Here's what I've been up to lately.

Instead of blogging all the time, I have been playing in my sketchbook and working on a pastel profile.  Here is a glimpse of some of what I have been playing around with.  Nothing earth-shattering, just playful, fun sketches and pictures:

And here is a peek at the newest pastel I have been working on.  This is just the first layer, she will need more fine tuning still, but I really like her.

I just discovered another doll artist to showcase

This is a copy of part of a blog entry from Amarettogirl.  I just discovered her blog this morning and I am blown away.  Her header is fantastic, but this entry is really exceptional.  I have only posted a small part of the entry and you will have to go to her site and read the rest.  The finished doll is showcased there also, so if this is interesting to you, you will need to click over to see the results.  Believe me it is well worth the trouble of clicking.  I will be anxiously awaiting more entries in her blog and I believe you will also.
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This is just an excerpt from the blog:

My mind was set from the beginning that my doll would be a sad, sullen girl - this I knew.
So check out my early stages and as my students told me all along the way the images can be freaky...
Stage one photo and doll by m.diazStage two of my doll  
Stage three - Beginning the Painting photo and doll by M.Diaz  
So having made dolls before and truly enjoying the spirit of allowing a narrative to develop between me, the process and the matter (which in this case of art-making is the doll), I allowed much to be developed intuitively as I went. I also based much of my artistic design choices on where my heart was at that moment...[read more]

‎ Niblet & Biscuit Doll Tutorial

Here is a wonderful tutorial I found on Gwenny Penny that I know you will want to try.  This site is full of tutorials and beautiful photographs and I encourage you to visit there, especially if you like this tutorial.

These are the cutest little dolls.  I can see me making several of these in the near future for presents.  Don't you know someone who would simply love to have one?

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Let's get to it...

Materials you will need to make one 7 inch doll (either Niblet or Biscuit):

• Flannel for head, ears, arms, and legs – ¼ yd
• Cotton for body – fat quarter or large scraps
• Felt – small scraps (black for eyes, pink for Niblet's inner ears, tan for Biscuit's inner ears and muzzle)
• Embroidery floss (black, pink, tan)
• Polyfill
• Coordinating thread
• ¼" hole punch
• Optional: ribbon, buttons, fabric scraps, round cord elastic, and ¼" elastic for dressing up

Remember to backstitch every time you start or stop a seam.

Click here to download, save, or print the templates for the dolls.

Part I: Sewing the Head, Ears, Arms, and Legs

Step 1: Print and cut out all templates.

Step 2: Trace templates onto flannel and cut out. You should have 2 head pieces (template A), 8 arm/leg pieces (template B), and 4 ear pieces (template C or E). Trace template D or templates F and G onto felt and cut out. You should have 2 inner ear pieces (template D or F). If you are making Biscuit you should also have one muzzle piece (template G).

Step 3: Place two arm/leg pieces of flannel together. Sew around ¼" from the outside edge. Repeat for the other three arms/legs. Turn all four arms/legs right side out.

Step 4: Take one flannel ear piece and center one felt inner ear piece on top, lining up the bottom edges of both pieces. Hand sew the felt to the flannel using 3 strands of embroidery floss that match your felt. Repeat for the second ear.

Step 5: Match up one blank flannel ear piece with one felt/flannel ear piece. Line them up with right sides together (felt should be in between the two pieces). Sew around ¼" from the outside edge. Repeat for the other ear. Clip your corners. Turn both ears right side out.

Step 6: Now it's time to create the face. Use the face templates provided for placement of eyes, nose, and mouth. For eyes, use a ¼" hole punch to punch two circles out of black felt. My punch didn't go all the way through the felt, so I finished the cut with scissors. Hand sew black felt eyes onto one flannel head piece using 3 strands of black embroidery floss.

• For Niblet, embroider the nose using 3 strands of pink embroidery floss and the mouth using 3 strands of black embroidery floss.
   
• For Biscuit, place the felt muzzle on the flannel face. Attach using 3 strands of black embroidery floss to make three French knots on either side of the muzzle. Embroider the nose and mouth using 3 strands of black embroidery floss.

Step 8: Turn your head right side out. Stuff the head with polyfill. Tuck the raw edges of the gap inside the head. Sew the gap closed. You now have a complete head!

Part III: Finishing the Doll

Step 13: Tightly whipstitch the very base of the head to the very top of the body. Double up your thread when you do this to make sure it's secure. Trust me, we've already had a casualty in our house.

Niblet's Skirt

Paper Heart Garland

Here is a really neat and quick little craft to decorate your home or office for next to nothing.  I love the ease and simplicity of this craft.  I think you could use this idea to make all kinds of garlands for every holiday!

I found this tutorial on Think Crafts Blog and recommend that you go there to visit and review all of the great craft ideas there.


November 18, 2010 5:01 am GilliancloseAuthor: Gillian Name: Gillian Grimm
Site: http://driedfigsandwoodenspools.blogspot.com/About: Gillian Grimm lives in Charlottesville, Virginia where she balances writing, cooking and crafts with eight chickens, two kids, a dog, a cat and a husband. As the daughter of a Journalist, she grew up all over the United States, switching schools, towns and newspapers every few years and loved every minute of it! She now works as a freelance writer, primarily in the craft industry but with a few forays into travel writing, narrative non-fiction and educational matters. Gillian was recently published in the literary journal the “The Northville Review”. You can find more of Gillian’s work at “Dried Figs and Wooden Spools”.See Authors Posts (91) Crafts, Green Crafting, Home Decor, Kid's Crafts, Paper Crafts By Kid’s Craft Contributor, Gillian from the blog “Dried Figs and Wooden Spools”.

Here’s a fun little project that uses up materials you probably have around the house and brings a whole lot of cheer and love! These little garlands are made from newspaper and really nothing more, but the layering and folding of the shapes turns something that usually ending up in the recycling bin into something pretty and charming in no time flat.
Here’s what you need:
Newspaper
Pencil
Scissors
Scrap of cardstock
Sewing machine and notions (including white thread)

1. Cut a heart (or star or whatever shape you like) out of the cardstock. This will serve as your template. It’s important to have the shapes as close to identical as possible, so a template is a must.
2. Trace the template onto the newsprint. You’ll need two shapes for each piece on the garland.
3. Stack two shapes on top of one another, making sure the edges are aligned.

4. Starting at the top of one stack, stitch down the very center of the shape, allow for a few stitches between and then start the next stack.

5. Once you have all your stacks sewn onto the chain, trim the threads at the bottom (the to can be used for hanging) Fold each layer in half along the stitch line, but in opposite directions. So the top halves fold up to meet each other and the bottom pieces fold down to meet each other. This creates a 3D effect.

6. Hang and enjoy!

Related articles

• Gratitude Garland (emilyinthedesert.blogspot.com)
• Ribbon in the Sky (weddingbee.com)
• Acorn Craft Ideas (csahm.com)
• Keeping Santa Sane: Budget Holiday Decorating (wisebread.com)
• How-To: Paper Garland (craftzine.com)
• How to Reuse An Old Christmas Garland (brighthub.com)
• Make A Super Shiny Wreath In 5 Minutes Flat Creature Comforts (apartmenttherapy.com)

Window Shopping Wednesday -- Marina Bychkova

This wonderful doll artist was one of the first to catch my eye.  These are called ball-jointed dolls and hers are made of porcelain.  Although her dolls are exquisite in the nude, her choice of clothing and decoration leaves me breathless.  I hope you like these as much as I do.

The Enchanted Doll by Marina Bychkova 

Tuesday Tutorial -- Paper Birdies!

I told you I have a fascination with birds! I found this tutorial on a really great blog called, "No Money Mama" and I am reproducing it here for you. Be sure to leave her a comment on her blog if you make these adorable birds. She makes them look so easy to make, doesn't she? Let me know how these turn out for you.
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 This little birdie!

The No Money Mama has seen this awesome Spool Sewing bird tutorial around for a while and I just adore it. Let's just say sewing is not my thing, so I thought to myself, "What about paper?" Today we will be working with: paper, glue, scissors and pipe cleaners.

I have been holding on to this super cute monkey paper from Michael's, just waiting for the right project.

And yes, the hot pink monkeys are flocked! It kind of reminds me of the PB Kids Emmy collection. So, I made a few changes to the original Spool Sewing bird tutorial, and here it is. My birds were printed out at 100%. *Please note, I did not create the original Spool Sewing bird pattern, I only made a few slight adjustments to turn it from a sewing project into a paper craft.

               

               

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