1.22.12

Here is the doll to be. What you see is the cover of the pattern, "Under the Harvest Moon" by Deanna Hogan. It can be purchased via her ETSY STORE in PDF form. There are other options to buy her pattern, including Craftsy, Cloth Doll Patterns, and Dollmakers Journey, where I bought mine.

I like to browse Dollmakers Journey and look at each dollmaker's patterns. I visit old favorites like Patti Culea, elinor peace bailey, Margaret-Acker Missal, Lynne Butcher, Kathy Briggs, Virgina Robertson, Barbara Graff, Kathy Hays, Julie McCullough, Barbara Willis, and Christine Shively. One day, I made it my mission to look at each designer's offerings. Usually if I find something I want on the internet, I set it aside, and come back to look at it over the course of a week. Not this time. As soon as I saw this doll, I grabbed my credit card and she was mine. She has been on my "Can't Wait To Do" list for several months.  

I will keep you up on her progress but I may not be working on her every day. Retired means pretty much getting to do what I want but there are so many commitments I have made to other things I want to do that I do not always have uninterrupted stretches of days. PLUS-I have to photograph my steps, do the photo editing and write the blog!

1.20.12

Here are some possible vests for the doll that is waiting for me. When you went to Deanna Hogan's GALLERY, Blue Heron Cloth Dolls,  did you guess which doll I chose?

Here is her ETSY SHOP. Once you get there, click on Under the Harvest Moon. You probably guessed! I bought this pattern at the Dollmaker's Journey store and downloaded it onto my computer. Then, I printed it out when I thought I was ready to make templates.

Back to the vests. My doll's vest is really the bodice of the blouse. I have not decided if I will do it that way or wander out into the realm of reinventing the wheel--my usual mode of project work.  ON the one hand, separates would allow a lot of combinations. On the other hand, well, it is reinventing a perfectly round wheel.

Lower right section? I LOVE LOVE LOVE this fabric and all I have left are those strips. I will be trying to get them in on this project any way I can. Upper left? It has a teeny bit less teal in the tone than I would like but to its benefit, it DOES have DOTS. I LOVE LOVE LOVE DOTS.

1.19.12

Blouse fabrics! Here are my final four. Like I said, this doll will probably have a wardrobe of separates because I had so much fun pulling coordinates.

1.18.12

Interviewing fabric this past weekend. Here is what I have so far.

These are the finalists for skirts for a doll in the making. I bought a pattern from Deanna Hogan of Blue Heron Cloth Dolls some few months back. I will link up to the particular doll later this week. Click her GALLERY link and go see if you know which one I chose. Here is her blog if you want to get to know her a little.


Although my photo editing needs more experience, in real light, all these skirts have a teal/turquoise in common. They look terrible together, but this doll will only be wearing one of them, so that should not matter.  All of the coordinates I picked go with each potential skirt so it may be that this doll will have a wardrobe of separates.

Come back tomorrow to see some blouse fabrics.

12.25.11

CHRISTMAS 2011 STOCKING, part 9

 

Here she is with hair and make-up. I hand quilted and beaded her hair. She still looks wise and content.

Finished but not filled.

 

  

 

 

12.24.11

 CHRISTMAS 2011 STOCKING, part 8

Here are some pictures of Canadian Maria's stocking. I sure hope it got there by today. I had so much fun constructing it.

I assemble the tree separately and carry it around beading it for a couple of days.

Then I put it on the stocking fabric, sew the stocking and turn it, then fill in with beads the parts I left unbeaded near the seams.

After that, I re-interview fabrics. I had pulled a pile to consider but it is important to get an idea of scale as well as contrast.  For instance, I didn't want the hair color to overwhelm the skin or have the boots the first thing you noticed.  

 I choose a duo of pretty coral/red coordinates. For wings and star, I find a white that is spattered with silver. You can't really see that silver, can you?

I trace the parts on the wrong sides of the fabrics, stitch, turn and stuff. I sure love my hemostats.  I rely on them for turning and also for stuffing. I have several pair and I would be lost without them.

Remember the pattern I am using? Julie McCullough's ANGEL HAIR design. If you click the link you will see her version of it. In my earlier posts, I explained my modifications. PART ONE, PART TWO, PART THREE, PART FOUR, PART FIVE, PART SIX,  AND PART SEVEN.

Now you see the face turned, stuffed, and sculpted. She looks wise, doesn't she? If you have artistic experience, you know at a certain point in the creation, it starts to take on its own life and guides your hand. Decisions are made by you but the piece itself has the final word on the outcome. I found that to be true with basketry, doll making, bear making, quilting, spinning, knitting (unfortunately), and jewelry making. I tried pottery briefly but I fought the clay so much we never really got along. Anyway, she needs some make-up at this point but I wait a day or two until we are both ready.

The wings are fun. Instead of modifying the pattern and making voluptuous wings as I had intended, I went with the ones from the pattern. I enjoyed beading on the little star-shaped sequins and I was able to stay in the silver theme. I have a few multicolored star sequins and they looked wonderful on the fabric but the silver is more subtle and does not overpower.

You can not possibly imagine the trouble I had drafting the right sized star. That is all I will say about that.

11.23.11

CHRISTMAS  2011  STOCKING, part 3 

Sketching again. I need to give the doll a shape that will fit the task better. In the Julie McCullough pattern, Angel Hair, the doll is in a straight diagonal line. In fact, the front of the gown is placed on the fold. The doll for my stocking needs to reach up. Julie's original has her arms genteelly carrying a basket.                                                                      

This is a step in the right direction. If I do not mind a seam or dart in the bodice, I can increase the gown and give it a little bend. I can reposition the arms.

Just what I want!

11.22.11

CHRISTMAS  2011  STOCKING, part 2

First, I found  a pattern in my pattern library that was simple enough to suit the project. I needed a figure about 13 inches tall and that would look good in profile. This pattern by Julie McCullough would be great.  Oops. Can you read the size of the doll just below the pattern name? It is a 23" doll. 

I took out the pattern and went to the computer. I am so proud of myself, I scanned it, took the auto-page fill default off, and asked it to please print it at 85% of the original size.  I have no math that told me that was the size I needed, it just "felt"right.                               

It took 4 scans and then I layered the papers so I could get whole pieces. Then I transferred them to template material. Next, I need to audition fabric.