Spring Day in Peepsville!

Yes! It is that time of the year...Peeps!

Peeps here- there- everywhere!

I only know of two people who will actually eat those sugary delights...Uncle Mark and Frances!You probably know of someone who would munch down on Peeps.

Last year, Papa Frank, Mama Gysela, and Frances gave Uncle Mark 9 boxes of these little magical marshmallows! We briefly talked of doing a Peep diorama...or really a Peeporama!

...New year and more time! SOOoo, last Sunday we set out for ROotie Studio with our 9 boxes of solid Peeps! (Amazingly enough, the yellow box was still semi-soft...hummm.)

Papa Frank, Frances, and I sat down to brainstorm our game plan, with Mark as our support team bringing in pizza and drinks for continued nourishment during our adventure!

We each got a piece of paper and sketch out our thoughts...Frances put them altogether in our Master Plan so we would have something to refer to during our creative endeavor!

We taped up so we could refer back to our guide.

Much of our brainstorming was done verbally so here it is more decisive labeling for those of you not present during our worktime...

This process was a great learning experience in drawing something out in a two dimensional format and discovering how to recreate it into a three dimensional project, we also learned problem solving skills that comes with any creative master piece!

After 4 hours of intense work...we finished with the last jelly bean!

Birds-eye view

So, now you ask what were we going to do with it?

From studio...

All pieces we things that we had! We didn't buy anything new to make this project...hurray!

 To our lobby window for all of downtown Denver to enjoy!

We hope your Spring and Easter is as Blessed as Ours!

close up of hot air balloon made from a gourd, yarn and cupcake papercup

1940's Doll Complete!!

Here she is...the little sweetie...finished and ready for pick up!

  

So I just could let her go to her new home..well...

without a stitch of clothing on! 

So I made this little camisole and tap pants set.

I used a cotton batiste for the main body of the outfit 

and serged everything within.

When I turned the neckline down, 

I let a little of the serge stitching show for a hint of a lace edging effect.

Added a touch of a silk ribbon tied into a bow.

 Along the bottom hemlines, I added delicate vintage lace...

 Topped off with a really nice mohair wig with whispy curls...

and of course, a silk bow.

 I am very happy with her and hope that my client loves her also!

Private Students

Initially, I was a little worried about cutting my teaching schedule so drastically but I knew I just had to keep having that faith that my purpose was for good...and it has been good- for my health, my relationships with my husband, family, and friends...and believe it or not I have had time...to breathe...to plan to create!

I am so fortunate that the private lessons have been going so well, I am thankful. My present group of private lesson students are just incredible!

Today, I would love to share with you these wonderful project
from three of my students.

My fourth private student, Gena, will share with you later

what we are working together- an original design.

Simone

I love having Simone in my studio! She comes to me once a week and has evolved into such an exceptional dollmaker...she brings free-thinking creativity, play, and joy into her lessons. We have plans to create many more dolls. 

Boudior Doll inspired as Marie Antoinette

 

The Boudoir Doll was created as a class only project. She is inspired from the original Boudoir Dolls of the 1920's. Simone wanted to create her own costuming with the fell of Marie Antoinette. Together we did a field trip to the fabric store and she choose all her own fabrics.

Close up of Simone's face painting techniques.

Above: Detailing of dress with hand-made bows. One of things I like to instill into my students is the love of creating original accessories for their dolls. The more original you can make it- the more original it is!

Below: Details of hand-made shoes...notice that she overlaid the lavender sating with blue lace for the shoe tops. It is those kind of details that make your doll special.

Final Piece:

This 34-inch Doll is made from cotton fabric with a face form.

Costuming is from satin, laces, ribbons, fresh water pearls.

Hair from silk and synthetic roving.

Debbie

Deb and I have known each other for many years. Although I do not get to see Deb that often because she does not live her in CO or within driving distance, I so enjoy when we do have time together! She was in town this past week and so together we made one of the luv muffins!

Bunny luv muffin for Easter

luv muffin- bunny & cat is one of my patterns 

carried by Dollmakers Journey

This little sweetie is made from wool and felts

satin ribbon, vintage sequin eyes, and hand-made velvet carrot.

Milvi

Milvi has just come to me recently and is showing such incredible skill! She was originally made teddy bears. I think she is doing so wonderfully crossing over into dollmaking. We have created one doll together and she has already jumped into making the Gossips! I am excited to see where she goes with her talent.

Phoebe

 

 

Phoebe is another of my patterns carried by Dollmakers Journey

This doll is created in cotton fabric.

along with colorful crisp cottons for her costuming.

Hand painted shoes! 

 Hand-painted face with needlesculpting.

Embroidered eyebrows.

All in all, I just love having this special one on one time with these gals. I have found that not only  can I teach them all that is in my experience as a dollmaker but that it is also so rewarding for me to see that accomplishment within their eyes!

1940's Doll Part 2

Continuing onward with creating this sweet 12" doll...

As I sewed and stuffed this little one, I needed to readjust some of the pieces...as I always say Dollmaking is just creative problem solving!

I sewed the pieces together...

And stuffed them...hummm...I didn't like the way the two piece body turned out...no neck and no hip jointing area...time for some creative problem solving!!

so as they say...back to the drawing board...

Pictured below two piece body-just not working.

Pictured below is the new three piece body...so much better!

All the pieces are now needlesculpted...and on that note...another problem solving issue came into play. As I was needlesculpting the head, I was not getting enough stretch in the nose area. So I resewed the head using a light weight stabilizer in lieu of the woven cotton liner on the bias. So much better on this piece also!

Side note: I like the way needlesculpting gives more definition to the body pieces- even a wee belly button!

 

Here is the little face painted and ready!

I used acrylic craft paints, pencils, and chalks with triple glaze varnish.

Below is the body now jointed together 

front view and side view with covered buttons.

Added the head, so it can have movement also! 

Here is my little creation...almost ready for pick up. Just needing some hair and probably some kind of undies...I just will not be able to send her out into the world without something on!

Remember the inspiration image??

I feel that it is pretty close...

1940's Doll Commission

A knock on my studio door brought with it a sweet lady and a small trunk of darling hand-made clothing.

She told me of how as a girl, she had had a favorite Auntie who had made her a doll with her wonderful collection of clothing.

Romper and Hat

Sweet little Dress

The doll has been long gone...but was it possible for me to create a cloth doll from that time period to fit the clothing?

SOooo...the love of being an Auntie myself and love of dolls, especially old dolls...how could I resist?? My client left the three above pieces with me for sizing the doll.

I looked up dolls from the 40's and found Patsy to be one of the all time favorites. She is made from a composite material..what about cloth?? I did remember running across cloth dolls from that period...

I have a few cloth dolls in my personal collection from the 40"s. I remember the seaming on their sweet faces. I love those stitches.

Off to the internet to find some images...Aha...I knew there was something out there. Great inspiration!

 

So, I set out to create this little wonder of love. I thought about the clothing and its softness from hours of play. My fabric needed to have that same softness. So I decided on my pima knit cotton for the exterior to have a warm softness to it and the lining, I would use my premium woven cloth for strength and durability. Gently dyed to a soft skin tone.

My pieces draw out and ready to be sewn. Woven pictured on top and knit below.

I want to create a bit of a three dimensional face with needlesculpting, so for the head, I turned my liner onto the bias to give it some stretch and kept the arms, legs, and torso on the straight of grain to keep it from stretching out of proportion.

On top: Woven cotton liner on bias Below:Knit on straight of grain

As I looked in detail at the these little garments, I marveled at the tiny precise small stitches that were taken with such great care and love.

Can you see them? Even the buttons holes are hand done! I love hand stitches!!! Makes me wonder about what the person was thinking in that moment in time...

This started me to think about threads...I was recently at a lovely antique store visiting with Sally, the owner, about some small dolls made in Japan and seeing if they had any Queen Anne/George III wooden dolls for inspiration for a class project later this year (more to come on that later).

We were admiring the delicate stitching done on the George III doll's dress, when she asked about thread. Sally told me of a fine fine thread that she uses called Mink thread...from mimi-magic 

Size 140 glazed thread originally used for sewing pelts together. 

It is a wonderful hand sewing thread that almost disappears in the seam,very fine and strong.

 ...and of course I ordered some...in natural.

...along with this pack of varied silk sewing thread.

As I said before, I find such happiness in looking into the past of others careful hand sewing and am excited to use these threads on my creation. I believe that every material and experience you bring into creating a piece cannot help but shine through...

I am still working on this little lovely and hopefully I will be able to share her as a finished project in next weeks blog!

 ...until then!