I finished my Softie for Month of…– Tweedledee and Tweedledum.
Here is a picture with hand for scale-
I really know nothing about these 2 guys, just that they are twins. I am sure I read “Through the Looking Glass”, but it was so long ago that I have no memory of any of it. So I am definitely “revisiting”… just a very casual visit!
They are crochet, using DMC Craft Cotton.
Little hands-
and here they are, stuffed up to the elbow and a coat of gesso. The next step is sanding. Also, 1 foot.
I am redesigning (or trying to) the foot for these dolls. I want a flat sole that will fit well (better then what I’ve been using) into shoes. I’m not there yet… that’s on the list for today.
I am making wig patterns for these dolls- that is why the felt and clips on head. And that’s my Moomin mug!
Fur for doll hair. I will be playing with hair dye again. 2 problems from last time- I missed some spots with the black dye so have odd white patches- I need to be more careful with that. Also, they have a strong chemical smell. I will try to rinse them better, more or else put some kind of conditioner on the furs.
Hey, it’s been a year! I can hardly believe it. I am feeling proud of myself! :-)
I would describe myself as being a late adapter in anything technological and also rather phobic about writing, and I have managed to not only do this for a year, but have really enjoyed it. I have looked back to see the finished and the unfinished projects… the finished one got their own link, the unfinished ones are what I am thinking about. So now for a boring rehash-
There were the 2 dolls from antique patterns-here. I think I learned what I needed to know by sewing them together. Then I lost interest, and never felt the urge to dress them.
The gourd head dolls– well I finished the middle one. That turned into Sadie. The other two? Who knows, I might get back to them.
These guys never went anywhere. Not surprising… I’m just not interested in the whole polymer clay sculpting thing. Also, a scale I’m not inspired by.
I never bothered dressing these dolls that I made at WOW!04. Although I learned what I wanted to learn from the class, doing something from someone elses’ pattern and in someone elses’ style- not for me.
I find these bodies interesting. I actually finished 3 dolls from them- Autumn, Minnie and Tallulah, and have 2 dolls in progress. That is pretty good in my picture of things.
Now why didn’t I ever finish this recycled bag bag? Hmmm, gotta get on that.
I never did finish this bag either. Gee this list is getting kind of long.
I never got Golden Baby to a point that I was satisfied with. I recently showed him to a friend for a critique, which was very helpful. I think I know what I need to do now, so he might show up in the finished project file after all.
I have loads of things I consider active projects- 4 ladies– yeah I know there are only 3 in the picture.
And these 5 heads.
Also several knitting projects and softies and , and, and… so many projects, so little time!
A picture of my desk this morning…
I’ve started painting the heads. Always, some come to life, others never do.
This is what I’m working on for my February Softie. Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum. Crocheted cotton.
I need to get this fur dyeing project going. Today I tried using dyes meant for human hair. I bought the cheapest dye I could get at our local drug store- it is still significantly more expensive then buying fiber dyes- ouch! When I did the wig making workshop at WOW! last spring, the instructor said we should use semi-permanent dyes to dye mohair. I am not dyeing mohair, but I thought it would apply. Unfortunately the semi- permanent hair dye was twice as expensive as the permanent, so of course I needed to experiment with both.
First is the semi-permanent-
not very good. I am trying for black. I got a purpley grey.
Then the permanent dye-
Much better! I need to look at it again tomorrow in good sunlight, but it looks hopeful. The Cashmere goat, which is long and very straight, came out an excellent black. The other two furs, kalgon lamb and pearl lamb, came out a nice dark brown. I had had no luck getting any decent color before this, so I am very pleased.
Yesterday I spent some time admiring the dolls of Rosie Rojas. I especially liked this one.
I have been thinking about this Months Softies theme- Alices Wonderland revisited.
I put some more stuff into my Yard Sale. I have a lot of old photos. I found a whole box of them that someone had thrown away. I couldn’t believe that someone would just discard many generations of a photo history of a family. I sold some of them on ebay, but now I just want to find them a good home… not mine though! If you are interested, tell me what kind of photos you want and I’ll put together an envelope for you.
5 heads and torsos. First coat of gesso.
I’ve added a new link-Yard Sale. It’s stuff I want to get rid of. I’ll trade or you can pay postage and I’ll just send it to you. I will add more stuff whenever I come across it. I have a pile of old knitting booklets that I haven’t photographed yet.
When we did the stash dive at doll club last week, my friend Lois gave me a sweet embroidered baby slip and a wonderful antique, very long baby gown. The baby gown is soaking to whiten it up. I wrapped the baby slip onto this lady- it is a great scale for her. I will probably turn it into a dress for her.
I am working on new head and body designs. I am aiming for an older child or early adolescent look.
You know how when you first start into some new art form, you come to it with a freshness and perspective that is often hard to recapture later on when you know more? I made Esther very early on. I made her within 6 months of my first painted doll. I was just working- no notes, I kept none of the patterns. Very disorganized… so when I want to go back, there is nowhere to go back to. Now I’m really careful- I keep all my patterns and I also keep all the head designs I don’t like- otherwise I just keep making the same mistakes. So anyway, I’m trying to recapture this head/body look-
Here are 2 of the heads-
and here are the rejects-
I got the top family on ebay last week-
the bottom family I bought from ebay a few years ago. The biggest doll (Papa) is only 3 1/4 inches or 8 cent. I love this type of doll. They were made by women organized by missionaries in China. There are a whole lot of different types of Missionary project dolls- some very valuable now like the Door of Hope dolls. Those sell for thousands of dollars.
Today was doll club. We had a “stash dive”. People brought in stuff they didn’t want and everyone else could pick through and take what they wanted. Wow! As you can see, some people are much better at clearing out then I am.
I came home with one large bag for me and 2 bags for our elementary school and 1 bag for the High School drama program… if they want it. Tomorrow I will sort through everything and wash a lot of it. I have to admit, I kept thinking- hmmm, this would make a nice kitty dress!
And here are the kitty kids, meeting everyone at doll club.
The January Softies Gallery is up- what fun! It’s wonderful to see what everyone did for “Vintage Catwalk”. Wow, 130 entries.