CraftyPod!

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WooHoo! Finally, I can let you know about the coolest thing- Sister Diane from CraftyPod called me a few weeks ago for an interview. We talked and laughed for over an hour. It was so much fun! And well, afterwards, a bit nerve-racking. I spent the next few days rethinking everything I said and sometimes wishing I could add (or subtract!) to the conversation. I have been having low grade anxiety ever since, worrying I’d sounding like a complete idiot, but I have to hand it to the magic of Diane- she took all my babbling, run-on ramblings, ums and pauses and put them together in a way that I am ecstatic about! I think audio editing for podcasting must be a lot like quilting- Diane has all these little bits and snippets and goodies and she puts them together into an interesting and better-than-the-original, finished product. Amazing.

Some afterthoughts- On the doll vs softie thing- I think in the end it comes down to this- what I am doing grows out of a tradition of dolls, what softie makers are doing grows out of a tradition of stuffed animals. It took me all day of mulling to come up with that!

On the topic of getting into dollmaking- here are some links for dollmaking kits, patterns and supplies.

My favorite book/author on the subject- Susanna Oroyan’s Anatomy of a Doll All her books are excellent.

Gail Wilson– her dolls are based on antique dolls. You get everything you need and extensive directions. Her website has so much more then dolls though- there is furniture, fabric, dollhouses… a whole wonderful Gail Wilson world. Be careful ‘cuz you might get permanently sucked in!

Susan Fosnot– she has patterns, kits, and teaches workshops.
There are lots of places that sell kits for Waldorf/ Steiner type dolls. One place that I’ve bought from is Magic Cabin.

Judi Ward– I am a big fan of her patterns. They are easy to follow, easy to make your own and she has a most extensive variety of designs. I have learned a lot from making her patterns.

Here is a list of some Dollmaking suppliers that I have ordered from and been happy with. They have all the things you’ll need- tools, patterns, materials, on-line classes, stash enhancers! Doll Artist’s Workshop, Joggles, Dollmaker’s Journey.

I did some antique and vintage doll patterns when I first started. There are loads available on Ebay.

Now, if you still haven’t had enough of listening to me talk, I did another interview a year ago with Carley. Here are links to that- part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

And since we always need a picture, my desk today-

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17 thoughts on “CraftyPod!”

  1. Pingback: CraftyPod » Blog Archive » Craftypod#62: Making Dolls, with Mimi Kirchner

  2. You’re right! Sound editing IS a lot like quilting — I hadn’t ever thought about it that way. That’s such a cool analogy! And you really made the job easy – you said about two million great things in that interview. The only hard part was narrowing it down to 25 minutes!

  3. I listened to the podcast with great interest. It is nice to be able to put a voice to the creator of my Forest postcard! I love your sense of humour too Mimi!

  4. I don’t know if I can listen (I’m nervous by proxy). :0)

    Don’t get me started on doll v. softie! I’ve been holding my tongue on that subject for years.

  5. I listened! Well done. No need for anxiety.

    Glad you mentioned the courage required for doll-making.

  7. Mimi, I’ve just heard podcast: you were great! Sister Diana’s podcast is one of my favorite shows to listen, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear your voice. You sounded very comfortable (and I enjoyed hearing a bit about your ‘previous life’ as a pottery maker) .

  9. Mimi,

    Your interview is amazing! Diane does seem to be a magician with the editor, but maybe you’re much more interesting and articulate than you think. :)

    I, too, am not-so-comfortable with people in person, but I LOVE my craft blog community. I’ve found that a lot of other craft bloggers are like that, too (like you said). It’s funny that for a long time I thought I was the only one like that out here.

    I love that you said that making dolls is something that you needed to be secure, confident, and strong to do. All the “ironic” crafters could really learn a lesson from that. There is something to be said for earnestness, skill, and thoughtfulness. I think you bring all of these things to your work, as well as joy and an impish wink.

  10. Hi Mimi! I started subscribing to your blog because of the CraftyPod podcast. I checked out your Etsy shop and I think your dolls are great! I especially like the tattooed gents, and the big tourists – so fun! Thanks for passing along the nice links. Cheers, Sarah

  11. good job mimi! it was great to see a doll artist “featured”. I also use “figurative artist” when trying to explain my work. i agree that the word doll does turn some people off or make them think of toys. great interview!

  13. Mimi, I was so excited to hear the podcast and you were great! It’s funny about the people/social aspect about crafters or bloggers. It never occurred to me that I wasn’t the only one!

    Thanks to you and Sister Diane for the interview, I enjoyed every minute of it.

  15. Mimi, that was an awesome interview! I’m so behind on my blog reading and I can’t believe how late I am with this. I enjoyed every minute of it. Everything you said rang true with me as well. The sincerity involved in a doll, the way ideas will “ferment”, the moment the doll comes to life. Also, everything you said about the blogging craft community was so right on. Great, great interview!

  16. Thanks so much for all the info. about your work, it’s inspiring to me, I’m a beginner. I seem to be incredibly creative when buying and collecting stuff but it seems to take a huge leap to actually get on and do the business! Your site really, really helps me, thanks again x

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