I am working on more women but not the cozy pillow kind.

When people ask me how long a random piece takes me, I am always flummoxed. So often there are blips along the road to finishing. With the ladies- I sewed up 9 ladies from pieces that I’d cut out and dyed before I left Boston; so more than 3 years ago. I stuffed this first one and … hmm. The head didn’t look right. I went through all the pattern pieces and remembered that I’d redesigned the head shape at some point. I’d traced the new design onto the fabric but years and humidity had disappeared the water-erasable lines. So, un-stuff this lady, retrace her head pattern, retrace on all the other ladies, resew, etc., etc. Onward. It is not a straight road!

Most of the ladies that I have ready to finish have some variation of a skeleton design for tattoos.

She is the last of the tattooed ladies that I am planning for a bit.

She also has an antique button-

Here she is with Archibald, a doll I made many years ago.

It is hard to see but her tights/leggings/pants are dark blue with black spirals.

Here is a close-up of her hair fabric-

Her hair is like tiny bubbles.

She has a bow belt.

I feel like I am very out of practice. I take photos of my finished dolls. When I look through them later, I don’t love the face. So, I throw away those photos and rework something or other. New photos are taken. Then I notice there is a random thread on the doll’s face. How did I miss that! More photos discarded and reshot. All this is an explanation of why there are sometimes delays. 😝

They get posted eventually!

It’s been a long while since I made some tattooed ladies.

My biggest stumbling block these days is finding the best place to photograph my new pieces.

This toile is such a perfect scale for these ladies.

A close-up of her hair-

Always a helper is on the scene- 😆

Here is the last lady.

I have been very happy with this group of ladies. When I look at them, I can imagine an entire life.

She has an antique button on her belt.

Lady in the Garden.

Blue eyes and white hair. And more skeletons.

It is a challenge to think of names for all the ladies! Tattooed lady #4 sounds pretty boring.

I gave her big fancy hair,

and a pretty flat chest because we love all kinds of bodies, right?!

I like this toile. It is the perfect scale for these ladies.

It’s been a week since I got back from Northampton and I am working on dolls but also doing things that I’d postponed until after the show. And Fall chores, mostly garden related. So, my time in the studio is less than usual but I will be back to full steam soon.

Here is the first piece I’ve finished-

She has Christmas skeleton tattoos.

A side view so you can see her curves.

And a little dark brown glass, 3-hole button on her belt.