Wonderland Blog Event

Art Dolls Only is having a Wonderland blog event... and I've decided to participate!  I will be making some kind of doll that is inspired by Alice in Wonderland... I have no idea which character yet... by July 8th, and will then be part of a weekend long "blog visit" where we all share our Wonderland creations!  I've never entered a challenge or a blog event of this kind before, but I'm really looking forward to it! My entry will be posted here on Thursday, July 8th. Stay tuned! And be sure to go visit the Art Dolls Only blog:  http://artdollsonly.blogspot.com/  ... and look for them on Facebook!

Cashmere Critter

Go ahead, ask me...  How much fun is it to cut up an old cashmere sweater and make something crazy fun for a kid? It is incredibly fun... once you get past the scariness of taking shears to cashmere! My granddaughter, Stella, is turning eight this week, and I've had a blast creating this silly stuffie for her.

This is my own design... part bear, part monkey... and a little bit blue monster.

This oh-so-very-soft critter is about 14" tall, completely stitched by hand and stuffed with polyfil. She has darling little shaped pink ears- one big, one small. The head and body were once a sleeve, and the hair is the knitted cuff, simply  gathered up tight and wrap-stitched at the crown, then snipped into locks. Her weighted bum sports a rolled and wrapped tail with a fringed-out poof at the end.

She may look a little worried... but she's really quite adventurous, in her own quiet way. She likes to sneak up and surprise you!

 My darling girl was running a fever today and feeling punky... but cashmere is SO comforting. :)

Art Journaling

Art journaling... what's that? That was my first reaction, about a year ago when I first heard of it. I've checked out a number of exciting books from the library since then and joined a couple of online groups.

The whole point of this is to delve into one's inner self and dredge out the "stuff" that is getting in your way... blocking creativity. So, while this is just an exercise, for me alone... not really a piece of art, per se... I am posting it here anyway. This particular page is my first completed art journal page ever... so it merits a little honor.

I joined Rachel Whetzel's group A Year In the Life of an Art Journal. The group is given a "prompt" word every two weeks... and we're all encouraged to use that word as a take-off point. The current prompt was "MOVE".... and this two page spread came together from there. I'm using an altered copy of The Secret Garden as my art journal.

Flapper Girl

This doll was my first official "cloth-and-clay" doll, since joining Jane DesRosier's group on ning. Originally, I was super-inspired by Rachel Whetzel's circus themed dolls in the last issue of Art Doll Quarterly. Her work reminded me that I had always wanted to do something circus related.
I have a vintage reproduction Barnum and Bailey poster of a bareback rider hanging in my daughter's room which I have always loved, so I took all this inspiration and dove in.

I loved the long, lean silhouette that Rachel used for her circus girls, so I drew a pattern that would give me a similar look, since my doll was going to have a definite 1920's style.

The body was made from a heavy, coarsely woven linen which I don't think I would use again. I purposely wanted the rough "artist's canvas" look this fabric would give me for the surface... and it definitely did... but raveling was a big problem. After stuffing, Creative Paperclay was layered over the head and neck, down to the shoulder area, and the hair and features sculpted by layering on more bits of clay and shaping them with wet fingers and tools. After drying, the entire doll was painted with a dark burnt umber acrylic paint, then the flesh tones, hair, clothes and features were painted in stages over that.

The hair and makeup was definitely modeled after the circus girl in my 1920's era poster.  She has a wavy, side-parted blonde bob, with those thin, downward slanting brows and sleepy "bedroom eyes" of a 1920's film star. I tried for a sort of Clara Bow style for the lips, and painted the lower lip just a tidge lighter, to pick up the light.

The girl in the poster is wearing nothing but a pale pink tank leotard, so I needed to add some details for interest. I also soon realized that unless I was willing to sew, stuff and sculpt a horse for her to ride, it would be hard to convey her as a bareback rider. I considered putting a hoop in one hand and a horse whip in the other, but thought it might still be lost on anyone but me.

First, I added a bit of vintage lace around her hips. Then, over that, a piece of pink drapery fringe. Still... she was too "blah", and too pink!  Pawing through a box of goodies that a friend gave me recently, I came across the perfect thing.... a little strand of rhinestones with black detailing that makes an ideal belt for her drop-waisted flapper skirt.

Her legs are very plain and simple, as this doll is definitely done in a very primitive style. Although the girl in the poster is barefoot on her white horse, I just thought that would be too utterly bland, so she's wearing ballet slippers, instead... with ribbons wrapping their way up above her ankles. I suppose that technically makes her a flapper ballerina?



(Photography by Amy Picchioni)

My First Doll

This Holly Hobbie rag doll was made for my sister in 1974, the year she turned 11.  I was 20-yrs-old at the time living far from home in Monterey, California.


If you remember back, this was the time period that the Little House on the Prairie TV show was at the height of popularity, so this doll was very much inspired by that era.


The body is white muslin; the head is a white stocking, all stuffed with poly fiberfill. There is some slight needle-sculpting to give the head some shape through the eye area. The features are all embroidered, including eyes embroidered on covered buttons.

I used this Simplicity pattern for the doll and her clothing. My own pattern is long gone, but I just happened to find the same one listed on etsy.com and grabbed the photo. You can see how my rendition of the face/ head did not quite turn out they way it was supposed to! Not bad for a first try, though.


She has two outfits... two dresses, two pinafores and two matching bonnets, plus undergarments. I think she had shoes at one point, but am not sure. I'll have to ask my sister if she remembers. If so, they must have become lost. Poor thing... her French-knotted nostrils are a little lopsided after all these years. She may need some reconstructive surgery!

I was interested in posting "my first doll" here, and this doll came to mind, but my sister was unable to find her at first. She finally surfaced after months of searching. What fun to see her again. I am tempted to buy that pattern and make a few more Holly's.  Enjoy!