I'm making a BIG Doll!  I have an opportunity to make a figure for Spring season.  This is the old Dressmakers dummy and I am giving it 'bones' and fleshing it out.

 Lots of padding............

 Now a Toile..........

 A fitting..........

 Back view......

She's a buxom lass - 44 - 30 - 44!  She's got a bra on under there to give her a more definitive shape. Not bad eh?  Can you see the face waiting in the background?  I didn't use it in the end. This will be a Victorian woman, possibly Steam Punk.  It's for The Oamaru Textile Exchange - an entrance eyecatcher!  Hope it all works!

My old granny is nearly finished.  Her shoes turned into boots and I might have to put buttons on them now.  I didn't know about a hat.  What do you think?  She might need a cat or a book or something.  Yes I am making a pattern of this and may even have it as a class.  Not sure just yet.

Still playing!  Not finished by any means yet, but had to get it this far so the Art Gallery director can check it out for the exhibition for the concept.  Only one shoe partially done!  She's trying to decide on the pearls or not, and probably won't have that hat on.  She's a comfy old gal though she looks a little staid here - but that'll change!

Trying on a 'look'.  Nice draping fabric here - an old skirt, with a small pattern.  This is the front of the piece I cut out, just draped over to see if it all 'goes'.  The hair and head are just perched on the body just now.  Trying out is very important in the process.  This small print in the dark colour will be good to embellish with some other detail.

I'm working on another doll.  Here she is in all her glory, patiently waiting for me to decide what she will be dressed in.  She is the basis of another pattern I am working on, but will also feature in an exhibition for next year.  She has the look of a gardner to me, but might just judge Roses!  Who knows?

This pretty pink Ballerina is the second doll made by a new member of our group, Heather!  She is a Sarnie pattern and just looks lovely!  Heather has made  good job of her and her wee shoes look so cute!  Love those eyes!  AShe used Tibettan lambswool for the hair - good choice!

I've had a lovely Queen's Birthday weekend at The Oamaru Textile Exchange, with the crafting ladies, and where I sell my dolls.  It's in the Victorian Precinct of Oamaru and members of the Co-operative that run the shop, make and sell traditional articles of clothing. 

I was there to demonstrate needle sculpting and others were demonstrating what they do.  If you doubleclick on the pictures, you will just see my doll display in the back and in the foreground, examples of needlesculpting and a rug made from Spindle Spinning!  So thick & warm!

The other picture is the old traditional craft of Lacemaking.  I'm told that families had their own patterns that they always made and was known as theirs.  Even the children would learn their family pattern.  Maybe the same was said for those that wove family tartans?  I don't know.  A piece of lace like this now adorns my Miss Kate doll's dress!  It was a horseshoe design, that fitted around the neck of her bolero and just set it off!

I tried my hand at needlefelting, and I think it's something I could like.  I have some ideas!

Adrianne got to go to a Jill Maas class lucky woman! Aren't they fabulous! Up close this is a magical set of dolls! Everyone commented on them! They would be fun to make!

Heather is making a Sarnie Ballerina - her second doll! She's made a great job of it too!

I made this spider called Miss Bruce!  One of my workers has a granddaughter age 2, scared of spiders.  My worker said , no- it's just Bruce!  Now every time she sees a spider, it's Bruce!  so I made her a girly one for fun!  LOL!

This was my display at the Spinners & Weavers open day.  All my design except for the steam Punk crow(magpie in this case) and the 1920's French Boudoir Doll, which I thought too lovely not to show off!  Seh was much appreciated by people born in that era!  I enjoyed talking to people baout what they liked or disliked about my dolls, bearing in mind these ladies are all fibre artists and a lot were very traditional, but admired the work invloved.

What do you think?  The fairy of Christmas Shopping!  I'm trying to develop this into a pattern, but struggling with the clothing.  Got to make it so it fits well and that anyone can make it easily.

The other one is a bag doll I was designing gone wrong, so I unstuffed it to the shoulders, stitched it across, put a bag on it and stitched around the arms and neck, posed the arms and stitched in place and - Voila! A cute wee PJ bag for the bed, or a cuddly doll for a toddler!

My newest creation - a Xmas Fairy!  Approximately 10 inchestall from the tip of her wired hat to the tips of her pointed feet!  This is a doll to dress up or dress down!  I'm trying to decide if she would make a pattern or not.  What do you think?  does she have appeal?

This is Heathers interpretation of my pattern - "Dance like no-one is watching!"  I'm really happy because it's her first doll!  Heather has taken to dollmaking like a duck to water and seems to be really enjoying it.  that doll looks so cool against the wall, but I think she's going to give it a stand.  Well done Heather!

Gave myself a little challenge today.  There's a Victorian Mannequin at TOTE where I sell my dolls.  I thought it could do with a head, as they are going to change it's dress for the coming season.  This head is made from rolled up newspaper, calico and wadding, overlaid with thick ballet tight fabric.  It is coloured with gesso, watercolour paint, gel pen and prismacolour pencils.

Add a little hair and a hat - yes I know the eye is offcentre, but  I will fix that.  I just wanted to see if I could make a lifesize head.  Actually, it's a bit larger than life, but that might be ok.  Now I know I can make one, I could easily do another.  She looks a bit static, but not too bad for a first attempt.  The theme might be Steam Punk, so I can do something with the wonky eye to make it fit the  theme!  We're going for drama here as the Manniquin is set at the entrance, to attract the gadding crowds!  LOL!

Meet Quardle-oodle-ardle! He's an alarmist, attached to the Hedgrow Emergency Team, always on the alert for intruders in the Magpie Territorials!  He takes his job very seriously, ever ready to ward off low-flying, maurdering hawks or unsuspecting passers by, who hear his triumphant Quardle-oodle-ardle battle cry as they start to run!

This is a pattern designed by Susan Barmore, of Frowning Francis Patterns.  I really admire her work.  I love her octopus and walrus design and it was a toss-up between that and the crow!  I chose this one because I prefer not to use clay, but these dolls are great fun to make.  I used an old handbag a friend gave me for most of the embellishments.  The badge on his back pack is from the Red Cross that I found in my button box.

This is a free Retro Dress Pattern I designed to fit 'Krista'. Please e-mail me for a PDF copy, if you have bought my 'Krista' pattern - or would like to!

  The dress has a basque waist with panels inset in the skirt to make it plain or coloured.  The dress can be any length and would look good with beading, buttons a shawl, or fine scarf. 

 It also comes with a half petticoat pattern.

Jodi arrived early tonight so we got stuck in so she could finish off two of her dolls.  To the right of her, you can see my latest creation in the making - no, not the frog - the one behind it!

Julie has a few dolls to attend to, with Eddie overlooking things!

Wow look at those brows!  This is Jodi's completed Troll!  she is very pleased with herself - considering she's a real newbie to dollmaking!  I think she's got the knack! 

"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." Joseph chilton Pearce

Thanks Colleen!  I like it!

This is to show how one-on-one instruction can work.  The one in the middle is the demonstration model I made for the workshop.  My student did the head on the right, with the curved smile and I did the one on the left.  Both dolls lack the white point in their eyes, but they were both done step by step together with very pleasing results!   Not even a clone!  My student was delighted to discover that anyone can make the same doll, but it will always look uniquely different!  She had never made a doll before!

Sustainable Oamaru Workshop 2012

I have just had a very satisfying weekend workshop - with one participant!  I am very happy because Helen completed her doll in exactly the right amount of time I had set out.


 It was an interesting experience for me watching someone following my pattern 'Krista', but also seeing how the sessions just flowed, in this one-on-one experience - although we did have some visitors and even had time to go for a quick walk!

 

Here the stuffing is all done and the shoes are drying from their undercoat of Gesso.  Preparations are underway for attaching the legs to the body.

At last  - attached after two attempts and getting the legs in the right position - just anything won't do, you know!  Long leggity lady is this doll!  We needle sculpted and coloured the body, arms & legs as we went, so it was all ready to go when it was time to attach.

Ahh!  She stands - well almost!

 

The head - we decided on a small modification.

Three heads are better than one!  We decided to do one together for some really good tuition.  Worked quite well wouldn't you say?  We were delighted with the results and had trouble deciding which was which!

At last the head is sewn on and she is all but finished!  We only had time then to play around with wigs and Helen decided which one she liked best.  She has promised to send me a picture of her doll dressed and finished, which I will post when I get it.

Helen was an excellent student and said she thoroughly enjoyed the experience and is seriously thinking of coming to our weekly OCDC next year! (She's doing embroidery this year)  She will be a welcome asset to our group!

Prince Ghastly was miserable. He wanted a  life of freedom - besides everybody thought he was ugly. 

He made a wish - "I wish I could be completely differnt from what I am now!"

 One day he was walking along

in his usual dopey way, not looking at anything in particular, when 'Whaow!'

He began to feel funny!  Actually he began to look funny too!  He opened his mouth and ............

GAHHH!  What's happening!

He turned into this particularly ugly Frog! 

 The moral of this story is: ALWAYS BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR!

HAH! So there you have it!  I know it's probably been done before somewhere, but in my research, I haven't found many.

This is my Frog Prince that I have been working on all week!  Finally finished and the pattern all but done! 

 I thought it was really different and interesting and sometimes I have to challenge myself because I'm not terribly good at this sort of thing and there was a few days there that I thought I wasn't going to work it out, but I persevered and here it is. 

 As you can see, the Frog and Prince are reversed through the mouth.  You could have a lot of fun with this doll - particularly good for story telling I would think.  Also a colourful and interesting novelty doll to add to anyone's collection, or for stalls! 

What do you think?  Comments always welcome!

New Pattern in the making!

The new pattern I’m working on is a real aberration for me!  It’s a variation of the Frog Prince that I saw, and was delighted with the concept!  I guess you could call it a puppet.  It would be great for storytelling!

 I haven’t seen much like it in my research, although I have seen a toymakers version - but not like this.  The original pattern was designed and made over 30 years ago, so I am reinventing it.  In any event, it is completely my own pattern, but the idea for it is not. 

This is such a classic I think we should all have access to how it’s made, so those of us who can, can replicate it for storytelling to our grandchildren.  So I have made a pattern. 

 The idea has all sorts of potential for many other things i.e. Red Riding Hood and the wolf, or grandma & the wolf – all those stories that turn into something else. 

Alternatively it could be an individual frog or a prince of the Muppet variety!  I’ve almost finished it, and the hardest part is putting on the mouth that joins them both together.  It’s all machine sewn but for a little sculpting on the princes nose, pop eyes on them both and partial hand sewing on the mouth.  It’s like putting a jigsaw puzzle together with all the different bits – quite quilt-like really!  The effect is rather stunning!  It could be made from scraps, or from good fabrics.  Intrigued?  I'll be posting a pic soon!