Some Wild, Wonderful and Crazy Stuff....

First off, I got an amazing stash of fabric from a local upholstery shop keeper, who makes
bears herself... and who understands the value of a rich array of trims, scraps of opulent
fabrics of silk of all kinds, failles, tissues, shantungs, Japanese kimono panels, dupion and
just about any kind of fancy weaves you can imagine! I am so grateful to her and because
of this tremendous gift, I have had to re-think the dressing of my three finished, bare-naked
dolls. This is proving maddening and manic and all the fun of creativity I could possible have!
Someone said "too much of a good thing?" to which I say.... there's never enough!!! LOL

Secondly!!!! The universe must be smiling upon me, because my daughter and son in law, Shirlene and Greg have GIVEN me a 2005 Dodge Stratus in amazing condition and I LOVE it!!!!!


I expect photos up soon because some of my work is due by Thursday. I have a healthy start
without going too, too nuts... (or at least more crazy than I already am) ;-D


So. Life is good. fat. rich... and I am happy and grateful. I wish everyone a special holiday,
too, because Life IS good, fat and rich and we deserve happiness.

OK

Someone said I haven't been keeping up with my posts. They are right. But I have been
working on the same pattern for the clown dolls to get the right proportions ... for
a week. I even resorted to downloading Grey's Anatomy of the Human Body plate for the hand
to get it right!!!!

Then a week to actually sew them and get them stuffed, no easy task. And Quality Control said some of them sucked. So I had to start over!

I am now working on a human hair wig for one of them... and finished another, but she's bare-
naked.

When I get pictures, you will see.

Om Om Om....

A peek at Merrylegs

The doll maker's challenge due May 1 is to create a storybook character. I decided after
much deliberation to make Merrylegs, a pony in Black Beauty, the book by Anna Sewell, which
is in the public domain and not subject to copyright laws.

Merrylegs is a grey dappled pony with two girls as his mistresses, and I quote from the book:

"As for Merrylegs, he and I soon became great friends; he was such a cheerful, plucky, good-tempered little fellow that he was a favorite with every one, and especially with Miss Jessie and Flora, who used to ride him about in the orchard, and have fine games with him and their little dog Frisky."

So here is a peek at WIP, Merrylegs. (Even his name is cute.)

He is double thickness pimatex with unraveled silk parachute cording as his mane and tail, with
no wiring inside his legs or body. He's approximately 17 inches tall and is roughly basted
at this point.

The Manipulator meets her match

I decided I wanted to make a horse and rider as my next project. I would have no problem
with the rider...The horse is another matter...

Well!!! after six attempts, each with its own special tweak, I finally came up with
a workable pattern for the head. Goodness knows, now, what lays in store for the body.

I have a pic of those nostrils. The eyes are just penciled in at this time. But those nostrils
and lower lip, I think I manipulated finally.

Makayla named her Rita

...and immediately took off her socks... checked out her underpanties...
remarked she was wearing some... and then took her into her play area
to start working making a block fortress. My daughter has also since
informed me Rita is making various demands already! I feel so good,
now. Happy Birthday, Makayla!

So, Today's the day to mail her off

Look what someone wrote on my wall at the doll site:

"She is so sweet! Your granddaughter is going to be so happy!
Love it that you created her from recyled items!! I think it is OK to feel blue about sending off what is a part of yourself. I would like to share a quote with you that might make this clear.
Dolls with Soul by Hilegard Gunzel
"Doll Artist aim to produce dolls which are the mirror of their souls. A doll produced with this intention is never a cold and lifeless object. It may show mistakes and defects in proportion and workmanship, but it "lives".
I keep this by my work desk as a little reminder. I really hope Makayla treats her doll like the treasure she... is as a part of her Grandmother."
-- Ellen

(I made her socks longer, and fussed a bit more)

My heart is aching

I am sending a doll away tomorrow for a very special person. She loves blue, her eyes are blue, she asks me: "Grandma, don't you just love my
beautiful blue eyes?" She's four. So. I made her a doll.
A rag doll. A squishy, no wires, simply simple rag doll. She's 17 inches
tall, she's all cloth. She's dressed and her wig is made of an old sweater
all unraveled and sewed onto a cap. Her face ... well. You look.
You see.