The Off-White Queen!

Potential disaster happened when we had strong winds blow through town, whooshing through the swing doors of the Oamaru Textile Emporium, where my dolls are displayed.  This was my last Marie Antoinette Bust doll for sale and she was thrown to the floor in a gust, and the base was smashed!

Nothing is ever wasted, so I quickly decided she could be my White Queen for the Alice Series!  On went a waist and stump base and arms!  

Out came all my bits of white - not enough for a whole dress, so all the bits were sewn together to make the gown - hence, The Off-white queen!  (I love a play on words!)

I added a little more hair to give her lengthy tresses and add to her more delicate look.

Here she is - the perfect foil for her sister, the Red Queen of Hearts!

Tweedles coming together!

 I finished one of the little Tweedles today and set him the task of holding his brothe's neck while I threaded the needle!  He just happened to be the right height! They are already close!  I am enjoying making these and think I will make a few more, as I could have sold them several times today as I worked on them at TOTE!  The extra head I had has gone to a new home!  Someone loved it, so I gave it to her!

On to the next bit now, while they are still friends!

Tweedle two and three!

Looking dapper chaps!

Carrying on - I constructed a body and limbs.  The original legs were too short, so lengthened them and put in a good strong armature, because it could be top heavy!  

I was not happy with the second head, so made a third!  You can never have enough heads!  This one is much better and both these faces have a childlike look, where the other didn't, so I have decided he can be Father William - and stand on his head!  LOL!  Why not!  Nothing's wasted!

Here's a view of the body.  Just need to finish his braces and make shoes.  These ones will have caps!  Why not indeed!  

Just reading something of these little characters, they are two brothers who agree to have a battle, but never have one.  They never contradict each other but are always arguing or playing. One is usually frowning and pessimistic and the other more hopeful and optimistic! Interesting little characters!

Marie Antoinette Bust

I have been wanting to make a bust for some time, but was not sure what I would do, or when I would get time to devote to making it - or even how it would look!

I began anyway as I knew what I would do to make the body.  Easy. Then started on the face and it sat for a day.  I rummaged around and found some likely looking scraps, and some lace that had possibilities - still unsure of what I would do.  

I then started on the face, and when that was done had a little think about how I would be able to make hair that looked the part, so made a toque - I looked it up!  It means cushion for the hair!  It seems ladies with this hairstyle could wear it so for a week and even had special bed hats made to accommodate their hair!

Anyway, in order to put eyelashes on, I had to cover the hair as I had used Wool staples combed out, and needle-felted in place.  Therefore, strands catch on everything and annoyingly tangle in the black thread I was using!

 It was successful!

 So I played with curls and pearls in her hair, feathers and lace

Front view

 Back View

 Side view.

Showing off her Beauty Spot!  Oh La!

I like this view of her, reflecting maybe.............?

I hope you like her.  I am going to make her into a pattern.  She is fun to do!

Here's a sweet little pixie doll I made today, when I found a head I'd made a few years ago and done nothing with.  Thought I'd stick with the Christmas theme and make her Santa's little helper.

I had been experimenting with head shapes and used beads for the eyes.  It'll be alright for our local Fete on Sunday and also kept me out of the way while my old fella put a new bathroom in!

The Pig Hunter!

My apologies to all animal lovers!  This piece was a request from my niece Alice, who is a Nanny during the week and a Pig Hunter at the weekend! These are West Coast feral pigs and can be quite dangerous to hunt.  Alice only a wee thing but very brave, so I made a wee doll.  Alice wanted something to encapsulate this time of her life!  She is quite pleased with herself!

The head is made from velour and coloured with Hybrid Gel pens and white acrylic paint highlights.

 The body is made from cotton and is needlesculpted.  She has no fingers because of her 'pleased with herself' pose.  She wears a knit ribbed teeshirt.  Her shotgun is made from two straws, balsa wood wrapped in masking tape and painted with a bronze paint that came out looking like silver!  I made a wire trigger handle attached with hot glue and wrapped in masking tape, so I could attach it with cotton in place for a casual look.

 Her Jeans are also her legs, cut to shape from stretch denim (recycled), as are her boots.  The legs are stuffed with doweling for armature, wedged into her boots, which are weighted to make her stand.  I made some pseudo socks around the tops of the boots and stitched some heavy thread for laces.

I designed the poor old pig in his demised state, from some brown synthetic fabric I had (recycled) and used a brown pastel as well as black prismapencil to deepen the shadows in the needlesculpting of his body.  He has white calico tusks.  Rather pleased with the way he turned out, but hoped his legs would all droop to the ground, but  because of his belly, they didn't. Never mind - he really looks like rigor mortis has set in!  I luckily had some rope-like string to tie his front hocks to make it look authentic!

Remembering our youth!

 A friend asked me to make a doll for a 50th birthday.  She said her friend had a horse that they never saw - it had either just died, or was at her grandad's, so they never saw it.  A mythical horse - so I made a unicorn hobby horse!  She had been a professional marching girl, a follower of fashion in the 60's, loves the Races and at school, always shouted for Wales - hence the Welsh flag!

The hat for the races!  She is an out-there sort of person - an events organiser!

Ready to challenge the odds!

Full of energy, encouragment for her friends - able to string them along and hold their interest in a vibrant, but gracious way!  Her birthday's in August - does she look like a Leo!