Little Cloth Animals

Here is a little cloth deer that I have just completed - I absolutely love making things like this.....don't know why......it's just FUN! Here are the steps in deermaking 101:

Cloth parts sewn, turned and ready for stuffing and assembly

All assembled, needle-sculpted, paperclay eyes added and sized with a mixture of acrylic gel medium and modelling paste, which seals the fabric, preserves it and gives a great surface for painting.

Partly-painted and sitting in my hand to give you an idea of the size.

I also made another of these frogs.....see the fairy wings sticking out of his mouth?

And if you go to www.marijkevanooijen.blogspot.com the lovely Marijke has written a post about my work. her blog is beautiful - a real work of art in itself. I'm going to write a post about her work in coming days, when I can free up a bit of time to do it properly.

Heart-on-a-string Zoziedoll

Here is my latest little Zoziedoll. She keeps her heart on a string and has a little pocket on her front to keep it safe.

Fiftieth Post!

This is my fiftieth post - that seems to be a kind of milestone!

This picture is of the doll I am currently working on, amongst other things - I will post a few step-by-step photos as this doll gets done. The head, sculpted from air-dry clay and covered with cloth, has been gessoed and sanded ready for painting. The body pattern has been drafted, so the next job, after painting, will be to sew the body and put it together.

Moxie Update

I have been busy preparing to go to Adelaide on December 3 to teach. The students will be using my "Moxie" pattern, so I thought I'd better make an example of the doll dressed as a little girl - the original was a fairy. Here she is. The wig is made from a piece of fur fabric....what a bed-head!

Finished! (Well, almost)

These pictures show a little of the wig-making process - you can see the board I use to tension a thread to which the mohair fleece is knotted in tiny clumps. You can also see the wig-cap made from stretch knit fabric fitted to the doll's head.

She is almost finished - she has no (*whispers*) underwear, no shoes and these toys she is holding are borrowed, but she will be completed this week.

Progress!

After a bit of a break when other things have intervened, I have finally got round to starting the painting of this doll. Her body has been given a flesh-coloured wash and some blushing. I've also put in the finer details, such as fingernails. You can also see where the neck-socket has been lined with felt and the strong elastic cord that will eventually keep head and body together. At this stage you could say that she is beside herself in anticipation of that happening! (Groan)

The head has had several coats of gesso and then four coats of flesh coloured acrylic paint (I use 'Matisse' Artist's Acrylics - superb quality - and I mix the flesh tone myself). The features have been underpainted with Burnt Umber thinned down to watercolour consistency. I tend to work in layers - gradually building up the colour and tone of the face.

More Progress

This picture shows all the parts finished, but not yet needle-sculpted. The arms are not attached. I have started to glue on the cloth covering for the head. This needs to be done carefully and in stages, because it is easy to trap an air pocket underneath.

Next Steps

The first picture shows the body sketch taken from the finished head, and the pattern drafted from the sketch. Doing it this way helps me to get the proportions right - I think visually, so being able to see it all laid out really helps.

The second picture shows the legs sewn and cut out, but not turned; the arms sewn, but not cut out and the body turned and temporarily stuffed to check the size with the head. It will be 'unstuffed' to do the leg joints. You will also notice that I have pencilled in the features - this helps to make sure there are no major unevennesses. Having said that, I am not hung up on absolute symmetry in a face!

Maura Kathleen O'Mahoney Fetchin' Apples

Here she is complete with her basket of fresh apples. Thanks to Mary Wiseman for suggesting the name 'Maura', since she looks a little Irish (I agree). I thought she deserved a full name, so she is 'Maura Kathleen O'Mahoney'.

Doll's doll

Here is the small (3") doll made for my new cloth doll to hold. I used crackle medium to 'age' the doll and dressed it in some scraps of vintage cotton lace.

Renaissance Girl - work in progress

Here is a new one-of-a-kind doll I am working on. She will be wearing Renaissance-inspired clothing, and will have a cloth fawn as her companion. The doll is cloth, with a moulded cloth head (with neck joint) and a hand-knotted mohair wig. She is posed here amongst the silks, including some vintage silk, that I am using to make the clothing.