a lot of items on the Kindle the collections and go-to capabilities comes in very handy.

In order to download my e-patterns and e-books, which are in .PDF format, I had to connect my Kindle to my computer via the USB cord, which was included with my Kindle. The USB cord is a combination electrical cord and USB cord all in one. The electrical cord end is actually an adapter that comes off to reveal a USB end underneath, which is really kinda cool.

So, I connected my Kindle and then set about to download and organize all my e-patterns and e-books. It took a little while to organize them, as I had so many, but once they were downloaded and organized it was easy to find what I wanted.

Here's what my organized by collection "Home" page looked like:

So, if I want to view one of my e-patterns I would go to Linda's Patterns and click the joystick to select that collection.

The next screen shows a list of the items in my "Lindas Patterns' collection. The Kindle sorted the epatterns initally by "most recent first" which I changed to sorting "by title" within each collection so I could easily find the e-pattern I wanted.

I decided to view one of my free e-patterns. The cover page came in exactly as I had it set up in my .PDF which is two-page booklet to simulate a typical front and back page pattern cover.

Next came the instructions page which were all very easy to read.

Then, my diagrams pages, which were also very easy to read.

And, finally, the pattern piece sheets which were also very easy to read.

I wanted to see how color might be affected by the grey scale Kindle version so I decided to view some of my e-books which had more color in them to see if it made a difference.

Here's how the cover page of my free "Linda's How-Do-I Series? How To Create Fast and Easy Cloth, Paper and E-Printable Ornaments" which has a lot of color looked:

Then the instructions pages:

The pattern pieces pages:

And, the colored e-printables pages:

The grey-scale differentiated the colors so you were able to see that one was a little different than another. Since the colored e-printable would be printed on a color printer viewing them in grey-scale on the Kindle was no problem.

Despite the remarkable differentiation of the grey-scale picture mode, I can see how viewing arts & crafts books or magazines that have a lot of color pictures might suffer a bit on the grey-scale version of the Kindle. For e-patterns, however, which are created mainly in black and white to cut-down on the toner usage when printing the pattern, viewing them on the Kindle is fine.

I very quickly decided that I would like having all my e-patterns and other e-patterns I'd purchased stored on the Kindle right next to my sewing machine as that would come in very handy indeed. I could download e-patterns or e-books I wanted to my computer, print off the pattern piece sheets I needed for making the item in the pattern, and then download the entire e-pattern to my Kindle.

I would no longer need to store boxes upon boxes of patterns. Of course, if I still wanted a printed version I could easily print the whole e-pattern that I had saved on my computer or connect my Kindle to my computer via the USB post, select the Kindle, select the .PDF e-pattern I wanted and print from there.

All in all I was very pleased with the way my e-patterns downloaded to the Kindle. It was very easy to do and all the e-patterns were easily view-able. While I could view all my e-patterns in landscape mode on the Kindle since they were created as a .PDF to be printed in portrait the portrait viewing was preferable.

Kindle has a new color version called "Kindle Fire" which is coming out next week. It's 7.5" x 4.7" which makes it a lot smaller than the version I currently have which is 10.4" x 7.2".

A color version of the Kindle might be nice. However, while I do think that viewing in color would enhance the viewing pleasure of a lot of crafts books or magazines loaded with color pages I'm going to stick with my Kindle DX for now.

I like the size of it.

It's just right for my "tired, old eyes."

COPYRIGHT © 2005-2011 Linda Walsh Originals - Articles, E-Patterns and Designs by Linda Walsh - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Our Victorian Lady Doll Augusta Has A Revised Pattern and E-Pattern

Linda Walsh Originals — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:13:00 GMT

"Augusta", 13" Doll - Victorian Doll E-Pattern Lady Series - 1850 Ball Gown

Pattern Category - Skill Level - Intermediate

Augusta has been to the ball many, many times and this time she's wearing her favorite red lace ball gown. But, she isn't excited because she's wearing her favorite dress. It's because some of her younger friends Augusta Lilac, Augusta Black, and Augusta Blue are debutantes and attending their 1st debutante ball. They'd been dreaming of this for years and talking about the dress they wanted to wear. So, of course, they all had to have dresses just like Augusta.

Augusta's three younger friends are very much alike in their taste in clothing and usually buy the same clothes - albeit in different colors. All three wanted a beautiful dress with a long train. Well, maybe not so long that they couldn't dance, but long enough. They wanted lace and decorations and floral accents in their hair. And, most of all, they wanted their dresses to be alike, but not so alike that everyone would be able to guess. That was their private secret. But, different enough to reflect their own personalities. Just like Augusta.

"Augusta" is a 13" free-standing Victorian doll who wants to be the belle of the ball. She is wearing an 1850 Ball Gown.

She has very fancy 2-layer lace covered and lace trimmed dress with long puffed, gathered & ruffled coordinated sleeves and a fancy 2-layer lace covered and lace trimmed lined train. A lace covered and lined coordinated shawl is wrapped around her shoulders.

She has a painted wood head and covered round wood base. Her inner body is made from a dowel covered with fabric and eyelet lace. Her arms are wire-shaped and covered.

She has a coordinated sash around her waist which is tied in a large bow in the back and floral lace and pearl accents on her chest and sleeves.

Augusta is so proud of her younger friends and thinks they look absolutely stunning in their ball gowns. Not beautiful enough however to be the belle of the ball. That honor belongs to Augusta and no one else.

If you would like to make a "Augusta" Victorian Lady doll of your own please CLICK HERE or on any of the pictures above for her revised instant download e-pattern.

COPYRIGHT © 2005-2011 Linda Walsh Originals - Articles, E-Patterns and Designs by Linda Walsh - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Our Beautiful Victorian Lady Doll Julia Bridget Has A Revised Pattern and E-Pattern

Linda Walsh Originals — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:02:00 GMT

"Julia Bridget", 13" Doll - Victorian Doll E-Pattern Lady Series - 1898 Paris Tea Gown

Pattern Category - Skill Level - Intermediate

There is a saying that "blonds have more fun!" Julia Bridget would disagree. You see, she has put that to the test many, many times. And, well, ladies with white hair actually attract the more desirable gentlemen and actually have more fun. Julia Bridget is smart, well-read, well-bred, multi-talented, caring, articulate, and warm-hearted - a very popular lady with a lot of lady friends and gentleman callers.

Julia Bridget is a free-standing doll all ready for afternoon tea with the ladies.

She has a lined full-length double-tiered lace & ribbon trimmed robe with a train and laced & ribbon trimmed & long puffy sleeves. Her robe's lace & ribbon trimmed collar is double-tiered.

Beneath her robe she is wearing a coordinating lace trimmed dress and under that is a lace trimmed slip.

She has a painted wood head and covered round wood base. Her inner body is made from a dowel covered with fabric and eyelet lace. Her arms are wire-shaped and covered.

She has a beautiful mass of long, curly white hair which is tied in a ponytail with floral ribbons. She is carrying a bouquet of flowers with streamers and has floral accents in her hair. A floral ribbon serves as a clasp for her robe.

As far as Julia Bridget is concerned some of her blond friends may think they have more fun, but Julia Bridget knows better.

If you would like to make a "Julia Bridget" Victorian Lady doll of your own please CLICK HERE or on any of the pictures above for her revised instant download e-pattern.

COPYRIGHT © 2005-2011 Linda Walsh Originals - Articles, E-Patterns and Designs by Linda Walsh - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Our Victorian Lady Doll Priscilla Has A Revised Pattern and E-Pattern

Linda Walsh Originals — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 09:59:00 GMT

"Priscilla", 12" Doll - Victorian Doll E-Pattern Lady Series - 1868 Street Dress

Pattern Category - Skill Level - Beginner

Priscilla is just fascinated with America and the colonies and would love to move there someday. The problem is that no one else in her family wants to do so and she's afraid to go by herself. She's hoping that she'll meet a beau that shares her interests and they can travel to America together.

Priscilla is a free-standing doll who is all ready for her afternoon stroll.

She is wearing a lace trimmed dress that is gathered at the waist. Her matching jacket is fully lined with long lace trimmed and gathered sleeves. Underneath her dress is a lace trimmed slip.

She has a painted wood head and covered round wood base. Her inner body is made from a dowel covered with fabric and eyelet lace. Her arms are wire-shaped and covered.

Her long curly blonde hair is covered by her lined prairie bonnet which is tied under her chin and she is carrying a handkerchief in her right hand.

A floral ribbon serves as a clasp for her lined jacket.

Priscilla is carrying a handkerchief just in case she sees a gentleman she thinks she might like. An accidental dropping of her handkerchief causes the gentleman to volunteer to retrieve it for her and, well, the conversation begins from there.....

You never know.

He may want to travel to America and the colonies, too.

If you would like to make a "Priscilla" Victorian Lady doll of your own please CLICK HERE or on any of the pictures above for her revised instant download e-pattern.

COPYRIGHT © 2005-2011 Linda Walsh Originals - Articles, E-Patterns and Designs by Linda Walsh - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Inspired Creations By D - Pretty Pink Cones Print Pattern & E-Pattern

Linda Walsh Originals — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:21:06 GMT

Every time I look at my sister's Pretty Pink Cones framed wall art design I can't help but smile. It's just so unbelievably bright and cheery. You can't help but feel good when you see it. And, you can't help but walk away in a great mood. At least I can't.

ICBD004 Pretty Pink Cones Pattern

Please CLICK HERE or on the picture above for more information on Pretty Pink Cones.

CLICK HERE TO BUY Pretty Pink Cones Instant Download E-Pattern

All four of the designs are flowers and all four contain the instructions for making the wood frames. She created four patterns in total and all four are available as print patterns and e-patterns on her Inspired Creations By D website. Instant download versions of her e-patterns can also be found on the Inspired Creations By D page of my Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns website.

If you like my sister's Pretty Pink Cone design please visit her Inspired Creations By D website and let her know or visit her Inspired Creations By D Facebook pageand "like" her page and/or leave a comment.

Our Victorian Lady Doll Mary Elizabeth Has A Revised Pattern and E-Pattern

Linda Walsh Originals — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:19:25 GMT

"Mary Elizabeth", 13" Doll - Victorian Doll E-Pattern Lady Series - 1894 Paris Summer Gown

Pattern Category - Skill Level - Advanced

Mary Elizabeth just loves her twin sisters: Mary Elizabeth Loves Black and Mary Elizabeth Loves White. She doesn't even mind that they idolize her. They always want to wear the same outfit as their big sister does.

However, when it comes to the color of their hair this is where they differ. You see, Mary Elizabeth Loves Black wants her hair color to be black and Mary Elizabeth Loves White wants her hair color to be white. So, instead of dying their natural hair color, which is dirty blonde and the same color as Mary Elizabeth's they decided to buy different color wigs.

"Mary Elizabeth" is a 13" free-standing Victorian doll all ready for her summer friends. She is wearing her favorite 1894 Paris Summer Gown.

She has a two-tiered pointed and lined jacket with a 3-tiered collar, long puffed & color coordinated cuffed sleeves, lace and ribbon waistband and silk floral closure. Her fancy lace & floral lined hat with a large ribbon tied in a bow, floral decoration, and feather sits lovingly upon her head. Her beautiful blue laced trimmed dress has a lined train, lace collar, and silk floral decoration. Her thick blonde hair with bangs is fashioned into a bun and she is carrying a lace trimmed parasol.

She also has a painted wood head and covered round wood base. Her inner body is made from a dowel covered with fabric and eyelet lace. Her arms are wire-shaped and covered.

When it comes to hair and hair color Mary Elizabeth's sisters think they are experts at matching the right hair color wig to the right complexion. Mary Elizabeth is not so sure. She much prefers her natural blonde hair.

If you would like to make a "Mary Elizabeth" Victorian Lady doll of your own please CLICK HERE or on any of the pictures above for her revised instant download e-pattern.

Our Victorian Lady Doll Mattie Has A Revised Pattern and E-Pattern

Linda Walsh Originals — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:17:58 GMT

"Mattie", 13" Doll - Victorian Doll E-Pattern Lady Series - 1880 Walking Costume

Pattern Category - Skill Level - Intermediate

"Mattie" is a free-standing doll all ready for her afternoon stroll.

Mattie just loves strolling in the park with her friends - especially if it's a bright, sunny and warm Spring day. There's no need for a winter coat, or boots, or gloves, or a long woolen dress. On a bright, sunny Spring day she get to wear her favorite blue and white walking costume - which suits her just fine.

Mattie is wearing a fancy lace trimmed dress with a ribbed, pleated bodice trimmed with gathered ribbon. The sleeves of her walking costume are long, gathered and ruffled. Her walking costume also has a fancy lace trimmed and gathered front and back overskirt.

Underneath her walking costume is a lace trimmed slip and around her shoulders is a lace shawl. Her beautiful long curly blonde hair tied in a ponytail and enhanced with floral accents. Silk floral pieces decorate her waistband and neckline.

She also has a painted wood head and covered round wood base. Her inner body is made from a dowel covered with fabric and eyelet lace. Her arms are wire-shaped and covered.

Today just happens to be a bright, sunny, and warm Spring day. And, for that, Mattie is grateful.

If you would like to make a "Mattie" Victorian Lady doll of your own please CLICK HERE or on any of the pictures above for her revised instant download e-pattern.

Inspired Creations By D - Sunny Day Suzie Print Pattern & E-Pattern

Linda Walsh Originals — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:27:57 GMT

I am definitely a "glass half full" kinda gal who likes bright and sunny things. So, it's no surprise that I would be drawn to my sister's Sunny Day Suzie floral wall art design. It's just so bright, so cheery, so sunny, and so yellow. Now you might be wondering why yellow is a big deal. Well, to understand you'd have to know my Mother.

If my mother were reading this she would say - yellow - YUCK! She loved blue, brown, beige, black and white. Never yellow, orange, or green. So, when I wore a bright yellow jacket, bright orange jacket, or bright lime green jacket I would get that "motherly" look of dislike. You all know what I mean. And, I knew I'd get it - so, of course, that prompted me to wear those colors even more.

So, when I saw my sister's bright, sunny, and YELLOW Sunny Day Suzie design I, of course, thought of my Mother.

ICBD003 Sunny Day Suzie Pattern

Please CLICK HERE or on the picture above for more information on Sunny Day Suzie.

CLICK HERE TO BUY Sunny Day Suzie Instant Download E-Pattern

All four of the designs are flowers and all four contain the instructions for making the wood frames. She created four patterns in total and all four are available as print patterns and e-patterns on her Inspired Creations By D website. Instant download versions of her e-patterns can also be found on the Inspired Creations By D page of my Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns website.

If you like my sister's Sunny Day Suzie design please visit herInspired Creations By D website and let her know or visit her Inspired Creations By D Facebook pageand "like" her page and/or leave a comment.

COPYRIGHT © 2005-2011 Linda Walsh Originals - Articles, E-Patterns and Designs by Linda Walsh - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Our Victorian Lady LouArlene Has A Revised Doll Pattern and E-Pattern

Linda Walsh Originals — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:25:51 GMT

"LouArlene", 12" Doll - Victorian Doll E-Pattern Lady Series - 1891 Tea Gown

Pattern Category - Skill Level - Beginner

LouArlene is a free-standing doll all ready for her afternoon stroll and tea with the ladies.

She has been anxiously awaiting her afternoon tea today so she can show of her new hat from Paris, France. It's the latest in Paris fashion and she's been waiting months to show all her friends. It's a perfect compliment to her new tea gown.

She is wearing a fancy gathered ribbon & lace trimmed dress with gathered and two-tiered lace trimmed long sleeves adorned with large gold buttons, and a V-shaped lace bodice on the front of her dress trimmed with gathered ribbon & lace trim. Lace adorns her waistband and accentuates her tiny waist.

She also has a painted wood head and covered round wood base. Her inner body is made from a dowel covered with fabric and eyelet lace. Her arms are wire-shaped and covered.

Underneath her tea gown she is wearing a lace trimmed slip and around her shoulders is a fancy lace shawl that belongs to her Mother. Hanging from her neck is a pearl necklace that she borrowed from her Mother, as well.

Her long blonde hair is tied in a bun with a braid framing her face. Sitting atop her beautiful braided head of hair is her new fancy lace & floral trimmed and lined bonnet, with ribbons & bows.

LouArlene knows that her new bonnet is just beautiful and that all her friends will want to order one for themselves. As far as LouArlene is concerned it's okay if all her friends order one for themselves. She will always be the first to have it and wear it.

If you would like to make a "LouArlene" Victorian Lady doll of your own please CLICK HERE or on any of the pictures above for her revised instant download e-pattern.

COPYRIGHT © 2005-2011 Linda Walsh Originals - Articles, E-Patterns and Designs by Linda Walsh - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Our Victorian Bridal Doll Elsa Has A Revised E-Pattern

Linda Walsh Originals — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:23:10 GMT

“Elsa”, 14” Doll - Bridal Doll E-Pattern - Victorian Lady Series - 1888 Victorian Bridal Gown

Pattern Category - Skill Level - Advanced

Elsa is a free-standing doll all ready for her wedding day.

It's the first of October so she's hoping that it will be a bright and sunny day as she wants to look her best. She chose October as it shouldn't be rainy, shouldn't be snowy, and shouldn't be hot.

However, she fastened her hair in a bun just in case it were to rain. Her beautiful, thick head of flaming red hair tends to frizz on a rainy day unless it's contained in a bun. So, for her wedding day she's taking no chance. A bun it will be.

She has a long, fancy lace trimmed dress with a flowing train, and eyelet lace covered puffed and lace trimmed long sleeves. Her wedding gown also has an eyelet lace and gathered full length dress front insert with ribbon floral lace trim. Her veil is made of fancy lace and florals. Underneath her gown she is wearing a lace trimmed slip.

She has a painted wood head and covered round wood base. Her inner body is made from a dowel covered with fabric and eyelet lace. Her arms are wire-shaped and covered.

Her red hair with bangs is fastened into a bun. Two large floral and lace pieces adorn the top of her veil and bodice of her dress. She is carrying a bouquet of flowers with streamers.

So far there are no signs of rain. Elsa has her fingers crossed. She just wants a beautiful wedding day.

If you would like to make a "Elsa" Victorian Bridal Lady doll of your own please CLICK HERE or on any of the pictures above for her revised instant download e-pattern.