Xhosa Doll makeover

 I am privileged to be able to do some work on a primitive #Xhosa #ClothDoll for someone who wanted a more realistic face to remind her of friends she worked with in #Africa.

I wanted to share the #process of putting her together. The newly designed upper body and head are staked into a weighted Fanta bottle, (in keeping with the height), wrapped in batting, and covered in the original 'skin'. I have not made a base cover, wanting to keep a little of the primitive nature of the doll, so she is now called a Stump doll. The face is made from tea-dyed Muslin, Stitch on the bias, to give it enough stretch for the minimal sculpt.

The upper body is made from pink velour that I had to paint enough so it was unnoticeable.

The initial head wrapping didn't do her justice, as she needed more bulk on the head, so I used the felt one for the under wrap, and made a new one after watching some video's, and learned how to make and tie a head wrap.

I stitched her clothing on, but wanted to keep the integrity of the doll intact, as I was aware that I was working with someone else's original creation.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this process and love how she turned out. My daughter says she just makes her happy and her expression is so welcoming, so that was nice!