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Michelle Basch,
WASHINGTON - Last year the District counted 108 homicides, the lowest number since the 1963 total of 95.
The total for 2012 is on track to be even lower than 2011's, and Police Chief Cathy Lanier is talking about it.
As of Nov., 28, the city had 78 homicides compared to 102 homicides by the same time last year.
"There are still 78 families out there that lost somebody, but it's going in the right direction and we want to see it go lower," D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said at a Wednesday press briefing.
Lanier says the city's closure rate on homicide cases is now at about 85 percent.
"In just the past two days, detectives from the homicide unit have made five arrests and closed four homicide cases. They have worked diligently on these cases, some of which go back a few years," The chief said.
Lanier said there are several reasons why her department is making progress.
"I think we've made some very smart investments in technology in the last five years that have paid off. It makes us a little bit more efficient at what we do. I think we have great detectives that have good connections in the community that get good information now. That helps tremendously," said Lanier.
"Obviously the faster we take a violent offender off the street the less opportunity they have to continue to commit other violent crimes, and I think our focus on gangs and guns has been huge. Between the gang unit and the gun unit, the gun unit just celebrated their 5th year, and they've taken a tremendous amount of guns off the street."
Lanier said typically in big cities 90 to 95 percent of all homicides are gun related, but that's changed in the District.
"Our gun-related homicides this year are 63 percent. It's a dramatic drop," said Lanier.
Follow @mbaschWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)


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Barbetta Restaurant
Online Reservations
The Main Dining Room can be used as a ballroom, and for large receptions, including weddings. Private Parties can make use of the pianos located in the space, for entertainment.
The original Drawing Room of the 1881 townhouse, the Rose Room can accommodate seating at round tables or one single long table. The adjacent Wine Library can be used for cocktails before dinner, or for additional seating capacity.
The original Drawing Room of the 1874 townhouse, the Mirrors Gallery lends itself particularly to dinners and lunches requiring one formal long table. The adjacent Garden Room can be used for cocktails before dinner or lunch.
The original dining room of the 1874 townhouse, the Garden Room with its magnificent wood paneling overlooks Barbetta's garden, and is perfect for intimate elegant dinners. The adjacent Mirrors Gallery can be used for cocktails before dinner or lunch.
The Barbetta garden is one of the city's most sought-after sites for open-air dining. Exuberantly verdant with century-old trees and flowering with the scented blooms of magnolia, wisteria, oleander, jasmine and gardenia, it is available for private parties and weddings.

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Check out the current issue.
The Food Stamp Program is a federal program that provides a monthly allotment of Food Stamp benefits issued via Electronic Benefit Transfer cards (ATM cards). The Food Stamp Program is an entitlement program, so all eligible individuals and households can receive assistance. Food Stamp benefits may be used to purchase most foods at participating authorized (FNS) retailers.
Items that may not be purchased with food stamps include:
Eligible households must be given the opportunity to receive Food Stamp benefits no later than thirty days from the date of application. Individuals with special circumstances must be given an opportunity to receive Food Stamp benefits no later than seven days from the date of application.
Allowed deductions from your income include:
Want to know which stores in your area accept Food Assistance Benefits? USDA has created this retailer locator to help you find retailers that welcome SNAP EBT customers. Click the "Select Location" button and enter a starting location. Click a map point to get details and directions. Click "En Español" to view the page in Spanish.
Individuals residing together, but purchasing and preparing their meals separately, may participate in the Food Stamp Program as a separate household. Some individuals, whether they purchase and prepare their meals separately, must participate in the Food Stamp Program as one household.
Individuals who must participate in the Food Stamp Program as one household are:
Each member of the Food Stamp household must be an U. S. Citizen or an immigrant admitted to the United States under a specific immigration status. Citizens and eligible immigrants must also meet all other Food Stamp Program eligibility requirements to receive assistance.
Households may have $2,000 in countable resources, such as a bank accounts. Households may have $3,000 if at least one person is age 60 or older or disabled. Certain resources are not counted, such as a home and surrounding property, and the resources of people who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Work First. Please note that vehicles are not countable resources.
All households must meet an income test to receive benefits. Income limits vary by household size. See the NC Division of Social Work Services income guidelines for details.
To learn more about the Food Stamp Program, please visit the United States Department of Agriculture's web site.
Many women and children in food stamp households are also eligible for food assistance through the Women,
Infant and Children (WIC) program, administered by the Buncombe County Department of Health.
Monday through Friday
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Application for Food Assistance (PDF)
For a listing of county-wide programs & services offered by Buncombe County Government, please visit our Services section.
Do you suspect abuse?
To make an adult or child protective services report any time, day or night, call the numbers below:
Child Abuse: (828) 250-5900
Adult Abuse: (828) 250-5800
Call (828) 250-5109 to report
Communicable Disease Reporting Form
Get information and start applying for services that can help you and your family.
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It's sometimes hard to convince someone the importance of receiver. When we say the receiver is the heart of your system, it really is an understatement. It doesn't just pump the blood of your home theater experience - the video and audio - but now can do much of the processing, routing, and control that you needed other devices for in the past. The receiver has become not only the heart but also the brain of you system.
Skimping on your receiver will inevitably lead to greater expenditures of time, money, and frustration down the road. The Denon AVR-4310CI is just a few models down from the top-of-the-line offerings from the electronics giant. Let's not mince words - it's pricey. At $2k, you're looking at a serious outlay of money. But the question you should be asking yourself is, do I need all these features now or in the future?
Build Quality
The Denon AVR-4310CI is pretty typical for a receiver these days in that it is a large black box. The front is fairly subdued with a few buttons and a pair of large knobs at either side. If you look closely you'll see a fair number of logos along the bottom of vanity plate. Underneath a retractable cover, you'll find enough buttons to fully control the receiver in the case of a lost remote. Once you open that faceplate you'll know you spent a good amount on your receiver - the "HDMI-6" label should clue you in. There is also a USB port, optical digital and stereo analogue audio, and a composite video input. You might be wondering why composite video is included instead of component but with the HDMI front port, there really isn't that much to complain about.
The back of the AVR-4310CI is chock full of inputs and outputs. There are five available HDMI inputs and two outputs, three component video inputs and one output, three coaxial digital audio inputs, and two optical digital audio inputs with an optical output. This is a great feature if you are using an external DAC or recorder or perhaps to a second receiver/processor in a multizone application. Surely not something that everyone will appreciate but it is a feature that we'd expect at this price point. The number of composite/s-video/analogue RCA audio inputs is far above what you'd ever need with two sets of outputs (labeled DVR and VCR - like you'd use both) and one each for zones 2 and 3. Nine pairs of speaker outputs are available for use with the seven internal amps.
Just about every input on a Denon receiver is assignable. You don't need to locate the DVR input if you don't want to. It will make things easier down the road as the DVR button on the remote will actually switch to the DVR rather than you having to remember that HDP=DVR and DVR=DVD and DVD=… well you get the picture. Regardless, the labels that you will see displayed on the front panel of the receiver and the onscreen display can be changed so that even if the button doesn't match the function, the onscreen label will let you know what it does control.
You'll want to connect all your speakers and sources as well as the antennas for your satellite, terrestrial, and HD radios. Also, don't forget to connect an Ethernet run to your router for this networking receiver.
The Denon AVR-4310CI has a full compliment of auto setup and calibration options as well as a number of user-configurable features that need to be addressed. Audyssey and Denon have had a long history together and the AVR-4310CI is no different. Audyssey's MultEQ XT is the top of the line from the company which strives to make every seat the "best seat" for playback.
The AVR-4310CI has the much lauded Anchor Bay VRS video processing. This is an upconversion technology that essentially makes all of your video sources look as good as possible. While you won't need it for 1080p native sources like Blu-ray, DVDs, cable TV and more will all benefit. What you want to find out is the native resolution for your display. From there, you want the AVR-4310CI to convert all video signals (sans Blu-ray) to that resolution.
Network Streaming
Network streaming with the AVR-4310CI is a good deal easier than I would have thought. I used the AVR-4310CI with both Windows XP and 7 and had similar experiences. Since the connection is hardwired to your router, you won't have to worry much about security or even a connection. I completely forgot about this feature until the receiver was turned on by the family while I was working in my office and an icon popped up letting me know. I was able to double click on the icon and after a few seconds of drivers installing I had complete access to the receiver. This was kind of fun since I could change inputs from the office and make my family think it was possessed and therefore I should be the only one to use the remote. Everyone won as far as I was concerned.
The network ability of the AVR-4310CI is twofold - you can stream to the receiver or control the receiver from a networked computer. When controlling the receiver you have access to all the menus you would from the GUI.
Listening and Viewing
The Denon AVR-4310CI never lacked for power to push most of the speakers I mated it with. Audio was clear and uncluttered with no evidence of strain. Audyssey worked well with it but as we've reported before, it does tend to suck some of the volume off the top end. With Audyssey engaged, I found that my general listening volume went up from 5 to 10dB.
The upconversion capability of the Denon AVR4310CI is rock solid. With a decent display (or even a mediocre one) you'll end up with a great picture. One testing projector failed a number of HQV tests on its own but once the Denon AVR-4310CI was introduced, provided a stunning, artifact-free picture, even with standard DVDs and the notoriously bad Comcast signal.
Click here to read the full review from Audioholics with expanded information on each section.Follow Electronic House on Facebook and Twitter.
> 130 watts per channel x 7 channels
> Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Pro Logic IIz decoding
> DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution, DTS ES 6.1 Discrete, DTS ES 6.1 Matrix, DTS Neo:6 decoding
> Anchor Bay ABT-2010 advanced analog and digital video 1080p/24fps/60fps upconversion and deinterlacing with multi-cadence detection
> Audyssey Dynamic Surround Expansion for a more enveloping soundstage with front width or height channels – World's First with DSX
> Audyssey MultEQ XT, Dynamic Volume, Dynamic EQ
> THX Ultra2 Certified
> HD Radio AM/FM tuner
> XM and Sirius satellite radio ready
> Six HDMI inputs, dual HDMI video outputs
> Dimensions: 17.1" H x 6.7" H x 16.3" D
> Weight: 34.8 lbs
> Onboard input-specific video processing
> Tons of power
> All the latest decoding technologies
> No input specific calibration options - only global
> Remote only partially backlit
> Wasted Surround B outputs could be put to better use
> No multi-sub support
> Streaming control delay
Check out our recommendations for the season's best new TVs for home theater, living room or anywhere.
Home automation system helps wounded war veteran live more comfortably.
Check out our recommendations for the season's best new TVs for home theater, living room or anywhere.


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June 10, 2004
Attending: John Brandt, Wynn Cudmore, Robert Garrett, Laura Graves, Michael Higgs, Tanya Beard, Orville Rice, Jeff Bickford
Absent: Jyll Smith, Nick McDonough
Recorder: Diana Craig
Presenters/Special Guests:
City of Salem Parks Master Plan Presentation by T.J. Newman.
Proposed BMX facility at Rogers Wayside Park, presentation by Jason Franz.
Introductions: The special guests were introduced to parks board members with apologies for the change in the original meeting date; the BOC will make every effort to attend the next meeting.
Presentation/Discussion: Cooperation and partnering, TJ Newman, City of Salem.
Our Marion County Parks Commission would like to make every effort to work in cooperation with City of Salem to coordinate our efforts for a new park's master plan. This cooperative effort would allow us to work together on joint projects. We would like to start to develop our Park's Master Plan with two specific areas. The first would be to determine an appropriate ratio of park acreage to the number of citizens living in Marion County that we serve. TJ shared with the group and gave examples of how their Master Plan continues to be developed. The City of Salem just updated their Parks Master Plan in 1999. They are already considering updating the levels of service by changing the ratio from 8 acres of parkland per 1000 persons to a ratio of 5.5 acres per 1000 persons for developed land to meet the demands of our growing population.
Listed below are excerpts from Salem's Parks Master Plan: http://www.cityofsalem.net/~parks
At the direction of Salem's City Council, their park's system goal would serve an area about ½ mile for each park including the park's needs within the urban growth boundaries. Also identified are park areas - mostly school parks. The intent is to provide parks close to elementary schools in that area. The Four Corners and upcoming additional unincorporated areas will be coming into the county's responsibility for future cooperative planning. As they get annexed into the city they can include these areas with parks. Salem has been working on the trail adjacent to the Willamette River, as proposed in their Master Plan. However, there are so many obstacles to overcome. In conjunction with a proposed development, Salem's Regulatory Deployment State Lands Proposal could potentially develop a trail along Mill Creek Recreational Path and could include a water path as well. There are already numerous small trails within the city. Minto Brown and Eola Bend Parks are mostly used for recreational trails. As an example of SDC funding, Windy Crover Park was developed last year and named after "Windy" as she helped set up the park's $250,000 grant and SDC funds. The city is still looking for funding for a proposed trail development planned along an old railroad line. Phase 1 of that project will start construction soon. The I-5 freeway creates a disconnection for a possible trail that could connect the city's parks system. The estimated cost will be $4 million just for Phase 1, while an estimate for the entire project is $7-8 million. Railroad passage could potentially connect a trail; we need to check with our traffic department on that feasibility. There used to be a tunnel under I-5, however, ODOT didn't want to maintain the tunnel. With development on both sides of Lancaster, land for parks development is scarce. The old mushroom plant property will most likely be very expensive as there has already been a lot of interest in that property for development. If a connection at that end of town could be developed it could possibly create a loop. Plans to make that happen don't look very promising at this point.
We will be able to reference the City's example to reflect and complement our Park's Master Plan. They can be a great resource to our plan. It is critical that our plans are complementary to each other as that could increase our chances of funding future projects together. The City of Stayton would like to be included in our new master plan. Their upcoming planned development for a Santiam Canyon Trail could potentially tie in with the City of Salem's trail and connect the trails all the way up the canyon to the City of Mehama. Jason said the bike shops would be helpful in support for these upcoming bike/hiking trails. The City of Eugene was listed as a great example with their bike trail system. A bike system could be a great resource for our community by enabling bike commutes to and from work as well as promoting healthy family recreation. It may also be a great to help with folks who would like to ride to work along with more chances to have family interactions by biking. Tanya asked T.J. what the city could do for us? John again asked about SDC funding and what can they be used for. Salem's City Council decided their SDC funds have been allocated for property acquisitions for new parks. The city has been paying fair market value for every inch of land for parks, approximately $100,000 an acre for undeveloped areas. Developers are not happy with using these properties for park areas as they could yield higher profit by selling them as lots. Tanya asked how did you determine the acreage per person for parks areas? TJ responded that the national standard is about 10 acres per 1000 person for parks. Salem's Parks has determined their goal is an estimated 8 acres by the city's standard. Mike talked about how things were handled. TJ suggested that we talk to Rick Scott from his department about their SDC and come up with some ideas for justification to change SDC levels. We need to get involved with our community's city council meetings and motivate their groups to help us with our parks. Would we like to see if TJ could arrange for Rick to talk to our folks? Perhaps at our next meeting with the BOC scheduled to attend. He helped develop the new Master Plan for the City of Salem. Rick has a good rapport with county staff, and now is the time to identify key parcels to be developed as recreational trails. Even the governor has approved and would like to christen the trail connections at Minto Brown and our new Eola Bend Park. The group thanked TJ for his input.
Presentation/Discussion: Jason Franz, BMX track at Rogers Wayside in Silverton.
Jason Franz, a local bicycle shop owner, will be giving this presentation. He has been trying to work with the City of Silverton to provide a local area for skateboards, mountain bikes, etc. Rogers Wayside Park is the focus of where he would like to build a track. He has previously raced BMX bikes professionally. He would like to give kids a chance to ride on a track that is comparative to a professional facility. With this park's close proximity to Silverton, it could provide the area's children transportation to the park by bicycle. The park is in a natural setting that could provide an ideal location to construct a BMX facility. The park is currently underused and abused with not much upkeep being provided by the county. He would also like to change the public's current image of the park. He stated it does not appear that this park has been a priority for the county, but also understands that with our limited funds for maintenance it is an uphill battle as there are so many parks we need to maintain. His group would not be asking for money as they have already gathered a majority of the support needed from different areas in the community. This proposal could be a unique opportunity for his community to better utilize this park. With his networking connections to the bike race industry, he feels that his group could put this project together if he could just get the property to use for this venture. He has been working with Oregon Department of Forestry to develop additional biking trails near Silver Creek Falls. As president of Mountain-Street-Dirt-Crew (MS-DC), a local group in Silverton, his commitment to this project is not just motivated financially by his bike shop. There is currently a waterway through the park; their proposed construction would not affect this area. His group would like to acquire at least ½ of the park's area for use for this proposed bike track. So far, there has been no opposition from the Silverton's City Council. Orville shared with the group that the City of Silverton had previously asked to use the property for overflow parking for the Oregon Garden. Jason said that if the BMX facility was constructed that MS-DC would provide any maintenance for the facility. Orville stated that water would have to be attained as it is not currently available at the park. It was noted that there is a recreational clause from our Legal Council, Scott Norris stating that we could not charge for use of the track. If we charged for the use of the facility, it could potentially create a liability for Marion County. Our Park's budget already plans to replace the current pit toilets with a new restroom facility. Questions were asked about the track design plans, i.e. are most of these designed as loops and how would the design connect the route? Orville said that the baseball diamond would most likely need be removed as it is in very poor repair. Any changes to the park would need to consider the areas proximity to wetlands before any earth moving construction could be done. It would potentially take up to 1/3 of the park's total area. It is possible that playground equipment could be installed, which would most likely increase the park's usefulness. Wynn asked about the culture of BMX riders. Their group explained that it is very family-oriented and includes activities for young children with a regular crowd that follows the use of these bike areas. The construction of this track would include a variety of riding areas that would serve different skill levels. Several questions were asked regarding this proposal. Could there be a trail around the entire park for just normal bike riding that was not just for BMX use? Have there been any other city's that have done this kind of project already? Is the City of Silverton interested in supporting this idea? The successful BMX facility at Mollalla was given as an example. The group asked how long the park at Mollalla has been set up? That facility is maintained by a private entity. Their group is not considered non-profit. The group has set up a board that is responsible for any problems that could come up. The City of Salem's skateboard park was partially financed by the National Guard. Laura asked, over the long haul, who would maintain the facility if it were approved? The area is somewhat isolated from the community.
One of the first critical steps that Jason's group needs to complete is to contact the adjoining property owner, including the Oregon Garden. They will need letters of support from the City of Silverton and the Oregon Garden, too. Another concern was brought up - what is the road access? As there is no shoulder along the highway at the Oregon Garden, could any improvement be done there? You can also access the park from Pettit Lane. The speed limit is 45 mph at that point. Maybe the county could extend the lower speed limit to make the roadway safer to bicyclists. Orville said that he has access to a large stockpile of asphalt grindings. The board members suggested that the BMX group contact Brian from Silverton for a letter of support. Jason said he has already talked to him and could provide a letter if needed. He will go back with the letters of support/approval from Oregon Gardens, adjoining landowners, and Silverton City Council. The park's board let him know that the final approval will need to come from the BOC and they would only be able to make a recommendation after all of their concerns have been properly addressed. The community needs to know well in advance what the plans for the facility would be. Maybe the City of Silverton could help with cost of putting a well on the property. There is a well drilling company very close by. There is already electricity available for a well that could be put in. With our long rainy season, will the facility be just seasonal?
Jason wrapped up his presentation by sharing his personal interest in the being involved in the project. He is very motivated to get this project going ASAP. Laura commented that the group's homework would need to be completed ahead of the project, before the Park's Board could go forward with any recommendations to the BOC. Wynn was glad to hear about the project as he was skeptical about the idea initially. He enforced the need for support from area residents. There will be 2 phases to present this idea to the BOC. The facility in Cottage Grove has been a very positive for their community. Laura gave suggestions to Jason as to how to present these ideas to the people he needs to approach. American Bicycle Association might be contacted to obtain a sign requesting input regarding park's proposed upcoming use.
Jeff asked the group for their ideas about the proposed project. He felt that the group's goal is unrealistic for the time frame mentioned. Letters would need to be sent out to residents and businesses ¼ to ½ mile of facility within the neighboring area. The county staff would need to follow up verifying contacts have been made with the adjoining neighborhood. Wynn suggested we could put together a checklist if all these criteria's are met. The group could possibly meet soon to address these ideas; landowner's support, addressing access information, who would the agreement be made with (an incorporated group). The City of Silverton might even be considered as a possible partner. There are several critical issues that need to be addressed: liability, professional review of the actual design, and a plan in place to ensure the property's sustainability and maintenance. This proposed facility could offer an opportunity to make use of the park in a unique way. Should this occur, how will this affect existing aspects of the park? How will our survey pan out for interest in biking versus just making use of the park in a natural setting? It is imperative that we find how the Oregon Garden feels about the idea. Our department could call The City of Mollalla and see how their facility is set up and give us any ideas on what we might face in putting this idea into use, Tanya will follow-up. Jeff asked when soon would the group be available to meet? We plan to set up a meeting during the first or second week in August and consider inviting Jason if he can complete the group's preliminary requests in time for that meeting. Diana will set up a park's meeting for that time frame and contact everyone on the meeting time and date. The next step is to coordinate a meeting with the BOC, and possibly set up a public hearing after the BOC reviews. Updates Maintenance, Restoration, Projects, Master Plan Process, Other topics:
(Power Point Presentation) (PDF format for PPT)
Power Point Presentation from the survey questionnaire presented on Earth Day at the Oregon Garden included feedback on the numbers for the park. Orville was asked if he picks up garbage at all the parks for the summer? He responded that our summer student will be coming on board soon and taking on this responsibility. Orville made the suggestion that we need to consider changing the name of Minto (canyon) Park so as not to confuse folks that it is not the city's Minto Brown Park. We would then need to change the survey from the presentation to clarify "Minto Park". We are just getting a general idea from folks and get input for their ideas for how they would like to use our parks. The group offered some support in putting this survey out to other areas. Laura suggested that other groups could get involved. Can we make use of our summer students to do some of these surveys? If folks would give $1 per household from taxes, from just this small amount, it would double the park's current budget. John would like to take on presenting this survey at an upcoming event. Although the feedback from this survey was promising, a larger more diverse group needs to be surveyed using similar questions that would provide a more accurate analysis of what Marion County citizens would like to see as priorities for our park's future master plan.
Pictures shown on the PPT presentation included an Aumsville Pond, (now called Waldo Pond #4), that was adopted from Waldo Middle School. This project was funding from grant money raised from Subco. They contacted our parks department and asked if we had potential projects to use their grant money. We, of course, were happy to provide this project. Their group hired an experienced crew to go in and do some excavation from the side of the pond. In addition, added some extra logs to the pond. Great news - Orville has seen up to 4 turtles. This has been a great project, which is still ongoing, and being supported by a teacher (Mike Weddle) from Waldo. He will introduce a new class next year to continue on with this project.
Vault project at Bear Creek - Orville shared with the group the difficulties in placing the facility. The crane broke down and created some very complex problems, with no radio and no mechanic. It was a challenge to hotwire the engine and only 2 ½ hours later they had the crane going again. A few problems were encountered with boulders, so they just moved the location of the vault. All around the area is a natural plant area and the project was partially funded by grant monies.
Upcoming projects
Review of Parks Commission Bylaws: Originally scheduled for this meeting, will be addressed at the next planned park's meeting as other topics did not allow adequate time for this discussion. Tentatively the next meeting will be planned for early August.


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Homemade Rabbit Doll
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The Daffodil Queen from Jacquard Products really captures my heart and makes me grin whenever I look at it. No one here at Jacquard can resist a smile when walking by Bert. We had the funny bunny doll blank in our boxes of stuff and I thought it would be cool to dress this bunny up for Easter!
I'd been dreaming up ideas for ExtravOrganza for some time (it's my new favorite product!) and it's perfect for this application.
Remove paper backing from the 5 sheets of ExtravOrganza for the underskirt.
Crinkle the edge of the fabric and cut deckle edge as shown.
Paint edge with Lumiere in a color that compliments your flowers. I used Lumiere Pearl White tinted with Sherrill's Sorbets Lemon and then accented the edge further with Lumiere Sunset Gold.
Highlight a flower with Lumiere. I decided to bring more attention to the daffodil so I used my combination of Pearl White/Lemon for this. Set aside. NOTE: I paint my ExtravOrganza on pieces of scratch paper. It's very important to lift the ExravOrganza off the paper right away. The paints dry very quickly and could make the paper stick to the ExtravOrganza when you try to lift it off.
Remove paper backing from the 5 sheets of ExtravOrganza for the top layer of skirt.
This layer of skirt is done as a flounce, rather than simple gathering. It adds more of a tutu effect which I find quite whimsical. To create this simple flounce fold the ExtravOrganza in half and then in half again.
Cut a small ¼ circle at the folded edges then cut open from one edge. The size of the circle dictates how dramatic your flounce will be. Experiment with some scraps of fabric.
Fringe the straight edges of the skirt pieces. I usually like tidy fringes but on this project I took a page out of Kim's book and made them rather wild.
Paint the flower accents. I accented all the flowers on this layer using the same three Lumiere colors: Sunset Gold, Pearl White and Pearl White/Lemon. Set aside.
Sleeves and neck piece. The sleeves are made by enlarging the flower image, the neck piece by reducing the image. BEFORE removing the paper backing, cut out the large flower or selection of flowers. I find it easier to see the edges of the flower shape before I take it off the paper and I can get more precise detail. (I recently did another project and forgot to leave the paper on—it was SO much harder to cut out!) It's always a good idea to leave more flowers, only trimming away what you're sure you don't need at this time and check it on your doll form, you can always cut more away if you need to. When you are happy with these pieces pull the paper backing off and paint accents with Lumiere. Set aside.
Start by painting the bunny from the waist up. I used Sherrill's Sorbets Lemon for this but you can choose any color that compliments the flowers you printed on the ExtravOrganza. Remember that you can thin the paint up to 25% with water if it's too thick right out of the bottle. Paint the outside of the ears with the body color and use a contrasting color for the inside (My choice: Lumiere Pearl White).
Paint the feet with Neopaque Brown or other color of your choice.
Paint the stripes on the legs. My colors were Lumiere Sunset Gold and Metallic Olive Green. I painted the stripes free hand, but here are a few tips to make things easier: begin by painting the legs one color up to the waist and to the brown at the feet. It would probably be a good idea to test your color choices to find out which one should go on top, as one may cover better than the other. When the first layer is dry mask the stripes with tape and paint the second color. Let dry and remove the tape. Create a decorative edge (like a scallop or a point) where the stripes meet the feet at the ankle. You don't need to do anything special at the waist since it will be covered by the skirt and a ribbon applied at the end.
Using the 5 pieces for the underskirt, run a gathering stitch (by hand or machine) on each piece of ExtravOrganza. I gathered mine by hand on the short edge for a longer underskirt.
Whip-stitch the bottom layer of the skirt onto the bunny at the waist.
Do the same for the 5 pieces of the top layer, running the gathering stitches on the edges where you cut the circles and whip-stitching to the doll at the waist.
Hand stitch the large ExtravOrganza flowers for the sleeves at the shoulders.
Hand stitch the small ExtravOrganza flowers for the neck piece at the shoulders and in the back.
Sew bead accents on the toes.
Attach spectacles by hand stitching at the ears.
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