Purple Green and Impish all over……

So I’m onto my next doll from the workshops with Colleen last month. This one is Finders Keepers. What a cutie pie she is. A bit of a naughty imp though and wouldn’t stop fidgeting while I was trying to work on her shoes, stockings and bloomers, but got those done finally. I loved this colour combination when I first spotted it, would never have thought about using it, but then again, I love bright colours, so why not.

Her little shoes are so cute. I found this little piece of soft purple leather in my stash and it really is just the perfect fit for these shoes. The soles are made using a heavier leather and I also made some heels for her soles with two colours of leather.

I used opposite coloured buttons to her stockings first on the bottom layer, then I added a smaller button on top  to match the stockings, then to finish I stitched the buttons together with opposite coloured thread. Stitched them to the shoes added a drop of glue underneath for added measure.

Things were going well, Her stockings, shoes and bloomers are done and she decided to watch reruns of Project Runway with me while I read over some notes…

The little sneak that she is, when I turned away for a second, she spun around, grabbed my special scissors with her tail and tried to make a run for it….Not so fast my little Imp. I grabbed them just in time. Obviously I will have to keep a much closer eye on her from now on….

Marie Antoinette Album

My album is done. I went completely and insanely embellishment crazy. So much so, I have to put it on two separate sets of locking rings for the time being. I have to go and get some really big rings if I want it all together. I also have to add a connecting cord from the front to the back cover or all the insert picture will fall out. Yeah I know, but this is like a tribute to Marie Antoinette and if you have seen the movie with Kirsten Dunst you will fully appreciate the exaggerated use of embellishments.

This album is made to house all the pictures of my dolls from the gallery show last fall and my theme was loosely based on Marie Antoinette’s Royal Court.

Lots of pictures today. (click on them to see them larger) The first are all 16 covers, then I’ve added one picture of the type of inserts.  They are all pictures of my dolls from the Coast Collective Gallery show last fall and you can see all my dolls by scrolling down the right column to Labels, and click on My Dolls.

Finally the last picture is to show how I joined all the covers together. I used an awl to make two holes at the narrow end, glued washers on both sides of the end for stability and joined it all together with metal locking rings. (cheapest place for them was the dollar store).

The inserts have some embellishments, but tamed down in order to avoid to much bulk when I slip them inside the coffee filter covers. You can trim them with fibres or tabs or whatever you fancy to give you a way to slide them out of the covers to see the pictures. I also put pictures on both sides of the inserts. Seemed kind of naked to only do one side.

The cover is has a scroll attached to it. Have you wondered what the scroll says…???? Did you even notice????  ;o)  When I cut out the picture for the cover from a greeting card, I caught a glimpse of some words and this is what it said inside. Somehow appropriate for Marie Antoinette and her King Louie.

How sweet the moonlight
sleeps upon this bank!
Here will we sit, and let
the sounds of music
Creep in our ears.
Soft stillness and the night
Become the touches
of sweet harmony.

~Shakespeare

Coffee Filter Album 1

I’ve been working away on my paper/mixed media art. I started this album for pictures of my dolls, then a flash of inspiration happens, doesn’t  it always. I decided to make an album to show the art pieces I put in the gallery show that our doll club hosted at the Coast Collective Gallery last fall. I’m not finished those pages, but they are looking really cool (JMHO)….

In the meantime, I’ll show you these first pages. Now that I’ve been working on my gallery album and it’s based on Marie Antoinette, I’ve used a lot more embellishments as is fitting for a Queen, I can see in these first few pages of my original album, that I have a couple of things to add or cover up. Pictures do tend to expose our mistakes or omissions……Enjoy….

Changing up a little

At our monthly doll club meeting last week, one of the members, Meeri, did a mini class making coffee filter albums. Because meetings are usually so fast paced, you can’t always get done what you’re imagining in your minds eye. We made up the start of two pages of an album so I am using those as prototypes for my actual album.

When I went to buy the filters, I couldn’t remember the size and ended up with the larger ones, which is actually a happy mistake. I think the larger pages will be easier to work with and allows more room to work. The ones I bought are Melitta size 6.

The process is so simple and a great way to make use of all those bits and pieces in your stash. I don’t know if you’re like me, but if I even see some shiny or interesting bit of something on the ground, like a bit that’s broken off a necklace or bracelet or what have you, I rescue it and pop it into my little wooded container knowing full well, a doll or now, a paper project will receive it.

I’ve just got the filters started. I’ve added some plain cardstock to them, and some patterned papers. Those go on both sides of the filters. The filters themselves will have inserts made of more cardstock,trims etc. I pulled out my stash of greeting cards that I buy just for the artistic value they are, again knowing that they will be used. Maybe it was just this project that I’ve been collecting for…

How you make yours is totally based on what you’re after. This is the start of mine. After the pictures, I’ve added a few links to sites that are either videos or sites for written instructions. I will post pictures of my finished album, but for now, just a few glimpses of what I’ve pulled out so far….

Just a note: I found these cute little packets of Kleenex in the picture below, at Safeway. The checkout lady thought it was a shame to use them for their expected use and I told her I was using them for paper art, we both had a giggle and sigh of relief over that…. so don’t discount those simple things that seem to only have one purpose. As luck would have it, they are the right colours for the papers I’m using, love those surprizes.

A You Tube video: click here

A mini album using coffee cup sleeves.A great idea that could be used in so many way, like invitations and more: click here

A site with written instructions:  click here

Another site with written instructions: pretty pictures and album: click here

The Green Man

One more project scratched off my list. This is one of three new designs from Colleen that I’m testing for her. They won’t however, be available as patterns. They will be used as demo’s or classes.

This is her Green Man pin doll. Very cool and masculine. Nice to have a guy thing now and then, the ladies seem to get so much attention.  Maybe Colleen will make a complete guy doll soon???? maybe??????

Stitch in Time–is Done

I finished the last touches on her last night and here she is in all her prettiness. I’m not sure that’s a word, but I guess it is now…;o)

I think just about every one of Colleen’s dolls, has something to do. In this case, she’s busy getting her needlework done. Now originally, she was going to stitch a dragon, but I went online and found this pretty filigree heart, I had her stitch it in only one colour, but we decided to add a tiny bit of metallic and a few beads for interest. It was a free pattern I found while looking for Celtic designs.

Her hair is done with a yarn found at Michaels, it’s called Really Big and it’s made by Bernat. What I found so interesting, is that it feels like a soy fibre. It wasn’t what I intended to use, but when my friend Jeannine and I spotted it, we each grabbed a colour and traded so we could each enjoy the two colours. It’s lovely and soft and this particular colour went so well with the fabrics I chose.

I decided to use some fur around her Surcoat as well as around her cuffs and I think it turned out so great. She seems to like it to and the best part is that it didn’t interfere with her fancy work while she worked away on it. And yes, the needle is in her left hand, just like her maker… ;o)

This doll reminds me of my needlework era with all the fine work. The beading on the Surcoat, the beaded belt and the embroidery, plus lets not forget those pretty Crispinettes. How sweet are those.

That’s if for now, Thank you Colleen, I will never stop saying that. I so enjoy seeing what’s coming next. Bye for now until Finders Keepers begins her blog journey………

2nd Round Robin doll

Just finished the 2nd round robin doll this morning. Why didn’t I wait until tomorrow afternoon, then I could really leave it to the last minute…I could be rushing out the door with the smell of workable fixative on her face and have that in my car all the way to the meeting, and then bless everyone in the room with that chemical odour… An opportunity missed…

This lady came to me faceless and hairless. I will have a word with the doll maker before me who sent her on with no face…. ;o~(

However, she gave this doll some pretty pearl embellishments on her hips and the top edge of her dress, so I carried that on with pearls along the hairline. The hair is made with hairy gimp. Unfortunately, the arms are stitched in place and I think it would be cheeky of me to change the pose. Perhaps by the time she gets back to her mom, she’ll have wonderful things draped over her arms to make them look busy instead of mannequin like.

Thankfully having just come out of workshops, my mind is still on faces, so I felt okay giving another doll maker’s doll a face. That’s a scary thing because you just don’t know how they’ll react. Maybe that’s a good way to force you to take your time and do the best you can…. She’s ready for tomorrow night’s next swap and see who I bring home next.  Until then……………

Stitch in Time–part 2

Here are the next steps of her ladyship. Things are pinned in place for now just so I can make sure  of how things are positioned. Her arms will change slightly, I think they’ll come up a little higher.

The fur around the bottom is rabbit. My DH brought it back from the far east years ago. I don’t search out real fur, but I seem to get gifts of it, so I will use it. The bottom of the base wasn’t covered, but I had extra length of cord, so I kept going and covered the bottom as well.

The trim at her neck is made with a narrow bronze coloured organza ribbon with the gold metallic/burgundy cording trim on top. Colleen used the prettiest tiny trim on hers, but this is what I came up with. I think the subtle sparkle and touch of colour worked out well. It stands out nicely rather than other things I tried that just blended into the dress and you couldn’t see the trim. The beading is actually straight in real life but of course not in the picture. Now I know why professional photographers get paid so well, they watch for these little things.

I found a different Celtic pattern to use for the cross stitch element that the doll will be holding, you’ll see that at the end. So far so good…Off to work, more soon.

Stitch in Time–part 1

Am getting together on Friday with a friend from the doll club so I had to choose something to work on. Like I don’t have enough projects on hand to work on, I could line them up along the wall and out the door I’m pretty sure. I decided that Stitch in Time was the easiest to carry around. These are the fabrics I chose to use for this doll. Included with these fat quarters, is some pale yellow Dupioni silk to bring lightness to the finished look.

I worked on her base last night and today I’ll get the other hand and arm put together. The bodice will get done before Friday as well, then I can concentrate on hand sewing to put her altogether.

Because I have made all of Colleen’s designs, the one thing in her Stitch in Time workshop that was my “AH HA” moment, has to be attaching the opposable thumb to the hand. While I can easily follow along with her instructions because they are so complete and I have been able to do the thumbs before, there is nothing better than having those things demonstrated by the designer herself. Now I “get it” and won’t be so hesitant to do them again.

They aren’t hard, I just like to get that same lovely pose to the fingers, so now I feel more confident. All it took was seeing it done. One of things besides the face that will attract people to your dolls is the pose. If they look like their movements are fluid they are far more interesting, than the stiff soldier like stance. If you’re able to attend workshops in your area, you really do learn so much from them.

Start now putting those pennies away, a little each month, and by the time a designer is scheduled to come to your area, you’ll be able to pay the fee, every dollar is well spent. If you come away with understanding how to do that one thing that has troubled you in your doll making, then you have accomplished what the whole experience was meant to be. One thing to keep in mind, always, no matter how silly you think your questions are, ASK THEM. Don’t struggle trying to understand something if your teacher is standing right there, you  may be helping another doll maker who may not feel confident enough to ask questions.

More to follow soon, come back and see what’s next with this little lady..

Pardon My Political Moment!

Our Canadian elections are usually pretty quiet,  but tonight’s results were quite history making in so many ways. Two major parties took huge hits dropping one of them below party status all together, and in our area of Saanich-Gulf Islands, on the west coast of Canada, we made Canadian history.

Congratulations to Elizabeth May, the first ever Green Party candidate to be elected in not only British Columbia, not only in Canada, but in the whole of North America. I firmly believe, that her refusal to get into the mud slinging, staying  on topic with her campaign, and presenting her party position, is what won her the top votes, unseating a Conservative cabinet minister who has held the seat for the past 5 elections.

She is also the leader of the Green Party of Canada and the other thing that probably played a role in her being elected, was the refusal to allow her to take part in the candidates debates televised on National TV.

No matter, she won and that’s all that counts. You may be the lone Green Party member, but your voice will be heard, I have no doubt about that. Onward and upward Ms. May, you’ve earned your place in Parliament.

The expression says it all!

Another view of our time with Colleen. There’s always those moments of silly, when someone who is sitting quietly says something out of left field and all sense of what you were doing is gone as everyone crumbles into peals of laughter.

And those times when the teacher has to demonstrate, in this case, a pose.

Smiling faces from the Finders Keepers class.