Santa's little helper

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Christmas Elf Stanley. I think I made his hairline too high. Back to the pattern drafting!

Let it snow!

The other day, I was asked by someone in receipt of one of my Santas if I made snowmen. Well, the seed having been planted, it had to bear fruit! Here's the result, made in a similar style to the Santas:

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I think he is what my grandaughter would describe as "well cute". He is nine inches tall and was made in much the same way as the witch I described making here,
here and here.

It's winter!

Here's Miss Tippett out for her regular stroll on a cold and frosty morning:

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To be perfectly frank and honest, Miss Tippett started out as Good King Wenceslas, to be accompanied by the Poor Man. But early on in the project his majesty asserted his authority and insisted on a gender reassignment!

Yet another example of how what's in my head doesn't always come out through my fingers!

Price of handmade goods

How many of us have suffered like this blogger, I know I have:


http://whatthecraft.com/overpriced-cant-afford-handmade-pricing/

Blog flog for any other embroiderers out there

Sharon B is asking if people would like to have another TAST Challenge next year.

I had such fun with the last two that I started a separate blog for all the samples I made.

If you want to practice your stitches, learn some new ones or would like an incentive to keep your hand in, follow the first link to read all about it and leave a comment to register your interest.

ADO Quarterly Challenge - Goth

I've just started on my submission for the ADO Quarterly Challenge. The theme is "GOTH".

I'm planning to make a "Christmas Goth" and I've started by making some rough sketches:

First of all I printed out a photograph of one of my dolls and then outlined it in felt tip pen to use as a 'pattern' to design the costume, a bit like a paper dress-up doll except I didn't cut it out:

I placed it beneath the next page of my sketch book and traced the outline for the first sketch.

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I have a piece of net fabric with metallic christmas motifs - I've been looking for a chance to use it. That's the cross hatched bits with red and green dots on the sketches. In some of the pictures I've shaded it purple so it shows up against the black. In this one, the body,face and arms will be white fabric and the legs black. In each case, they would wear my favourite boots, suitably embellished. The skirt lining would be either purple or red.

Here's the back view:

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The centre panel for the skirt here is appliqued black net with a silver stripe. This version would have a white face, with a black body, arms and legs.

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In this sketch, the skirt is black net with a silver stripe. I think I would line the net with red, rather than the purple in the sketch. This version would have a white face and body, with black arms and legs.

Now I just have to choose which one to make and how to further embellish it!
Maybe I will make them all!

2012 Santa evolution!

Here's this year's Santa decoration. I make just a few of these each year, some for gifts and one or two for sale.

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Lots of stitchery, sequins and beads:

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This year's Santa has stuffed appliqued arms and felt hands.

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....and another!

A little vampire Stanley!

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I've had such fun with these. Now there is one for each grandchild to consumer test!

Still more Stanleys.....................

Say hello to Frankenstan!

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And another Stanley for halloween....

Spooky Stanley. You're not my mummy!

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New Sitting Stanley .............

Having fun with halloween. A cheeky little devil. Scary Stanley!

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A little one for halloween!

Say hello to Valentine the Baby Vampire!

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He has bat wings

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and a cute face despite the fangs!

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Home again!

I'm recovering at home from heart surgery so I can't do much for a while, but I did manage to finish this little witch. A slightly altered pattern.

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She is made from a piece of discharge dyed black velvet. The discharge paste was dabbed on through pieces of a paper doily. It seemed a shame to cover it with embroidery. I like the patterns as they are.

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Her face is hand coloured and painted and lightly needle sculpted.

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Her hands are wool wrapped plastic covered "computer" wire.
It was near enough impossible to get a decent photo of those hands, so here's a close up.

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Hope to be "fully functioning" in two or three weeks!

The Sisterhood

These three are on their way to a meeting of the coven.

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They each bring something to the gathering. One, an expert in concocting potions for helping and healing carries a flagon of love philtre. She wears the key to her chest of ingredients always around her neck. She means no harm, but in the wrong hands, these can be dangerous. Another is in tune with the seasons and the rhythms of the earth. She brings a crystal ball and around her neck she wears a symbol of the sun. The third has great powers of spell and suggestion. She brings a doll for the ritual and the stick she carries is also a wand. She is accompanied always by her familiar, the spider you can see on her hat.

Extreme Steampunk

Seen on a day out to Borde Hill Gardens, near Ardingly, Sussex!

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He is called "Rodney Chameleon" and I think he must be made from old chain saw parts.

The sculptures were made by Anvil Ironworks.

blurb about books

I've been busy making two more Blurb Books and whenever I visit the site, I can't help browsing. I used the search term "Art Dolls" in the Bookstore, and these are links to a few of the fascinating books I came across.

Esther Verschoor

Karen Bouse

paula nerhus

Christina Ekman

VMZine

Patrizia Lamberti - BJDs

Loretta Nardone - Zuni

Ruby Rae

There really is some fascinating stuff on Blurb, but I'll have to stop now or I'll be here all night! I've put the links on my blog so that I know where to find them when I want another look!

ps: I've linked to the book previews here. They do take a few seconds to come up, but it's worth the wait!

Mermaids get a bit of a makeover

I was aiming for the kind of mermaid that could lure an unwary sailor into trouble! When it came to the face and hair, I was thinking 1940s screen idols. "Sirens of the silver screen". I wanted a sort of 'come hither' look.

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They got new tail fins, I was never satisfied with the first ones.

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And an extra tail section.

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and they both got new tops.

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Finally finished............................

I started this one a while ago for halloween but didn't finish her in time and she got put to one side. The June challenge on ADO, Black & White: Abi Monroe, reminded me. Abi extended the challenge to include "the dark side?" She definitely came from my darker side - I think she is my alter ego. I drink red wine, I want her hair and if I were only younger I would goth and steampunk it up with the best of them! Her face and body were originally white, but I gave her a green tinge to suit her condition!

Say hello to Vampolicella.


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Vampolicella lives with her nest mate Glampire. (She's having a well-earned break and a make-over at a Dark Spa this month, but due back soon.) Vampolicella has much more earthly concerns, especially sustenance. If she cannot get her favourite AB negative, she will make do with any other, even O Pos, and she always likes to top up with a few glasses of full-bodied Italian red!