Meet Jean-Claude.......................

and his Amazing Steam Powered Skate-board.


(Click on photo for bigger image)


(Click on photo for bigger image)


(Click on photo for bigger image)

Cool dude needs a ride.............

thought I'd give him a skateboard for his birthday.


(Click on photo for bigger image)

A few fun technical problems here. We have the beginnings of a propulsion module, but what about wheels?

The steam boiler was wet felted around a wiffle ball and studded with washers and beads and the pipes are yarn-wrapped bendy drinking straws. The board is just two layers of heavy picture framers' board covered in fabric and stitched together.

And a little bit of "Ooh la la"...

He needed some hair, and with a name like Jean Claude I thought a beret would be appropriate:


(Click on photo for bigger image)

and some trendy footwear:


(Click on photo for bigger image)

I think he'll need some "bling" as well before he's finished.

Here's a full length view:


(Click on photo for bigger image)

and a mug shot:


(Click on photo for bigger image)

You can see the nose job. I had to paint out the original because it was all crooked. I think a scattering of freckles may blend it in a bit better.

Jean Claude gets dressed .....

Skateboarder combat style shorts.


(Click on photo for bigger image)

He's quite chunky, so I've given him a cut down wife-beater vest, just the thing for a muscle boaster!

New doll

There's a Make it Male quarterly challenge running on Cloth Doll Artistry. I have one for that, but it's got me started on another.

Here's the raw material!


(Click on photo for bigger image)

One body made from left-over parts and a head from the reject bin. I had to give him a nose job. The hideous "comb-over" is just scraps of roving needlefelted to the head. I find it helps when I needlefelt the knitted wig on.

Is it just me, or does anyone else think he resembles the "Muscles from Brussels"?

So, now he has a name - Jean Claude

Is the customer always right?

I made some more of these for our Mayday Craft Fair:


(Click on photo for bigger image)

I displayed a few on my table. A customer came over and looked at them. And looked at them. And looked at them. I asked her "did she want a particular colour?". She said "she would know it when she saw it". I got out the whole box for her to look through. She said "if she really knew which one she wanted, she would buy one, but she didn't", and off she went. Later she came back again, and had the whole box out once more, but still couldn't make up her mind. Then she came back a third time and chose one. I took her money, gave her change, put the pindoll in a cellophane bag and handed it to her. She put it in her bag.

Then she said "When I get home, I shall change that button for another. It is not in proportion to the rest. Then it will be much better".