be(a) Again

Here are some better photos of be(a) coming and all of her belongings. Thanks to everyone who worked on her!

be(a) with Lawrence perched on her shoulder...

be(a) and her trunk of treasures...

The inside of her treasure trunk...

A detail of her skirt...

be(a)coming is home

I posted about sending Dave home so you know about the round robin. Right after Dave left, the doll that I began a year ago returned to me. Her name is be(a)coming and her little bird friend is Lawrence. They began looking like this.

This is not quite how she returned but very similar to this. What a transformation!

Dave's on His Way Home

Over the last year I have taken part in an art doll round robin through Wildart Dolls, a yahoo group. I have just finished the last doll and it will be on its way home this afternoon. The doll I completed is Dave the horse, who has traveled the world (really...Japan, England) and much of the U.S looking for babes. He arrived at my house without a tail, so I added one...I'm sure that will help with the babe-thing. I also gave him a little bouquet of beaded flowers to take home to his mom, Gail in North Carolina. Happy trails, Dave.

Water (Doll) For a Hot Day

I have not been in the studio much since our move. We are actually staying with my parents until employment happens. We are grateful for a place to stay while on this search but it does mean limited access to my studio stash and not much space to spread out and work. I've been trying to find interesting sites and images to share and there are soooo many on the various blogs I've been scouting. Today though, it is hot and I thought you might like to drink in the image of a piece I made a few years ago called Water. Her skirt is made from hand-dyed cotton covered cord that a wire was inserted into so the cords would hold their shape. Her net was constructed by stitching on Solvy with cool colored threads and she sports some freshwater pearls and a fish. She stands on a piece of blue glass so it appears as if she is emerging from the water. I hope you stay cool today.

New Doll Group and Working with Wire

I have become a member of a new Yahoo! group called Decidedly Different Dolls. It is a small but growing group open to all lovers of offbeat art dolls. There is talk of swaps, challenges and ideas and support galore. I have known the host and her assistant for almost a year now and if you join I think you will find it to be a lively informative group.

A current thread of conversation is making a doll using mainly wire. There are so many different ways of working with wire and so many kinds of wire to work with. I have had a fair amount of experience crocheting and sewing with fairly thin wire. It can be put in a needle and sewed through fabric or crocheted just like you would use yarn or thread. In this photo the piece has legs that are crocheted from a thin wire I got at a beading store. I believe the size was 27 or 28. Prior to crocheting, I beaded the wire and pulled up a bead about every seven stitches. If you click on the photo you can get a larger image and get a better look at her legs.

You might think that it would be hard to work with or have a feel that would be unpleasant to have in your hand, but I didn't find that to be true. It was quite pleasant to the touch and made for a very interesting fabric. I'm wondering, what are your experiences with wire? How have you used it in your creations? What worked, what didn't? I'd love to know.

Jenny

This is the other doll I made from the Edith Flack Ackley pattern. Her name is Jenny and she is a bit more of a tomboy, wearing jeans and a smock top. She is also listed in my etsy shop.

Another Edith Flack Ackley Doll

A few months ago I posted about the doll I made from the 1938 book Making Dolls for Fun and Profit by Edith Flack Ackley. Well, I have tweaked the pattern to make it easier for construction and designed a face that is really sweet. I have made two and just posted the first one on my etsy site. (The second one will come in the next few days because I have to redo the photos). I think she is really cute and there are several photos of her, so check her out.

Time's Running Out!

Only another day before I draw the winner of the mermaid! Leave a comment either on this post or the one just below! Also, go to Sew Mama Sew and see all of the sites (over 400) that are hosting giveaways. In the event that you are not the winner, check out my etsy site. I have a blue one listed there.

My First Giveaway

This is my first give away and I'm so excited! I'm giving away this sweet little pink mermaid. She is approximately seven inches long and is made from hand-dyed, cotton fabric. She has a beaded and sequined tail and beads adorn her head. Her face is a mirror, so when you look into her face...you are the mermaid!

Just leave a comment on any of my posts this week before midnight (CST) on May 31 and you will be eligible to win. The winner will be chosen randomly and notified on June 1. Because this is my first time doing a giveaway, I'm keeping it simple and will be mailing only to the U.S. or Canada. Please be sure to include contact information in your comment. Good Luck!!!

Bird Nest Hats

A few days ago we had a pretty substantial wind and the last few days while on walks I have found these little bird nests that blew out of trees. I think I will put them in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer for a few days to kill any critters living in them. I'm imagining them as fantastic hats for dolls.

On another note, I am moving from Virginia to western Wisconsin, which is a bit overwhelming of a task, so I will be occupied with packing, loading and driving all of our stuff so may not be posting for a bit. Unless, of course, I find something really interesting while going through this process, I'll grab my camera and find wi fi somewhere.

New Doll

I was looking at some blogs the other day and saw some posts that had works in progress and just from looking at them I learned a lot. So, I thought I would post my latest WIP. This doll was started over two years ago (cringe) and she is slowly telling me what she needs. This is the first time I tried putting imagery on the skirt section (I've been calling it skirt-scaping). First I traced the body on fabric and machine appliqued the green grass fabric and tree trunks on it, then sewed, stuffed and closed it.

I always embroider the face on another piece of fabric and applique it on to the head. Here you can see the face in progress. I used variegated thread for most of the face, something I've never done before. I'm not sure about the way it turned out, I may go into it with more solid colors to even it out a bit. The idea was for the face to be the sun shining down on the field.

The embroidery on the skirt was done after the piece was stuffed. The tree leaves are detached buttonhole stitches, a form of stumpwork and the sheep are french knots.

The bodice is made with continuous rows of blanket stitch and the sleeves are crocheted. I am testing out twisted cord as a finish for the bodice neck and waist.

I know I have further to go, but I don't think it will take another two years. I'll post it when it is finished!

Edith Flack Ackley Doll

Several years ago a friend of mine gave me an old book called "Making Dolls for Fun and Profit" by Edith Flack Ackley, the publication date is 1938. It had been sitting on my bookshelf gathering dust for sometime, but a few weeks ago I was inspired to get it out and make a doll from it. I had a blast.

The author suggested sewing the whole thing by hand, but that seemed a bit much to me. Given that sewing technology has improved a great deal, I did most of it by machine and it worked like a charm. She is outfitted with undies,

a half-slip,

a dress

and an apron

It was fun to make, but I think I can alter the body pattern a bit to make it even easier to sew and put together. I know this would not make the doll historically accurate, but sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I might make a few and put them up on etsy. I'll let you know if I do.