so I’m putting the gesso on. 2 of the dolls with regular white gesso, and 2 of the dolls with Liquitex Burnt Umber gesso. I’m not sure what I think about the brown… After 2 coats, the surface still seems a bit absorbant, not good when working with oils. Also, the paint surface is very rough considering that I sanded after the first coat. All together a very different experience then the white that I’m used to. I have used the brown before, but only on a gourd.

This is how I paint the limbs- I put safety pins at the end of the limb that will be attached to the body. After I paint them, I hang them to dry on knitting needles and bamboo skewers that I stick into my bookcase, under books and other heavy items.

Here are all the parts, sewed and stuffed, ready for gesso.

I am working away on my dolls for WOW. The directions called for a “medium heavy cotton fabric in a natural color, with a little texture. Cotton duck, drill cloth or canvas”
I am making 4 dolls with 4 different fabrics, all different from what I am used to working with. ( I usually use “Southern Comfort” by Springs, which is a very high thread count cotton, very dense and I gesso it to get no texture showing.) I am using a (1)cotton duck (a twill and marked canvas in the photo) from JoAnn’s that looks a lot like artist’s canvas, some (2)cotton twill fabric from an old pair of my husband’s chinos, some (3)vintage muslin- heavier then what I buy now and some (4)vintage white twill that I got with some antique baby clothes- probably from 1920’s or so. It is about the same weight and feel as the muslin.

It is interesting to use different fabrics for the same pattern- they are all quite different. The “canvas” or duck(1), is the hardest to work with. The body has come out the smallest- I guess that means it has the least stretch. The hands and feet were difficult to turn and it was very hard to stuff them without getting lumpy seams… I did not completely succeed in the boot style foot.
The old chinos (2) seem to have their own ideas about where they want to go. Maybe a memory of being pants! I had to unstuff and resew the body/ head after my first try. I just could not get the head to come out round and symetrical. I did not get it perfect, but it is acceptable. I had no similar problems with the other 3 bodies. The fabric is softer then the duck, so the seams are not stiff or lumpy. I had no trouble turning the parts. The real problem was with stuffing- not being able to control the shape, and I am sure this is because of being well used fabric in a previous life. There is a memory and also probably weak spots that are not visible to me.
The vintage Muslin (3) and Twill (4) were very nice to work with, and actually pretty similar so far. (we will see when it comes to painting). They are flexible enough to turn well, have enough “body” to hold their shape and have a high enough thread count that I can do some details on the hands, like thumbs and implied fingers. I don’t think they are fine enough for me to succeed in making individual fingers, but I’m not very good at that anyway.
I’m almost finished with the parts. Should I gesso first or sew them together first?

I am getting dolls ready for my WOW! classes. Piles of body parts. My hands are getting really sore.

She is all done, but it is too late to photograph her tonight.

I sprayed a second application of my dye solution to even out the color and rubbed it all in again. I had missed some places with the first spray. When she was all dry, I painted her arms. I dressed her in her clothes and gave her a haircut. Then, I saw that her legs really showed through the fabric of the dress, now that they were dyed peachy-pink. No little girl would stand that! Back to the fabric bins and sewing machine. Today I made her a petticoat. I finished up the buttonholes at the doctor’s office, while P. was being tested for strep throat and mono.

Last thing she needs- a name.

She is all done, but it is too late to photograph her tonight.

I sprayed a second application of my dye solution to even out the color and rubbed it all in again. I had missed some places with the first spray. When she was all dry, I painted her arms. I dressed her in her clothes and gave her a haircut. Then, I saw that her legs really showed through the fabric of the dress, now that they were dyed peachy-pink. No little girl would stand that! Back to the fabric bins and sewing machine. Today I made her a petticoat. I finished up the buttonholes at the doctor’s office, while P. was being tested for strep throat and mono.

Last thing she needs- a name.

She is all done, but it is too late to photograph her tonight.

I sprayed a second application of my dye solution to even out the color and rubbed it all in again. I had missed some places with the first spray. When she was all dry, I painted her arms. I dressed her in her clothes and gave her a haircut. Then, I saw that her legs really showed through the fabric of the dress, now that they were dyed peachy-pink. No little girl would stand that! Back to the fabric bins and sewing machine. Today I made her a petticoat. I finished up the buttonholes at the doctor’s office, while P. was being tested for strep throat and mono.

Last thing she needs- a name.

She is all done, but it is too late to photograph her tonight.

I sprayed a second application of my dye solution to even out the color and rubbed it all in again. I had missed some places with the first spray. When she was all dry, I painted her arms. I dressed her in her clothes and gave her a haircut. Then, I saw that her legs really showed through the fabric of the dress, now that they were dyed peachy-pink. No little girl would stand that! Back to the fabric bins and sewing machine. Today I made her a petticoat. I finished up the buttonholes at the doctor’s office, while P. was being tested for strep throat and mono.

Last thing she needs- a name.

This past weekend I participated in a beading workshop sponsored by the doll club. This is one of the things I learned- a spiral rope chain