Posts

Distracted

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I am feeling badly that so long has passed since my last post. I blame getting older! I will just show some pics of what I have been working on in the last while. A cloth doll made from a Gail Wilson pattern that I adapted. An altered Rainbow High doll. A Monster High doll, altered, with a prosthetic arm! A couple of Tudor dolls waiting patiently for their costumes. That will take a lot of research, planning, patterning and hand sewing. Dollmaking challenges! A Santos doll that will go into my Etsy store soon. A cloth Izannah- inspired doll. Another jointed papier-mache doll. Sitting in my Regency roombox, a commissioned doll. My most recent doll, a Grodnertal-style doll. She is sculpted from paperclay and has a jointed cloth body. Very appealing! There are several other dolls in the works. I have been drawn into the world of customized factory dolls, like Barbie, Blythe and Monster High. I also made more background rooms for my doll photos, which will show up in future pics. My chores

Busy times

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  It has been a long time since I touched base with you. I get swept up in my enthusiasms and don't take the time to share what I am doing. Gosh, I don't even take the time to wash the kitchen floor! Many dolls have been made in the past few months. Here are some images of them: This little rag doll is made with my own pattern, and is stuffed with wool. These Santos Cage Dolls inspired me to learn a new skill, tinwork. There are some great videos on Youtube that show how it is done. I wanted to make something soft and cuddly, so this little needlefelted guy was next. He has been patiently waiting for his clothes for ages now. Soon!  This little articulated doll was inspired by me seeing the work of momo&cose on Pinterest. She is made of papier mache and wire joints. Papier mache is not my favourite medium because it takes so long to dry between coats, and I get impatient, but it has the charm of excusing rough modelling.  As you can see, she is sitting on the bare bones of

A little rag doll

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I am in the middle of making four Santos dolls at once and it feels overwhelming, so I turned to creating a sweet little cloth doll from my own pattern. I knew it wouldn't take too long and I needed to do something that took less mental and emotional effort.   So, here she is, looking very happy with the world!

The making of a boy doll dress

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  My last post talked about the first step in designing clothing for a doll, that is, creating the under layers first and then draping a pattern over top. This post will show pictures I took while making the dress for my Izannah Walker John Thayer doll challenge. This challenge ends Feb.1 in the MAIDA dollmaking group. I have made a tutorial of the process that explains more and I will send it to anyone who is interested in having a copy. I have noticed that my instructions tend to assume some knowledge of sewing clothing, but I hope the photos make things clearer. Just contact me by clicking on the three parallel lines in the top left corner of this blog. I begin by using a shop towel to drape the shape of the bodice fronts and tracing around on the shoulder, side and mid-bodice on seamlines. Do the same for the back. Darken the outlines and cut out the shapes, leaving a rather generous seam allowance. It is easier to trim away excess than to add extra, although sticky tape is your fr