Fiber Art in Progress

Octoberfest 

I did make some progress this week.  I finished the stems.  I was going add more spirals but that seems like over kill.  What I have decided to do is to add some subtle hand embroidery.  Nothing heavy, just enough to add some texture to the negative space.  I have a wonderful Valdani hand dyed #12 pearl cotton, the color is a green that blends in with the background.  Next though is the stamens, then the background texture.

Art Dolls  

Here she is folks, my first art doll form.  She is UGLY.  She looks better in the picture than in real life. Talk about cellulite.  Man, she has it and wop sided, but she still looks better than I do naked.  We won't even go there.

I have a lot of respect for people who make dolls of any type.  It is not as easy as it looks.  Just when I thought I had an area firmly stuff, nope, wasn't so.  Plus you have to blend the stuffing or it bunches up and leaves areas not firm enough.  Her legs are about 6" long and less than an inch in diameter; it took over an hour just to stuff 1 leg.  Making her clothes will be much easier, she was a pain in the rear end.

I also found out why authors of doll books always say use pima cotton for the body.  All other fabrics will fray and come apart when you try to turn them.  Even my good quilter's cotton came apart in some places.  Pima cotton has a tighter weave and can be found at heirloom shops.  It's more expensive, but well worth it for the dolls.  Batiks are similar to pima cotton, they also have a tighter weave than quilter's cotton.  The piece in the picture is rayon, I think.  It sparkled and shined really pretty, should have saved it for clothes, it can't take the stress of turning and stuffing.  The doll I made out of that fabric will have some limbs made out of batik.  Once I finish these 3 art dolls, never again.  I love the art form but not the process.  Now I may make spirit dolls, no limbs, but regular dolls, no.

 To the left is my spirit doll patterns.  Those are 1 piece and I can turn them much easier.  Still think I will use either pima cotton or batiks to make the body, there is still stress in turning and stuffing.  Those are scheduled for a later date this year.




Well, my beloved gray furball of a cat (Bobbie Jean) is meowing her head off.  I think she wants to be fed, she had only a few pieces of food left in her bowl.  Need to fix my own supper and then it is Adam 12 and back to stuffing dolls.  Until next time.

Shirley