The Magic Bean

Freebie Friday - Free Puppet Patterns

Puppets are basically dolls with a bit more animation. Here are some free patterns and tutorials to get you started:

I love these Warm Fuzzy Mammal finger puppets from Soto Softies- retro cool, baby.

Another simple, but really cool puppet, this time of a ninja, click here.

This page gives you a basic free people pattern and a fox finger puppet.

Click here for more simple puppet patterns for both animals and humans.

Puppets in Melbourne shows you how to recycle old soft toys by making them into puppets here.

If you'd like to try more sophisticated puppetry, this video will give you an idea of how more animated puppets are often made:

If you'd like to try making a foam puppet, try this website, Puppet Building Dot Com which has several free foam head patterns.

Project Puppet also has several great tutorials including tutorials covering adding foam facial features, working with fleece, and making a puppet shirt, click here to be enlightened.

Now you'll just have to master talking without moving your lips.....mmmmm....

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Father's Day, Dad

 

Photo credit, Barry Babcock (my dad)

Happy Father's Day to the man who taught me to look and really see - one of the most important things an artist can do.  To the man who taught me to "do it right the first time".  To the man who taught me to swing a hammer and swing a bat.  To the man who says, "Nothing is impossible, just the impossible takes longer".   The only thing is I'm not sure that it is possible to love you more, Dad.  Love you.

Freebie Friday - Top 5 Tips for Better Free Motion Machine Embroidery

I will admit it, when I first tried free motion machine embroidery it alternately made me want to scream with rage and roll up into the foetal position and weep.  I just couldn't figure it out - until I discovered these five key things:

1.  Buy a free motion machine embroidery or darning foot for your machine

The first time I used a darning foot on my machine while free motion machine embroidering I almost stood up from my machine and sang the Hallelujah chorus.  The investment is so worth it.  Darning feet work so well because they let the fabric move freely, but at the same time help to control it.   Believe me, you want one.

2.  Metallic threads are hard to work with - use them in the bobbin only

Metallic threads are pretty.  They are sparkly.  I love the way they look on the spool, but they are tricky to use.  I've tried using special metallic needles and large doses of Sewers Aid, but the thread always seems to break.  I can only seem to use metallic threads if I use them in the bobbin only.  Then it works a treat.

3.  Use an embroidery hoop to hold fabric taut or use Sulky Ultra Solvy dis-solvable stabiliser

Your fabric needs to be stabilised and held very taut as you sew so try to ensure that you are either using an embroidery hoop (with the lip of the hoop facing up and the fabric flat on the bed of the sewing machine) or a very strong stabiliser.  Stabilisers like Sulky Ultra Solvy are also great if you want to be left with just the stitching to create a sort of lace effect.

4.  Invest in decent threads

It took me a while to find the threads that worked best in my machine. I like Rayon threads that are made especially for machine embroidery.  Don't try using regular polyester thread as your machine will get gummed up. 

5.  Make sure you drop or cover your feed dogs

The feed dogs are those metal teeth that push or feed your fabric through the sewing machine at a set rate, giving you a consistent stitch length.  For free motion machine embroidery you must either drop them or cover them (consult your machine's manual for how to do this for your machine) so that you can move the fabric freely around at the rate you decide.

What if you machine does not allow you to drop or cover the feed dogs?  Alma Stoller shows a clever way to get the same results with a very basic machine in this tutorial.

Want an overview of how to free motion machine embroider? Try this free tutorial from Cut Out and Keep.

I hope these tips get you singing the Hallelujah Chorus!

 

Wordless Wednesday

Gotta Have Cloth Doll Artistry

My copy of Barbara Willis' Cloth Doll Artistry finally arrived in the post last week and I've been drooling over it ever since. 

I admit that I am biased; I adore Barbara's work, she was one of the people to get me hooked on the whole cloth doll malarkey in the first place and I do consider her a friend and mentor.  Having said that, I think that Barbara has really outdone herself with this book. 

The chapter on colour is inspiring and I love the beautiful way it is presented.  Having done a fine art degree, it is lovely to see someone approach colour from a slightly different angle and to do it so elegantly, as only Barbara can.

The chapter on flat dolls is so inspiring, the textures of the dolls belie their flatness and make them so appealing. 

I adore the format that Barbara, Li Hertzi and Patti Culea's books have taken with the galleries of dolls made by other artists.  It is because of the inspiring diversity of these galleries that I come back to books like this again and again.

I suppose I am also quite biased in my utter adoration of this book because one of my dolls is featured, Erin.  I love the challenge of making dolls for books and this doll was an absolute pleasure to make.  The pattern came together so well and Erin seemed (or maybe it should be seamed?) to fall together.

 

If you don't already own this book, you need to.  Really you do.

If you live in the UK, remember that Barbara is teaching in the UK in the fall.  Click here for more details. It's your opportunity to get a signed copy of Barbara's book!

Freebie Friday - Finding Inspiration

Where do you find inspiration when your creative mojo deserts you?  And if you are a creative person, at some point in your life, your inspiration will desert you.  It happens to us all.  I think that it happens because in order to appreciate the blissful state of inspiration, you have to know how painful it is to miss it. 

 

I have experienced a couple of times of inspiration drought in my life - just after university when I couldn't even bear to look a sewing machine and just after I had surgery on my hand and was having trouble picturing what my own original doll designs might look like even though I was desperate to design.  When you express frustration at these times, very sensible people will advise you that 'this too shall pass.'  This bit of advice makes you want to kick them in the teeth for two reasons:

a.  They are right and it's really annoying!

b.  It doesn't make you feel better right now.

So what do you do right now.  Here's some ideas to help you get inspired.  I apologise in advance if these don't do the trick and they make you want to kick me in the teeth.

1.  Read inspiring quotations

Nothing like the power of thought.  I love quotations myself and find that they often make me stop feeling sorry for myself.  Click here and here for some quotations to get you started.

2.  Set yourself a challenge and stick to it!

Sometimes inspiration deserts us as we are overwhelmed by the huge extent of possibilities before us.  Where do you start?  Why not give yourself limitations - you must make a doll using only items that are already in your stash, create a doll based on a favourite book or movie, create a doll that must reflect a theme etc.  If you need extra motivation why not join an organised challenge that will force you to stick to a deadline.  Here are few official challenges to get you started, click here. 

3.  Join a doll club

Whether online or in your community, doll clubs are great ways to get energy and motivation. The group can support you and make suggestions. The work of the others can also inspire you to do better.  Clubs also often issue challenges that can get the creative juices flowing.  Click here for a list of clubs that you can join.

4.  Sign up for an online forum

Forums are meant for sharing and to convey information and ideas - those ideas can be beautiful and inspiring that can inspire more ideas in you.  Try Cloth Doll Artistry or Doll Street.

5.  Try a whole new craft

Give doll making a rest.  Try basket weaving or rug hooking or even try a different type of doll making.  If you always make cloth dolls, try clay or porcelain.  Sometimes you need to try something new to give you a new perspective on your first love.

6.  Take a class - online or in person

Classes are a great way to be surrounded by inspired people and learn new things.  When I take a class I strive NOT to be original.  I consciously try to copy the teacher.  Great artists were taught by copying the masters, so it is a great way to learn, plus mimicking someone who is very talented helps you to get into the pattern of greatness.  It also frees you up from the pressure of being a great doll maker.  Don't try to be great yourself, mimic someone who already is.  If you do that enough you will find that you have transformed into someone of great talent yourself.

7.  Don't try so hard

I often get struck by fantastic ideas when I am doing other things.  For some reason I get a lot of ideas in the bathtub, likely because I am shutting off my conscious brain and letting go a bit, so the muse is free from my judgemental conscious mind. 

Want some more ideas to kick start your creativity?  This excellent post on Write to Done is aimed at inspiring writers, but these ideas are extremely applicable to any creative endeavour. 

At the end of the day, you will get your inspiration back.  As Stephen DeStaebler once said,

" Artists don't get down to work until the pain of working is exceeded by the pain of not working."

Wordless Wednesday - Still Standing Tall

In the Flesh

Watch out America, I am coming!  I will be teaching my doll, Gather ye Rosebuds, live and in the flesh Friday June 26th and and 27th in Maryland with Rose Gibbons.  I understand that there are still places available on that course, so drop Rose an e-mail on truefriend21776@yahoo.com if you are interested.

 

As doll classes are on my mind, here's a question for you, when you take a doll course, what are you hoping to get out of it?  Take the poll below and let me know your thoughts:

Freebie Friday - Free Ribbon and Tassel Doll Tutorials

Ribbon and tassel dolls are great fun as generally they are quite easy and a good project for beginners.  Here is a sampling of some great ideas for ribbon and tassel dolls:

Helen Gibb shares this quite traditional tassel doll made on a porcelain half body.  you could equally make a cloth half body if you wanted to and finish it the same way.

This cute little mermaid ribbon doll doll should get you in the mood for sun and surf.

Now that temperatures have warmed up, you can order Paverpol which can't be ordered during the cold winter months or it would freeze.  Take advantage of Noel Wolfman's great tutorial on making this lovely Victorian tassel doll with Paverpol.

Even though there are some things that I love about summer, I'm definitely a winter girl and can't wait for Christmas.  Here are a few Christmas themed tutorials that could be adapted for any time of year (or you can go ahead and make a Christmas doll in June if you like, why not?).  First, there is a ribbon angel here, a ribbon Santa here, and a tassel ornament from Sherry Goshon here.

If you never thought that you could make a doll - ribbon and tassel dolls are a good place to start.  Go for it!