The Magic Bean

Freebie Friday - Art Doll Tutorials

I've found some fun art doll tutorials while out and about on the web this week.  Check them out!

New to the Magic Bean?

Every Friday I do a round-up of free craft tutorials on a certain theme. So stop by every Friday for your weekly dose of free crafts, patterns and tutorials. Or browse for more free resources by combing through the "Free Craft Tutorials & Patterns" category (just click the link) or use the Google Search function on the top left of my blog to search for something specific.

Dani of The Whimsical Cottage shared a tutorial to make a Faery Art Doll.

Make an extremely sweet art doll with a free tutorial featured on Craftsy from ACreativeDream.

Mark Denis, otherwise known as the Mad Sculptor shared a tutorial to make fabric look wind-blown and flowing on his blog.  This is a great technique for dolls of all mediums.  Click the link to check it out.

If you are interested in polymer clay and working with moulds, check out this tutorial for making faces from Emi Sfard on her blog, the Journey of an Illustrator.

Joggles shared a tutorial to make a papier mache Mother Nurture art doll.

If paper dolls are more your speed, check out this tutorial from Fairy Child Heirlooms to use a photograph to make a Fairy Doll.

If you like working with paperclay but find it expensive, check out this tutorial to make DIY paperclay on the blog Dalhart Lane (found via A Cloth Doll Maker's Diary by Mary Ann Tate).

If you like making eyes to insert into cloth or clay faces, check out this cool technique for making polymer clay "canes" to create eyes from Kerstins Fimo Page.

Cathe Holden shared a cool tutorial to make glassy eye balls as embellishments on Craftzine.  I think you could use a similar technique for doll eyes.

Lots to keep you busy in those links!

Announcing the Winners of the Doll Street Re-Imagine History Challenge

I'm proud to announce the winners of the Doll Street Re-Imagine History Challenge – sponsored by Fairfield, Studio Galli and Eucalan and hosted by yours truly.

Winner of the Fairfield's Best Overall Doll made by a Beginner - The Future Queen by Sharon Matthews

Winner of the Most Imaginative Concept - Moses by Linda Whitley

Winner of the Best Use of Historical Costume Elements by a Doll Street Member - Princess Lydia Stuart by Deborah Robinson

Winner of the Best Overall Doll - Origami by Edwina Sutherland

 
Studio Galli very generously gave me one extra Cloth Doll Making with Patti Culea DVD so I am able to offer the DVD as a prize for an Honourable Mention to Abigail by Heather Muth for coming very close to winning two categories and for tying for the highest numbers of points across all categories (tied with the Overall Winner, Edwina Sutherland who obviously pipped everyone to the post in the Best Overall Doll category ).

 
I'd like to add that there wasn't any doll that didn't win any points at all.  Everyone was on the scoreboard and so I am going to offer the remaining participants Roman Woman by Jeanne White, George by Billie Maier and Trex by Bonnie Prebula any one of my e-patterns as a gift to thank them for participating. 

To see all the rest of the fabulous entries and to read their imaginative concepts for their re-imagined histories (or futures), please click here to see all the entries at Doll Street.
 
In case you are interested in how the winners were picked here is how the scoring worked:
For each category, each judge chose a 1st, 2nd  and 3rd choice.

1st choice nominees were awarded 5 points

2nd choice nominees were awarded 3 points

3rd choice nominees were awarded 1 point

The points from each of the judges were added together and the entrant with the highest points won that category. We had clearcut winners for each category and so no tie-breaking was necessary. 

If you were winner, expect to hear from me shortly via e-mail so that I can arrange to send you your prizes!  Oh goody - loot! 

I'd like to thank our fabulous sponsors Fairfield, Studio Galli and Eucalan as well as Doll Street for donating such wonderful prizes. 

I'd also like to thank our judges Rebecca Ward, Ann Campbell, Judy Novella of Fairfield, and Kitty and Barry Babcock  (yup, that's my mum and dad, they've had a bit of experience with doll making over the years) for carefully considering each entry.  I know it was difficult to choose from this crop of entries. 

And thank you to all our participants!  I hope you enjoyed the challenge.

Wordless Wednesday - A Study of Hands

Freebie Friday - Jointing Tutorials for Dolls

Using joints in your dolls allows for greater movement and posability.  Here are some tutorials that cover button joints to bead joints, commercial joints to custom made joints.

New to the Magic Bean?

Every Friday I do a round-up of free craft tutorials on a certain theme. So stop by every Friday for your weekly dose of free crafts, patterns and tutorials. Or browse for more free resources by combing through the "Free Craft Tutorials & Patterns" category (just click the link) or use the Google Search function on the top left of my blog to search for something specific.

Techniques for Jointing

Craft Tales provides an overview of different styles of joint used for making teddy bears and dolls that you might find helpful.

Doll maker Mimi Kirchner shared a tutorial on her blog to create an invisiable button joint.

Mimi Kirchner based her method on the method used by Judi Ward.  In the following video Judi Ward demonstrates her jointing technique:

 

Another method for jointing is to use commerical plastic doll joints.  The following video from Puppeteers Unite demonstrates how to use the joints on a puppet, but the principal would be the same for cloth dolls:

 

To see how to make your own doll joints click the link to see a tutorial from Deviant user MarlinGrey.  Click on the image to see it larger on your screen.

Another Deviant user, Ash Fantastic, shared a simple method of using doll joints in cloth.  Click the link to see the tutorial.

This tutorial from Vivcore's Dolly Daydream, shows how a wooden bead could be altered with a Dremel tool to increase the range of motion in the joint.  This demo is on a sculpted BJD (ball jointed doll), but the technique could be employed for other types of doll.

Ball jointed dolls are a great source for learning more about doll jointing, this tutorial entitled How to Make Noah's Doll is very in-depth and gives you an idea about how body parts could be put together to increase motion.

Here is a pictorial overview of the many different ways that the joints of a doll could be engineered from Deviant user Scargeear. 

Free Jointed Cloth Doll Patterns

Doku's Open Hobby Base provided a free pattern and instructions to make a jointed cloth doll called Abstemious little Cindy in the scullery.  Click the link to get the pattern.

Craft Tales shared a free pattern and instructions to make a cloth doll with bead joints.  Tip:  the pattern pages are at the end.

Also from Craft Tales comes this cloth pumpkin doll free pattern and instructions.  With this tutorial learn how to make decorative bead joints a real feature of the doll.

For more ideas on how to joint your dolls, revisit this older post which includes a downloadable PDF overview of a couple of methods for jointing your dolls.

That's some joined-up thinking for you or should I say "jointed-up thinking"?

Wordless Wednesday - A Sign That Has Been Hacked

The Cloth Doll Cure for the Sulks

The other day I was having a bad day.  Don't worry, nothing serious, but I was feeling rather sorry for myself.  The kind of day where you are instantly a small child who stamps their feet and declares life to be "unfair".  The sort of day where you feel like nobody likes you, everybody hates you and you might as well go into the garden to eat worms. 

Yup, I was having a big fat sulk. 

When you are self-employed, unfortunately those days happen.  Come to think of it, those days happen no matter what your working life may be.  They just happen.

But not everybody gets to be cheered up the way that I was.  Because in my cranky-pants state of mind I opened an email from doll maker Colleen Harvey.  And these pictures are what I found:

These are images of Colleen Harvey's 2012 Hoffman Challenge entry, entitled "Surprise".

And what a delightful surprise this doll was.  Meant to mark both the 25th anniversary of the Hoffman Challenge and Colleen H's own 25th wedding anniversary, this doll instantly lifted me from the dumps.

Colleen told me that she has used my Treasures of the Deep pattern as a jumping off point for her design.  Here is what Colleen said:

"I learned so much from working with your pattern and I have even more respect now for your talent as a designer after making this doll! I tried designing my own doll first and it was such a disaster I decided it'd be much better to use your pattern and modify it as needed. Two of the three dolls I've made so far have been from your Treasures of the Deep pattern, and I feel that I've gotten so far in this short of time because of what a great pattern you've created. My one fear is that using your pattern may have ruined me for ever designing one of my own!"

Well heck, you just can't stay grumpy when you find such effusive praise in your inbox, accompanied by such beautiful images of a gorgeous doll.

And despite Colleen H's fears that my pattern may have spoiled her forever, I think the innovative assembly and beautiful design of that cake base which is the sole brainchild of the very talented Colleen Harvey tells me that Colleen can look forward to a wonderful future in designing her own dolls from top to tail.  Don't you think?

And just when I thought that my Fairy Dollmother had finished with me for the day, I got an e-mail from doll maker and blogger, Karen Mallory.  And guess what? 

Karen too had made a doll for the Hoffman Challenge using my Treasures of the Deep pattern.  What are chances of that?

Despite using the same pattern as a jumping off point, Karen had created a very different doll complete with a Victorian style bustle, hat and nipped-in waist. Karen, a woman after my own heart, used historical fashion as her inspiration.

But threw in some special Karen-created details like these immensely imaginative shoes.

Karen was actually one of three testers who originally tested the Treasures of the Deep pattern for me and helped me to make the pattern what it is today.  So I guess I owe Karen double thanks for her services as a pattern tester and for being one of the two very special doll makers who made my day.

Thank you Colleen and Karen.

Freebie Friday - Toys and Gifts to Sew for Babies

Although my biggest craft obsession by far is making cloth art dolls, I do actually make and sew other things.  Seeing as an overwhelming number of my friends and relatives are currently expecting babies, I thought I'd share some great toys and gifts to sew for babies. If you are a doll maker there are still a few tutorials here that could be used for dolls.

New to the Magic Bean?

Every Friday I do a round-up of free craft tutorials on a certain theme. So stop by every Friday for your weekly dose of free crafts, patterns and tutorials. Or browse for more free resources by combing through the "Free Craft Tutorials & Patterns" category (just click the link) or use the Google Search function on the top left of my blog to search for something specific.

 
Make a new baby kit with a round up of tutorials collected by Jordan of Blueprint Crafts that includes a blanket, burp cloths, changing pad, and bibs.  (found via Tip Junkie)

Ashley of the blog Little Blue Boo shared a tutorial and pattern to make a vinyl tablecloth roll-up diaper (nappy in the UK) changer.  Plus, Ashely includes a doll sized version - wouldn't it be cool to make an older child expecting a new baby brother or sister a doll sized version that matches the baby sized changer? (found via Tip Junkie)

If you omitted the buttons and other small embellishments that could be swallowed by little ones, this droopy eared sock bunny would make a great baby gift.  Click the link to get the sock bunny tutorial on Craft Passion.

Abby Glassenburg, author of the book The Artful Bird , is now working on a book about softies which is due out next spring. 

In the meantime, you can create a baby butterfuly softie that can be clipped to a pushchair with Abby's tutorial on Sew Mama Sew.

Benita who owns the Etsy shop Bettsy Kingston MYO, shared a free downloadable pattern and instructions to make a baby kimono wrap on Sew Mama Sew.

Complete the kimono look with a pair of kimono baby shoes, as made by Vanessa of Nifty Thrifty Things and designed and shared in a free tutorial by Aimee Larson of Homespun Threads.  Click the link to see the baby shoe PDF tutorial from Aimee. If you are a doll maker you could use this shoe pattern for a doll, just shrink it to the right size.

In fact, Aimee Larsen has a fair few baby tutorials on Homespun Threads, including several other styles of baby shoe, fabric baby blocks, diaper bags and all sorts.  Click the link to check it out.

Make an upcycled baby headband with a tutorial from Alisa Burke, author of Sew Wild: Creating With Stitch and Mixed Media .

The ever innovative Alisa Burke makes super cool Upcycled Baby Clothing Creatures complete with a tutorial for you to make your own.

Learn to sew with minky, a popular fabric for sewing for babies with Kris and Kim at the DIY Dish with their video showing how to make something special for baby:

 

These are only a handful of my favourite sewing for baby tutorials that I've found on the net.  I'd better stop linking and get sewing for those friends - you only get 9 months notice to get sewing those gifts.

Can You Still Be Classified as a "Beginner" If Your Dolls Look This Good?

Can you still say a doll that looks this good is a "beginner" doll?

For example, for the sake of the Doll Street Re-Image History Challenge that I'm hosting, a beginner is classified as someone who has created in the region of 8 dolls or fewer. 

Using those parameters, Jo Burke, the doll maker behind this irresistible version of my Finders Keepers design that she made in a class I taught in Essex recently, SHOULD qualify as a beginner doll maker as she has only made a handful of dolls, a couple of which I've shared with you before (click the link to see more of Jo's first efforts at doll making). 

But really, with that adorable face and the attention to detail you'd really think that Jo has made far more dolls than you can count on one hand. 

You would wouldn't you? 

I'd say that Jo has got more than handfuls of talent.  She's got bucket-loads. 

Thanks for sharing Jo.

Wordless Wednesday - A Perspective on Sculpture

What Could You Create in Two Days?

Noela Evans once said:

“Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth. Tame the dragon and the gift is yours.”

The "gift" is supposed to be metaphorical, however, if you take on the challenge I'm about to issue, then the gift would be $100 US worth of amazing prizes and the knowledge that you tamed a dragon and won!

Ever since I announced the Doll Street Re-Imagine History Challenge, I keep hearing people say that they don't have time to participate in challenges.  I hear you.  Creating art dolls takes time. 

But what if you gave yourself a really tight deadline?  Say two days?  What could you make in two days?  What could you make in one?  This challenge allows you to make a doll in any medium, in any size. 

Could you make a paper doll in one or two days? 

What about a pin doll? 

Don't let everyday life prevent you from taming the dragon.  I'm throwing down the gauntlet.  Will you take up the challenge?  Will you tame the dragon with only a few days left to enter the Doll Street Re-Imagine History Challenge? 

Entries are due June 15th, 2012.

Find out more about the doll challenge rules, prizes and get the entry form by clicking the link.