Doll

Oh, I had fun today…
I have been searching online for some little shoe buckles- I bought some a few years ago and I’ve used them up but I can’t find them again. Today I did what should be obvious and visited a local shop. I had heard about Gilda’s from someone at my Doll club, but never before had visited her place in Natick, MA. Mostly she sells at doll shows, but she has tons of goodies in her basement shop.
There were bins and drawers and boxes and piles of trims and ribbons-

and flowers made of silk and paper and feathers and more-

and shelves of lace- all cotton, the black lace is on the other side…

and dolls… and doll parts- wigs, eyes, mohair, silk roving…

besides all that, she carries an amazing selection of fabrics- silk, cotton, brocade, netting, all the right weight and scale for dolls. Also, tons of buttons, charms, hat-making supplies, doll purse hardware, shoes. stands, patterns… WOW!
If you want to visit, you need to call because she is often away at shows- her website isn’t really working yet.
Gilda’s Hello Dolly
or
Gildasfabrics.com
197 Pond St.
Natick, MA 01760
508-655-0185

I’ve got a new camera! A Nikon Coolpix 5400. I went into the camera store thinking I wanted a SLR, but when I saw how big they are I changed my mind. This camera is just right- it has a similar operation as my old camera and so I was able to figure out how to use it easily. I love it! And so, here is a kitty picture-

She is lying on a pile of knits- the Dr. Who scarf, the kitty bed (she is finally willing to get near it!), and a scarf I made for J. last Christmas. Cozy!

Go check out the dolls at Skinner’s Holiday auction. They let you touch everything at the viewing.

Go to the Museum of Fine Arts and see the Art Deco show and the show on 1850’s fashion.

Go to Providence, RI to the Rhode Island School of Design Alumni Sale on Dec. 11.

Check out the Holiday Marketplace at Lexington Arts and Crafts

Get slides taken so I can put in proposals for doll show.

Oh, and the show at the Fiber Arts Center in Amherst- Grown Up Figures

I said a few days ago that I was going back to work on my mannequin doll and am trying to improve the pattern. These dolls are inspired by antique wooden dolls, but then they are also leaning toward some early china dolls. The right hand doll is Angela undressed. She was the first one I made in the series. When I made her male companions, I made some improvements, and now I want to make a better lady doll. On the left is the same pattern with better feet… the limbs are not attached yet- she is all just pinned together.

My improved feet are the same as the male version. There is a separate sole on the foot, and a piece of cardboard inside so it keeps it’s shape. In my next version, I have made the foot slightly smaller and the calf a bit thinner. Also changed is the knee joint- aiming for something closer to what a carved wood joint might look like.

I wanted a more “womanly” figure. I adjusted the pattern for the body front- I widened the front body piece and adjusted the darts. I ended up with the right hand torso. My most recent copy of Antique Doll Collector magazine has an article on early china doll heads and I just had to try adding a bun!

and I changed the arm so that it only has one side seam. Simpler is better.

My friend Helen sent me this fantastic idea based on the Dresden dolls below. Print out pictures of your own dolls and turn them into ornaments! These are her Bleuettes.

hmmm… is this a way to dress all the naked (or should I call them naturists) dolls that live in my studio?

There is a link to Dresden Star Ornaments is in the Dec. 2004 issue of Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion and they have this “make your own ornament” project. This is what I made-

I’ve spent way too much time following links trails and looking at beautiful antique Christmas decorations and ornaments.

Antique Ornaments

This site is in German, but the pictures are great- and there are lots more great links on their link page…

Das Ornament