Lemon Tree Tales

Christine Shively doll class

Last week our doll club, the Flying Phoebes, had Christine Shively teach us how to make one of her lovely costumed dolls. She had one on display at the Petaluma Art of the Doll Exhibit from a few weeks back.

Christine Shively's Passage to India - a blending of Renaissance inspired costuming with a variety of ethnic (mostly Asian) accents and embellishments.

 

It was a two day class but we were given homework to be completed before class started. I pulled these fabrics together. Not much of a stretch that there's a lot of greens and some purples. These tend to be my favorite colors not to mention that it was all pulled to compliment that lovely teal woven with the thick and thin fibers you see on the left.

Body parts - the arms/hands are sewn but still need to be turned and stuffed. My choice of skintone fabric was a bit looser of a weave than what I like to use so I doubled it with a white muslin.

Sewn clothing parts.

 

One of Christine Shively's dolls ... this one was definitely one of my favorites of the twenty or so dolls that she brought to share with us. (My friends Valerie and Laurie couldn't resist the lure and each bought a doll for their houses.)

 

A closeup of her face ... note all the beadwork on her torso and headdress.

 

Look at her hair! I love it! Christine uses roving for most of her dolls' hairstyles. She showed us different things we could do with it.

 

Detail from another doll's beaded torso. Picot beaded edges are your friend.

 

My doll's face with ears added. Every doll teacher has a slightly different way of teaching the face and I always walk away with another new tip. Now I really want to find a paint color called Blush Rose since it was the perfect color for lips. You can mix it with various burgandy shades for darker skintones as well.

 

My doll with her clothing pinned on. Note that she's standing all on her own! I have a lot of work to do but am really excited about all the tips that Christine was so generous with sharing. Not to mention that she's an extremely fun and sweet person - a fantastic teacher! She made a point of spending some one-on-one time with everyone in the class in addition to quite a few demos and lectures. I came away with lots of information. So if you ever have the opportunity to take one of Christine Shively's classes, do it!

Finishing touches to Lou Lou

Sometimes you think a doll is finished but after taking a step back you realize that something is not quite right. That's how I felt with Lou Lou (made using a paperclay mask and pattern by Susie McMahon - available here on her etsy). At first I thought that she wanted sandals but it wasn't until I had to make a deadline that it dawned on me what was needed.

She wanted some type of a stand. Ah ha! But what stand would be good for her? She couldn't sit on a regular chair since I had permanently posed her in a yoga-like stretch-the-back position.

I kept thinking that she should be on an ottoman. Perhaps one of those quilted round ottomans that Amy Butler makes? Hmm, that seems like the right start. I found lightweight cardboard containers at the craft store. There was a round one that was just the right size. Plus there was a package of four wood half rounds that were perfect for legs.

 

Of course both these pictures were taken in different locations with much different lighting, but you can see how she looks much more complete with the addition of the ottoman stand, a hair bow and three little Swarovski crystals on her neck piece.

 

I started by gluing the four wood half rounds to the bottom of the round box and then poked holes into the top using the points of my scissors. (I couldn't find my awl else I would have used that instead.)

 

I chose a pretty fabric - chartreuse green batik with gold detail - and sewed two circles together about the size of the top. Cut a slit on one and then turn it right side out. Next I painted two coats of gesso on the box top and bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

While the gesso was drying I stuffed the circle and slip stitched the opening closed. I took a very strong button thread and sewed it in loops from the center out. Basically I made a pincushion. Once the gesso was dried I painted the box. This is where I had so much fun that I forgot to take pictures! (I love to paint!) I used a variety of greens (including a chartreuse), a yellow and an aqua and dabbed it on to compliment the fabric cushion as well as provide a counterpoint to the strong greens and aqua of Lou Lou's costuming. Then I sewed the doll to the cushion and to the top. This is where those holes that I poked in the beginning came in handy. I did dab a bit of glue in the center of the cushion before I sewed it to the top for added security.

 

Here's the bottom of the top showing all the extra knots that I tied with the thread tails. I used a strong button thread to sew through the top, cushion and into the doll. Finally I put glue over the thread for added strength and then glued the top to the bottom. Once the box was dry I grabbed a gold metallic paint pen and added polka dots. That was just what I needed to tie in the gold lines of the cushion's fabric with all the gold and polka dots on Lou Lou's costuming.

 

There, doesn't she look more complete now?

Lou Lou will be in a doll display at the International Quilt Festival in Houston from November 4-7. She'll have some outstanding company so if you're in the area make a point of checking it out. And if you do go, please take some pictures and send them to me.