An Old/New Doll Travels Back East

This doll, I that completed on commission, went to its new owner last month.  She is 17 and 3/4 inches; I was aiming for 18 inches, but 17 and 3/4 is good enough for jazz.

The new owner had requested an Izannah-style doll in a Springlike dress.

After making her dress, I discovered a little aging trick.  The fabric was orginally a teal blue with lighter blue fleur de lis pattern.  I put it in a glass bowl of bleach and water to age it, and the blue background completely left, leaving a greenish-tinged white background, and luckily, also the fleur de lis pattern.  I laundered it twice to get the bleach out and soften it up, and then brushed some tea on the seams and edges of the sleeves.  Then the dress looked - old! 

I made her a bonnet from vintage eyelet and made a fabric flower for it, and she was all set...

I should mention I did the bleaching outside.  

She was a pleasure to make.

Thanks for reading, and have a good day. 

A Workshop with Judy Barclift

I belong to a doll group which last month, hosted a workshop given by Judy Barclift, who is a fabulous California sculptor.  She sculpts in a way that is very realistic, yet has her trademark style as well.  She gave the workshop using polymer clay, which I hadn't tried sculpting a face in yet.  The workshop was to make a "Jack on a Stick," a pumpkin or decorative squash head for Hallowe'en.  The class was fun and we learned a lot.  While my own sculpting does not approach hers, I still was pleased to get a pumpkin character, whom I thought looked French.  I added some of my own trims, and found that I had sculpted.... a French onion seller! 

He is a dapper older gentleman who
sells onions in the french countryside.

Ah yes, we had many good times  togethair.......

And here he is, relaxing back at home. 

My Lisa Lichtenfels "Elder" Doll

I recently took Lisa Lichtenfels' four-day nylon-sculpting class -- she is known for her incredibly realistic nylon sculpting.  

First, she taught us how to nylon-sculpt a doll head.  Lisa had set the eyes to begin with, and I went from there,  sculpting the facial features with curved needles.  Then she taught us how to constuct the body armature, and build up the body to the point of being covered with nylon, all the while going for a realistic look.  Then we each dressed our dolls in fabrics we chose.  I used my own clothing pattern and her slippers pattern. 

Lisa is a great teacher, well organized and also relaxed.  She took time to go around and work with each student, several times during the course.  It was great fun to meet her.  She has entertaining tales of working as an artist in New York. 

 My doll is sewing on pieces for a quilt.  I have fond memories of my grandmother working on her quilts.  I would sit near her on the windowseat and we would talk.  The cat and the dog were also there, at opposite ends. 

Getting Around to the Moth Doll

I finally finished my art-doll, "Virginia Moth."  Or, I could call her "Madama Moth."  I started her as a bottle doll (see earlier posts), but then totally changed the idea to this!   I made her for my local doll group challenge of "Flight." 

I gave her a loop so she can hang out on the wall....  before she descends onto her next natural-fiber piece of clothing in the closet... :( 

Although I started out thinking she would be made of all-natural-fiber material, I had this piece of polyester cafe-colored fabric I liked.  I first started chopping it up for moth wings for the moths that are adorning her.  

I decided to give her sort of kimono sleeves, and round "moth-eye" patches on each sleeve.  She has only short wire arms and small wire legs, wrapped with cotton, under her costume, but her body is full and soft (moths have thicker bodies than butterflies) and is made of cotton on a wire armature. 

It's a stretchy fabric, but it almost evokes lace, or trapunto.  It drapes well, so I decided I didn't want to hack it into little bits, I wanted her to wear it. 

Continuing onward, I gave her a thick, tattered, velvet shawl, which I think is a polyester velvet.  It had good fraying at the edges, and so she can sit wrapped in it; and it the texture goes with her dress.

So, I went from thinking in terms of little frayed pieces, to larger draped ones, and I like the feeling of the doll the better for it.  I drew kind of a boudoir face, thinking she should have large "moth-like" eyelashes and eyes. 
She has a big seam down the front of her face, but I left it there and didn't cover it with a "cloth-over."  Because she's a little weird.  She's a moth....the seam adds to the weirdness. 
 

 I hope you like my "moth doll."  She was my little moth adventure. 

My Tam O' Shanter Boy is done

After many weeks of work, I finished an Izannah-Walker-inspired boy doll.  He wears a tam o' shanter and a little plaid suit.  He has high socks, and leather boots with buttons... those boots took a lot of finger-power to hand-sew.  I planned his clothing to be a Christmas holidays outfit.  I began work back in October.

I made his face from a mold I did of my own sculpt, of Esmeralda.  I changed the face so much, it was almost like re-sculpting the whole face.   As soon as he was dressed, I put him outside to look at the flowers.  

 

After these pictures were taken, I antiqued his arms, headplate and shirt... and his hat.  Here is the result:  

Alabama Baby - Finished

 Well, after sewing on the hooks in the back of the dress, she or he is done.  Here are pictures of my completed Alabama Baby doll, made for the Maida Dolls Group challenge.

I used my own pattern for the doll's body.  

The doll is about 18" long, the face painted simply with acrylics.  The head is entirely hand-sculpted by me.  I started by doing a very different sculpt, but when I saw my error, sawed the sides off, and filled in the eyes.

 She is dressed in plain cotton ticking.   I liked doing a fancier dress in the ticking, though, with ruffles.  It was my first time putting stockinette on a head, too, and it wasn't too too hard, but I have to admit there are a few seams in back.  

I noticed about stockinette is that is does take antiquing well.  It's much more of a "surface."

Was fun doing this doll!  Maybe more are in the future.

Googly Goes "Back East"

In late December, I finished another one of my interpretations of a Googly doll.  She has flyaway hair, as you can see and is dressed in her scoot-around dress, with a book bag. 

 Pictures can be clicked on for a larger view.

I made her for a trade with Artis Corwin, a talented dollmaker whose work can be seen on the Maida site.  I used my own patterns for the clothing.  Above is the Googly walking on her way to school, maybe passing by a dog.   I like Googlies for their various expressions....

Below she is in her other outfit, her school uniform.  I pleated the skirt so the green is on the inside pleats, and gave it a little pin as I remember my tartan skirt had one when I was in the sixth grade.

Her little bag and shoes I made of leather.  I used Gail Wilson's pattern for the shoesies. 

I made the teeniest shirt I have ever made.

It was fun to do a doll trade with Artis.  

New Googly Available

This Googly is now available for sale on Etsy..... she is twelve inches long, and comes with all her clothing pictured.  She seemed to like pink so much, I gave her as much pink as I could.  Her wig is made of human hair, and all her clothing is handmade. 

The dress is cotton with vintage old stock crepe du chine sleeves.  Her underthings are of the same crepe du chine.  For her dress and hat trim I found old matching ribbon.  Her shoes are made of leather with tiny bows. 

Her hair can be styled, combed, even washed or wetted to take curlers.  I could not think of a name for her yet, but am calling her "Pinky."  I think she has some of that Googly childish yet somewhat adventuresome charm.  Her face is made from a mold I took of my own sculpt.  I painted her in acrylics.  I do enjoy making these dolls.  

Note to Maida members:  If you are interested in this doll, I am offering a discount to Maida members.  Please contact me through this site or through Maida, and I will adjust the Etsy price.  

A Pink Googly

Here is another "Googly" doll, that I just finished!

She is my interpretation of a Googly doll.

I hand-sculpted the original head in Paperclay.  The clothing is all handmade by me.  There is old-stock garter trim on her dress.  The sleeves (and her "knickers") are made of old-stock crepe-du-chine fabric  from the 1930s.  I made her hat from new hat-straw, and handmade her booties and wig.  The photo above was taken with the stand underneath, which distorted her dress. 

She took many months, because I worked on making a pattern for her dress, tried to get the wig just right, and the summer was so busy.

Here's her pigtail look, using new ribbon for hair ties:

Thank you for taking a peek.  

Inspired by Googlies

After several months of designing my own pattern for the body, and using my original sculpt for molds, I have finished my own interpretation of a Googly doll.  She is available on Etsy.

Her arms rotate forward and backward, on her wooden shoulder joints.  She is weighted with a little bag of artist sand, so she can sit well.  She also comes with a large hair-bow, like little girls wore in the early last century.  

Her head is of Paperclay, painted with acrylics and sealed.  Her hair is a wig made of human hair.
She comes with all her clothing and her handmade shoes and hat. 

You can see the listing for the doll here in my Etsy shop.

Esmeralda's Ready to...Rest!

 I just finished Esmeralda, who is largest Izannah-Walker inspired doll I have made, at 31 inches.
 I hand-sculpted her in Paperclay, and left a bit of the clay unsanded on the surface of her face to make her look a little aged and "pitted."  I had a choice of fabrics of course, but chose this one and I think it looks nice and fresh.  Her pantaloons and long chemise/slip I handmade in light muslin with very old eyelet trim.  She wears a garden hat I made of very old lace curtains that a friend had given me.  The removable lace collar is also vintage. 

She just looks so...... placid.  Or, willing to sit and listen to you, on the sofa.

 I had fun painting her curls.   I just used burnt sienna, ochre and burnt umber. 

Dixie Redmond at Maida group said she reminded her of Tillie the doll in "The Story of My Dolls," a fanciful book about antique dolls, which was published in the Thirties.  What a compliment....

   I have been so inspired by Dixie.  Without her tutelage I would not have learned to make vintage-inspired dolls.

I want to give her some tea!    

Little Googly Doll

Here is a new eleven inch doll I made.  She has a cloth body and head hand-sculpted by me in paper mache; she is inspired by the "Googly" dolls which began to be made around 1903.  The Googly dolls were very popular.  Side-glancing eyes had been on dolls for many years before the Googlies, but "googly eyes" are even larger.
 

Googly dolls are so fun.  I am planning to make her some sisters and maybe put a few up for sale on Etsy.