Dolls and a very sweet lady...

A month or so ago, I volunteered at Sharlot Hall Museum's annual Folk Arts Fair.  It's good fun--and fascinating to me to see all the folks in period costumes from the late 1800's.  Various hearth-crafts and entertainments are demonstrated, from chair caning to wood-carving to spinning & weaving.  This year there was a table teaching corn-husk doll making to the kids.  I was envious of the wool dyer guy and his art--what gorgeous colors!

Of course I was showing how dolls were made, at least the kind a pioneer family might have.  So I brought some paper mache doll heads and an antique doll body to show how a mom might have purchased a "fine" doll head and made the body in order to afford the doll. 

A very sweet lady named Lucy arrived to look at the dolls, and (this seemed to be a theme) wanted to tell me about her doll.  Only unlike so many who told about their antique dolls, handed down from mothers and grandmothers, usually French or German porcelain dolls, Lucy wanted to show me a doll her Aunt made for her as a "First Apartment" gift.  I'd never thought of moving into your first place as a gift-giving event, but I love the idea! 

So the event was for two days, and the next day, there she was with her doll.  Lucy is almost 90, but her lively ways and spirit make her seem decades younger.  This is Lucy with her doll (on the right) along with a lady who fell in love with a Raggedy Ann type that I'd made. 

As I enjoyed visiting with her so much, Lucy and I keep in touch.  She recently sent me this photo which had apparently appeared in the Sharlot Hall Museum's newsletter.  I don't often like photos of myself, but I guess this one is an exception--for once, I'm not making a face or squinting my eyes shut.  I had curled my hair and put the rest in a "bun" at the back with a tiny snood, trying to dress for the period as much as possible--but there was no way I was going to wear long sleeves and petticoats! 

Hope your summer is going as you would have it--stay cool and enjoy!

California Bound...

No, not me.  But Miss Noel is on her way this morning.  There's a nice lady who has over the years bought several of my folk art pieces, and Noel is on her way to join them.  I love making the odd pieces, not exactly dolls, but doll-ish, if that makes sense. 

This one is part of a series I did last year that I called The Painted Ladies.  They have sad or at least contemplative expressions, as is fitting if one had to endure a life in which there seems little choice of career.  

Miss Noel

I, however, have a choice and a possibly wonderful opportunity coming up--renting space in an Art Market in our area.  More about that later--exciting times! 

Hope everybody's weekend is fabulous.

Navy is good on her, I think.

This most recent commissioned Izannah doll is the second for this collector.  The last was the little red-head in green, but this time she wanted brown hair, brown eyes, and a blue dress.  (On my Etsy listing, I have a menu of choices.)  I debated on what color blue--I have an insane amount of fabric to choose from, having collected it for years.  But this deep blue seemed to match her pensive expression.  I try not to make my Izannahs look sad, but it happens sometimes, given a head start with that downcast gaze.  This one, I can't tell if she's sad or just really thoughtful.  Eye of the beholder, I guess.  Anyway, I liked the deep blue, and it was fun dressing her.  Hope y'all have a fabulous weekend.

More Zodiac Babies

I posted these on a facebook group I belong to, and one of the dolls is consequently sold, but she'll go with me to the upcoming doll show, just because.

There are seven more of them, aside from these and the girl in the last post...one is waiting for her photos (and clothes, as are these) and the remainder are still in the painting and wigging stage, so they're not ready for photos.

They'll all get dressed at the same time, I guess.  Each will wear a sort of pinafore and long bloomers over the "body suit".  So, days and days of sewing in my future--along with fiddling with hair, and each of the dolls has her own doll or something to carry.  Only two and a half weeks til the show, and I have a new display backdrop to make.  We're almost to the stage where the husband has to step on one of my feet so I stop running around like an idiot. 

At any rate, maybe the seasonal direction is more clear with these girls...all four seasons are represented here... (and it's the wee Christmas girlie who is already adopted.)

Hope you're enjoying September as much as I am.

Counting down to another doll show...

But it doesn't feel like "just" another doll show, since it's my first one here in Arizona.  Feels like I'm starting over, and I'm nervous.  The long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs comes to mind.

My dolls are much better than they were in the days when I first began w/ doll shows, however, so I will trust that this condition is simply nerves about who I'll meet and will I like them.  I admit it's a mark of either bull-headedness or advancing age that my concern is no longer "will they like me?"  Haha! 

I recently designed a new line of dolls I call "Zodiac Babies" because I initially thought of them with seasonal or monthly-calendar colors/themes when I began.  That set of themes has stayed with some and been abandoned with others, but the direction was useful in its way.  I have only finished one of them right down to the clothes, but others are well on their way.

For now, I'll post a photo of the little girl inspired by our years in San Antonio, and I'll post others as I get them dressed. 

Doll show post mortem...

In a word, it went well.  Not as well as the UFDC convention, but that was a one-off anyway, so now I'm jaded.  Haha! 

The actual attendance--on terms of customers and venders both--was amazingly low, and Dorothy sent out poling letters to the vendors to ask for feedback.  Turns out that most vendors did well enough, despite the low attendance, to vote Keep the Schertz Show, but Change the Dates.  This was the third show in September, so we can assume that timing was the issue.  The site itself (Schertz Civic Center) is one of my favorites--well appointed, spacious, great parking, and easy load/unload access for vendors.  So, now the date is back to August, and we'll see what happens next year. 

One of my students from the first art doll class brought her finished doll--I was so pleased to see her!  This sweet dolly was inspired by the old chinas, and Joann found an antique dress that just fit her perfectly.  Hard to believe the girl had never made a doll in her life, isn't it?

Joann's doll is there against the "class dolls" I brought in attempt to fill tables.  Since this summer's UFDC convention went so well, I didn't have quite the set-up of dolls I had planned for, and one whole table would have gone empty.  So I brought along some "works in progress" and a small display for the hands-on doll class.  I figured I like to see how an artist makes his or her art, so maybe customers would too.  Some folks were blind as ever--amazing how many people can be LOOKING at a sign, and not see it.  But there were a few collectors interested in the class, and I'll have to add a weekend class once in a while for week-day workers.

 

The Lace Lady was there, up from Corpus Christi.  Her actual name is Judy.  Of course, her Bill was there too--he's good support and stoically helps her haul and set up, sitting with her through at least half the day.  She's probably the one vendor I always purchase from at doll shows, because her selection of antique textiles is so great, and she saves me "odd bits" in a bag for a lot price.  Just enough of this bit or that to hem a petticoat or chemise.  This time I actually bought some antique slips and a skirt for the fabric, and she's promised to bring me the Swiss batiste she has, come February.  Hard stuff to come by.  She's also fun to visit with, and we like to yabber about stitching--she's a talented quilter--and creative ideas.

So the show went well, not a huge profit, but lots of fun, sold some dolls, and learned more about what works and what doesn't.  I'm getting good enough at setting up that my time is down--from the nine hours it used to take me to right around four--which includes a little fiddling around with details.

Currently I am working on another Molly Doll, a large Izannah, and a small Izannah for commissions, and enjoying the cooler fall temperatures (high yesterday was only 82 degrees!).  The little Izannah and Molly below have homes--one is on her way to Georgia, and the other will join her new mom in Florida.

Hope all is well with you!

Free the House Elves!

I didn't set out to make a house elf.  I'd started this fellow with his ears down and big eyes, and he took it the rest of the way.  So, like a darker cousin of Harry Potter's Dobby, I give you...
Wimbly.

Back in the Day?

I was going through my doll photo files, trying to clean and sort.  This happens to me every fall, the urge to clean, clear, sort, and organize.  Dunno why, but I know well enough not to fight it.

At any rate, my photo files were a mess, and now they're not.  Yay me!  Getting ready to list a bunch of stuff in my Etsy store, and needed to see what I have/have not regarding listing pics.  But while I was digging through the virtual closet, I found quite a few of my old photos, dolls I made back when I was still VERY new at the whole process, playing with all kinds of new ideas, techniques and materials.

I'd say don't laugh, but some of these are pretty mirth-inspiring, so chuckle away if you feel the need.  I'm still proud of some of these starts, because they represent the very best part of finding out what I can do.

"Good Bones"

Made of a cornucopia basket, paper clay, and found stuff.

Her wings move on their hinges...but she's pretty lazy.

Josephine, Witch in Green Plaid.

Old Gardeners never die...they just become great compost.

Lord Elfwin, my second gourd art doll.

He's the Keeper of Santa's list...don't tick him off.

My FIRST gourd art doll...Tiamat.  I think she weighs 8 lbs.

Six months after she was finished, the clay finally dried and she cracked all over this nice smooth bottom.

Marcelle...made with a wooden spoon, various toys, wood bits, and paper clay.

Dreaming Bunny...she's preggers, and dreaming of the baby clothes she'll sew.

Jack Frost was a challenge doll when I belonged to Art Dolls Only.

He is proud of his skills.

This one is called "Twa Corbies" after a very old Celtic song...

...again, mixed media, with lots of found stuff. 

My first wooden cat doll.  These are so fun.

Learning cloth and clay...

Mostly these days I'm making the Izannah Walker dolls, wooden jointed dolls, and gourd art...but I can't completely get away from the mixed media, because I will always look at things and see something other than what's on the surface.  That is another Best Thing I've learned from doll making.

Ciao, y'all.

Photo shoot for Playing with Dolls.

I have been trying to record ideas for this stuff, as it is whirling around in my head too fast.  So photos pin the ideas down, and hold them til I can catch up.  Lots of the clothing was picked up on Ebay, doll shows, or thrift shops.  Little of what they're wearing is what they'll end up in, but it was fun to see what fit who.  Doing so gave me this riot of ideas, and I've got to mull it for a while. 
But the pictures were fun, so I thought I'd share.
Thanks.