The Magic Bean

When the roll stops rolling....

Recently Jan Horrox commented that I have been on a roll (not a bread product, but a creative roll).  And I have been.  Since about January I've been happily making doll after doll and doing my own designs.  Happy as a clam (an aside here, but just how happy can shellfish be?). 

Then this week my roll came to a halt.  It just stopped rolling.  I started to make another doll from Barbara Willis' Lillith Fairy pattern and that went horribly wrong. Let's just say it involved two heads and crossed eyes and it just wasn't pretty.

So I thought, 'This is the cloth doll muse telling me to get on with my own designs'.  So I tried to go back to a pattern I have started once before and devise a head for the already created body.  Well, that didn't work.  Nope.  Non-starter.  Let's just say that this one is still bubbling, but is not yet ready to come out into the world. 

So shock, horror, I haven't done any doll making in days.  Days I tell you.  It is just unheard of.  I've been caressing my fabrics and re-reading patterns.  It has been sad. 

So while trawling though some doll blogs I came across this fantastic site.  Ironically, it is all about wire art.  If you've read my very recent blog posts you will see that this is a medium with which I struggle.  I did manage to make a wire dragonfly, but it involved some rather creative expletives and a large amount of frustration.  So when I saw this site it filled me with three things:  jealously, appreciation, and a whole lot of laughter.  If you are having a bad day, check out this site Bent Objects.  If it doesn't make you want to giggle, guffaw, or express mirth in any way then you are just dead inside. 

Warning: cloth dolls affect the brain!

It is true, cloth dolls wreck havoc on your brain.  Once you get started making cloth dolls it starts to affect every last bit of grey matter.  As I finished my latest doll off and was busy asking my hubby what he thought of my firefly's wings, he said, 'Don't you mean dragonfly?'   I paused.  I contemplated.  I blinked.  I briefly looked bewildered.  Then I asked, 'Isn't that what I said?'.  No, he informed me that I had been calling it a firefly for days now.  Well.  That made me feel dumb.  Cause not only had I been an idiot in the privacy of my own home, but rather publicly out there in the blogosphere.  So just to be clear - this fairy is inspired by a DRAGONFLY, not a firefly.  She does not glow, she is just sparkly and pretty and has wings.  Dragonfly. Dragonfly.  I think if I repeat it enough times it might actually sink in.   

I am really rather proud that I managed a bit of wire work with the bead dragonfly (see, I think I must be catching on. DRAGONFLY).  I seem to have had a bit of a wire disability or something because I find it a real struggle to do any sort of wire work.  So at least I can feel smug about tackling a skill that has previously eluded me.  Even though during the course of its creation the name of the insect I was creating seemed to have eluded me.  It's a trade off I suppose - all the grey matter cannot function at all times.

I also discovered a couple of neat little tips while I was finishing off the bits of ribbon with some Fray Check.  Tip No. 1: don't get Fray Check on silk. It stains.  Tip No 2:  if you do get Fray Check on silk then use a bit of silk tie stain remover to get it out.  Magic. The silk tie stuff I used comes in individual sachets and looks like wet wipes and can be purchased at some department stores or menswear shops.  Just rub it on the stain and it comes out.  Lovely.  You see, I wasn't really being careless with my Fray Check.  I knew what I was doing all along.  I just wanted to test that stain stuff in case anyone happened to spill some Fray Check and needed to know how to get it out.  Yup, just testing.   

Then, a peculiar thing happened.  Something that seems to happen to me with Barbara Willis patterns.  It was weird.  When I make a doll I go through my stash and gather up all my materials for that doll and put them in one big Ziploc bag.  When I'm finished I put it all neatly way.  It is very therapeutic - the transition from one doll to the next.  Except this time, like one time before with a Barbara Willis pattern, I was putting stuff away and suddenly a whole other colour scheme for the same pattern popped out at me.  Very different in colour, very luxe I think.   

So even though the plan was to move to a design of my own that I've started I think there needs to be another Barbara Willis doll.  Just has to.  My grey matter doesn't work at the best of times, but when the Cloth Doll Muse says 'I wanna make this doll right now!' I listen 'cause my feeble brain will not engage at all unless I listen to the muse.  So, one more fairy.  Then my own design.

If it comes in a jar, it could be a cloth doll

Just a reminder that my online class to make Bea in her Bonnet is beginning on July 2nd on the Cloth Doll Connection.  Click Here for more info and to sign up.  In fact, I had so much fun making this doll that I made her twice!

The second time I made her into a strawberry fairy (it's fun 'cause it rhymes).  I called her Strawberry Pavlova.  I  just altered the basic pattern to cater to the theme.  Which just got me thinking of all the themed fairies you could have.  If it comes in a jar then you could do a fairy inspired by it. I first thought of a Coffee Bean Fairy - she would have that crazed 'Go for the caffeine look.    An Olive Fairy - with a hat in the shape of a martini glass (shaken not stirred).  I could do a Marmite Fairy which would be terribly British (any product that is based on yeast and tastes that bad surely needs some fairy dust). 

Basically, it makes going grocery shopping much less of a chore.  Go on, try going shopping now and see if you don't start looking for fairy inspiration. 

If you can think of a great fairy-in-a-jar theme leave me a comment.  I'll bet that you come up with some great ones! 

Cute as a Bug's Ear

My little firefly fairy is coming along.  After posting last time I decided that her skirt looked like she'd been caught in a downpour as it was rather limp, so I pouffed it further and added some crystal bling.  Then I added the blue and purple petals and ribbon at her waist.  I also gave her a bit of a corsage. At the moment her petals are pinned in place.  They need beading and those fab mini firefly buttons. 

I also made a stab at the wire firefly for this little cutie to hold.  Literally, I made a stab at it.  I stabbed my eye, my arms, my finger tips (under the nail - ouch!).  I screamed, I cried, I shook my fist at it (a technique that is surprisingly ineffectual).  And just when I was about to give up my husband intoned from the next room, 'You'll figure it out.  You always do.'  Oooh, I hate it when he is supportive and so sure of my abilities - it means I can't give up.  Arghhhh!  So I persisted and finally got a result I am happy with.   Well, I only have half a result because all my initial attempts rather used up my wires stock, so I have to buy more.  Even though I swore I was only going to do this doll from the stuff in my stash, himself's sportiveness and utter belief in my achievements means I just have to buy more wire.  Husbands.

On Second Thought....

Well, I was very excited to show off Venetia, my Venice inspired doll.  However, either people are so stunned by my genius that they are struck dumb upon seeing her or this doll is just not everyone's cup of tea.  And I'm OK with that - mostly.  I still love her, but I can appreciate that she is not the norm and not everyone is going to love a doll that is also a building (or maybe that should be a building that is also a doll).  Whatever the case may be, I have decided not to offer Venetia as an online class just now. 

If I have completely misinterpreted people's reactions and you are just desperate to learn to make this doll, by all means let me know via e-mail or by leaving me a comment. 

So having decided to give the online class a miss, I am not going to do an Irish version (not right now anyway).   I had already started another design for a more basic doll (if you're good I'll let you in on what the next design will be soon), but kind of wanted a nice break.  Designing is really exciting, but boy it's hard!

So I set myself another little challenge - to make a doll using ONLY what I have in my stash.  Having lived most of my life only buying what I needed project by project, I am still really excited to actually have a fully fledged stash.  However, I have started to feel guilty about all the lovely stuff I have (typical!), so decided to use some up. I pulled out a pattern I've been mooning over by Barbara Willis called Lillith Fairy and started raiding the stash.  I started with finding the right type of fabrics for the pattern and lo and behold, a colour scheme emerged. 

Here is my little fairy in progress.  I've got a lot more to do on the upper body.  She looks a little overwhelmingly green at the moment.  I did hit upon a fantastic embellishment idea, arising because I was raiding my button stash.  My mum is my dealer - she is always feeding my addiction with yet more cute little buttons (that doesn't mean you can stop Mum!).  I found some great little purple fireflies.  While squealing with delight I thought - I could make her wings into firefly wing shapes.  I think I'll do something with my heat gun and Kunin felt for those.  Then I thought of a bead book that I bought and have never used which shows a wire beaded firefly.  Perfect.  She can hold a firefly.  Mmmmm.....I'm so virtuous using up my stash like this.  However, my husband points out that I'll just replace it all with more.  But of course I will!  Doesn't he know anything.  Sheesh!  That's the whole point.  Bless him.  He'll catch on eventually.    

Rainbow Doll Club June Meeting

Well, we were at it again!  Talking shop, bragging about our dolls, and learning new stuff at Rainbow Silks in Bucks for our monthly meeting of the Rainbow Doll Club.  One of our Head Honchos is relinquishing her honcho status, but we got one last chance to learn from Wendy before she moves away. 

Wendy gave us all a tutorial on stuffing.  The top tips were:

• 1. to use the largest bit of stuffing you can fit in at a time. 
• 2. to think of the stuffing as bones, pushing down into the stuffing with a stuffing fork in the centre of the wad of stuffing
• 3. use a steamy iron to iron the body parts once stuffed to settle the stuffing
• 4.  that the stuffing needs to be really firm - if you press the baby finger to your thumb on one hand, feel the heel of that hand with your opposite hand.  That is how hard your head should be.  Or at least your doll's head.

Wendy credits Barbara Willis and Patti Medaris Culea with giving her the best lessons in stuffing.  Barbara is teaching one last time in the UK at Teresa Malyon's studio in Clacton-on-Sea in October and Patti is teaching at Rainbow Silks in October.  If you have never had the opportunity to take classes from either of these fantastic ladies then don't miss the opportunity.  If you can't get yourself to an in-person class try these free stuffing tips from Barbara Willis by clicking here.

Wendy was a busy lady as she also taught Jan Horrox and I to do some basic crochet. And with Stella's & Maureen's help I think we may have got it.  It all makes sense now.

Stella also brought in Doll Magazine which features a write up about  Rainbow Dolls thanks to Stella who brought us to their attention. 

We also added my contributions to our display in the workshop room at Rainbow Silks.  Here is the board before my additions.  Not bad huh? 

We also had a couple of new faces this time - Josie who is travelling around Britain popped in for some fun and body part stuffing.  And Maureen who brought her lovely dolls to show off. 

To see more pictures of the members and their dolls check out the Rainbow Dolls album on the side bar.

Our next meeting will be Thursday July 12th at 1:30 pm at Rainbow Silks.  We'd love to see more new faces. E-mail me for more information.  Our future projects include a trans-Atlantic swap of Goddess dolls with Patti Culea's doll club. 

PS  I have just managed to write this whole post while eating ice cream on a stick WITHOUT getting any on the keyboard - now that's accomplishment.  Of course, I was only eating the ice cream to use the stick for stirring paint.  One must sacrifice for one's art.  Sigh.

If Venice were a cloth doll.....

   She's come a long way baby!  Believe it or not this is the doll I was mocking up in the post called 'Are you mocking me?'.  I'm really pleased with how she turned out.  And to think that I would never have made this doll if I had not bought the wrong pot of paint. 

I made the mistake of going to shop at Rainbow Silks when students from Missenden Abbey courses were just released.  So there I was fighting to get at the Stewart Gill display to pick out paints for my Bea in her Bonnet doll and I was so frustrated that I grabbed several pots of paint that I figured were about right. When I got my loot home I realised that one of the pots of paint wasn't paint at all.  It was called 'Fresco Flakes'.  What the heck was that?  Well, I'll tell you.  They are dry flakes that when mixed with paint create the look of crumbling paint.  Cool.  Completely wrong for Bea in her Bonnet, but cool.  So while doing my best thinking in the tub I pondered how you would ever use such a product in a doll.  An architectural element in a doll, mmmmm..... a challenge.

Crumbling paint reminds me of Venice where everything has a dilapidated beauty.  I then thought of an article I'd read in Stitch magazine about making a vase out of Pelmet Vilene.  In my mind that vase became the dress/building portion of the doll complete with windows and with a torso on top.   I could incorporate all the things Venice is famous for - Venice lace, pearls, glass, Renaissance painting, boats.  Yup, that's all it took.  One wrong pot of paint and and a bath.  And here she is.

Originally, I thought Venetia (that is her name, of course) might be holding a gondola, but then I thought of the gorgeous striped poles to which they tie the gondolas - a perfect sceptre.  So I set my dad, Barry to the task.  And as usual he came up with a brilliant, but simple way to make the 'parking pole' as they are apparently called (I bet that sounds much more romantic in Italian).  My mum, Kitty figured out the exact way to cut ribbon so that it wound around the pole in a perfect spiral.  Yup, I've sucked my entire family into the doll world.  My Mum is also my chief editor and shopping guru (she keeps me in buttons and beads and all sorts).   Even my nephew Mason was in on this one - he picked out the button that is at the centre of the bodice.  He said it looked like 'treasure'.  I think he's right.

I actually though that this doll would be much harder to make than she was.  I finished her off and thought - wow, I'm done.    As I'm planning on offering Venitia as an online class I've got to get writing.  Then testing my pattern.  as I can't ever seem to finish one doll without at least 2 others on my mind, I already know that my test doll will be a tribute to Ireland.  Now if I can only figure out how to weave raffia into thatch......

Yoohoo! We're on Yahoo!

Rainbow Dolls my fantastic doll club is now in cyberspace on Yahoo Groups.  The aim of the Yahoo Group is to keep up the doll enthusiasm between meetings which are held at Rainbow Silks in Bucks.  If you are living in Timbuktu, but would still like to join in on the fun - you might have questions, you might what to participate in challenges or you just might want to drool over what other doll makers are making then we'd love to have you.  And we'd love to drool over your dolls too!  Well, figuratively of course.  It isn't really good doll etiquette to ACTUALLY drool on someone's doll. 

There is now a very handy dandy button on the side bar of my blog where you can sign up for our Yahoo Group and join in the fun!

Free Pattern

Well, my brain is officially mush.  I've simply poured out every bit of intelligence I had left today.  I am using the last little bit I have remaining to post this free pattern.  Download pinelope_instructions_pattern.pdf  So please download the Pinelope pin cushion pattern while I go wallow in my tub.  Hopefully, some brain power will seep back while I sleep. 

I would love to see what you make with this pattern.  So e-mail some pictures.  Can't wait to hear from you!

Pinelope

Last night my dear sweet spouse went to sleep early.  He had just finished an early morning shift that had started at 4am so it was no surprise that he had fallen asleep sitting upright with a book in his hand.  I was working away on my Venice doll in the other room.  It got quite late so I decided to pack up my doll making stuff (which always seems to migrate from the designated table to cover the whole room).  While 'cleaning up' I had a look at a pattern for a pin cushion doll I had started but had unfortunately turned into an unmitigated disaster.  I had been redesigning this doll in my mind for the past two nights and it was costing me sleep.  So in the interest of sleeping better, (nothing whatsoever to do with a serious doll addiction)I decided to give it another go.  And came up with Pinelope.  She is a pin cushion (not a voodoo doll, for the benefit of those who may have had trouble making the distinction).

So now that Pinelope had made her entree into the world, I assumed that I would be able to sleep in peace.  Unfortunately, himself woke bright and cheerily at 6:30am this Sunday morning and chirped 'Did you have a good sleep?'.  I pried open one eye and not so cheerily informed my better half that actually I was still sleeping if he didn't mind.  That was when himself looked at the clock and realised that he had broken the sacred morning sleep-in rule.  So much for undisturbed sleep.  If it is not one love of my life keeping me up, its the other. 

I am planning on offering Pinelope as a free pattern on my blog.  As I am rather bleary-eyed today it will take me couple of days to polish the pattern and instructions.  Come back in a few days to download the instructions and pattern.

In the meantime satisfy your pin cushion lust with a look at this fun site:  The Pin Cushion Challenge.  Every couple of months there is a different theme.  You make a pin cushion in that theme and your picture is posted.  It's lot of fun.  Have a look!