Continuing my blog under a different title... URL below

I have decided that since a few people didn't understand why I used the word manipulator or manipulations
in my blog title to change it to Dolls By Dallas.  Besides, over this last year, *I* have decided that
I really DO make dolls...

so, the new URL to continue following me is:

http://dollsbydallas.blogspot.com/

See you there!

A New Year, 2012

It's been a year since I started this blog and I want to thank my loyal followers and supporters and friends and family who come here to see what I have been doing.   and... drum roll... an entry into a national show

to the Mulvane Art Museum!  

the last doll of the year... and off and running into the new year...

here she is.. a flapper doll who now has a new home.  No word yet on what she was named.

and  I am really busting butt to get an entry in by midnight Friday night by photo entry to be accepted into a museum in Kansas City.  It's a little tricky because it's a national craft show, and to be a craft, the item needs to be usable in a practical way.  I'm skating the line with a pull toy horse with an almost Cirque rider ... in all grays ... I'm calling it Shades of Gray, because this whole idea of craft vs art in the doll world is quite shades of gray.

Merry Xmas Moose...

goes to show even grown men can be thrilled... it's the BEST gift a doll maker can have: that 'look' in their eyes!

the duchess

she's an extensive prototype, already promised to someone, too.  she's my pattern, 22 inches over all, all clothing and accessories designed and made by me.  she's one of a kind, even though I am going to use her body and clothing patterns again.  her face is her face alone and forever.  enjoy.

I'm pondering making a web page dedicated to only my rag dolls.

I'm thinking about naming it Rarefied Rag Dolls  and tag it all over where ever you do that sort of thing with 'one of a kind art doll', etc.  I'd like to have a personal page set up and a Paypal payment
method.  I'm setting up something like that on Etsy.com, too and when I have my dolls up there
for viewing all done, I'll be sure to let you know.  In the mean time, here's a sweetie I am working on

It's been one long, hard haul lately

BUT!!! creativity finally emerged.  Here's one of the Gustav Klimt challenge dolls, Sonja Knips.

two DIPs for a Gritty Jane Klimt Challenge

Yes, I know, you haven't seen any dolls actually FINISHED yet, but I have a surprise up my sleeve
for the beginning of November.  You'll see.

As for the two new dolls in progress, they are based upon works by Gustav Klimt for a challenge that
Gritty Jane put up on Facebook.

First is Sonja Knips, an early Golden Era portrait he did of her.

The second is the nefarious Judith II after she has assassinated the Assyrian General.

Seraphina with hair

She's lounging in her fabrics, showing off her new hair

a new doll in progress

I have changed a few methods--using silk interlock for her cloth over clay face...

and using quilter's sateen for the body....

she's in progress, she needs more hair and is awaiting 'extensions'...

and I have her posed for a proportion check before I finish stuffing and forming her body more.

Her name is Sarafina.  She's going to be done in all greys, white and black.  With help from Barb at Country Fabrics in her clothing choices when I get to them.  :-D

DIP (Doll In Progress) Isabella

Here's the makings of Isabella, a Doll In Progress

Her hair is vintage thread I got at a tag sale and is purported to be 40 years old... her wig is hand-knotted
strand by strand and she's going to be the female of The Lovers in an archetypal Italian play called

Commedia dell Arte.

Hoffman Challenge 2011

I got a email tonight from Julie Breidt, Curator for the show, congratulating me for my Fern's placement
of "Most Humorous" for this year's challenge.  I screamed!  What excitement... my first time entry, too!

I'm truly over the moon with joy.

Queen Of Quite A Lot

  Here's the bottle "doll" done.  She certainly has a regal air? She's about 3 inches tall.

Now on a completely different note....

The doll club online came up with a new challenge.  No grass grows under their feet!!! lol... seems a Bottle
Doll is in order. 

It just so happened I have a perfume bottle that was broken, but I didn't have the heart to throw it away, since it was so pretty and still has the essence of one of my favorite perfumes in it. 

Here's how it looks now.  Imagine what I'm going to do with it....
It's also the 'cure' for creative let-down after making Fern.

a better photo of Fern

I was just too rushed this morning to finish processing the rest of the photos on the memory stick.  I think this one shows her construction and face much better.

OK!!! Here's Fern, my Hoffman Challenge Doll, 2011

First off, this is all Liz's fault for even showing me how to do yo yos.  Then, it's Mary B's fault for telling me
about the Hoffman Challenge, a yearly event where quilters, sewers and doll makers can enter an item made
from the challenge fabric.  Here's a link: http://www.hoffmanchallenge.com/entry_rules.html 

So I purchased the cloth and set about creating Fern.  She's my own original design, no pattern used. She's

got a wooden bowl, inverted and covered in velvet upholstery fabric and batted.  Then she's seemingly balanced on a 12 sided "soccer ball" made of 12 different shades of silk taffeta or dupioni, which is also stuffed... Then she's made of the challenge fabric as  her sleeves and pantaloons.  She's wearing a hat over
her Sulky cotton thread hair, has a  cloth over clay head, a stuffed cotton body and a silk body suit.  And!
note her little gold lame` ballet slippers!!!  I hope she gets chosen to travel.  I would love that.  But the main thing is, she's made and on time!  *mwah*

Aurora the Angel

Aurora is my first angel. She's a wall hanging doll, but could be set against your pillows on your couch.

She is going out to a Special Someone who loves angels.

I have been moderately busy

Expect photos in the next few weeks. Just so you know I'm still here...
Hope your spring going into summer is delightful! ;-D

the storybook challenge is done...

but of course mother nature has deigned to let it rain all day.  I'm going to take this personally because I wanted to photograph Merrylegs, Miss Julie, Miss Flora and Frisky outside... under an apple tree.

but.. things beings what they are, here they are:

more...

And here's Callie and Geneva, two 'yo yo' dolls done my way with fully stuffed bodies, re-dressable if you
cared to.. and all cotton bodies, with silk clothing and trims. Their hair is made from unraveled sweaters.

They are about 17 inches tall, with fully articulated hands, floppy sitting bodies.