Mavis & Lulu

Now I'm one big fat show-off.
Lookit these fabulous flapper dolls my dear student Ellen has created! These sweetie pies are based on my vintage Becky pattern, and Ellen made not 1 but 2 dolls. Whaddaya think?Get a load outta these shoes- are they just the cutest or what??
And the hairstyle- Ellen calls it the "fru fru do." I call it Gaw-jess...
Can you believe this was Ellen's first try at dollmaking? Astounding!
I am completely tickled by these dolls. I love them! Ellen, keep up the good work- encore!

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Darlene the Dancing Queen

Here is my contribution to the dancing society of "slightly weathered" ladies: Darlene the Dancing Queen. Darlene is based on Jill Maas's 'Dancing Doris' pattern. You can buy this and many other cloth doll patterns at joggles.com.

Darlene is always thinking of ways to improve her social skills. She dresses in her favorite no-frills Elvis costume daily and performs barefoot for her imaginary audience. Darlene is the executive chief officer of the Society of Antique Jelly Jar Lids and Elastic Paraphenalia. She wears white coveralls and rolls under cars to check that everything is squeaky clean. In her spare time, she has been known to remove the light bulbs on her neighbors' porch lights in an effort to contribute to the movement for 'Night Sky Awareness.'

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NOTEworthy

This is my latest muse- a silk medley of stamping, beading and a dash of meaning. Her name is NOTEworthy.NOTEworthy is the result of a need for an original gift for a musician who also loves the icon of the sun. I haphazardly cut out a pattern and sewed it up- and let the doll take its own form. I decided to bead it and use rubber stamps.

I brought the doll to the rubber stamp shop when I was done- I figured I should show off a little! They let me know that they were not aware that you could stamp on fabric. I did notice that most fabric I tried tended to bleed, so I guess I should tell my secret- I used Tsukineko's VersaColor ink on a very fine silk. The silk was pre-dyed with dynaflow by Jacquard. This silk seems to take the ink very well. After I stamped, I sprayed it with Krylon sealer.

The doll has a musical symbol over her heart. That was done with the rubber stamp. Lift the music and this is what is underneath:I made the hands with polymer clay, and just made a hole in the middle so they are little "charms." I rubbed it with pearl ex pigment powder for a bit of sparkle.

NOTEworthy is a free spirit. She sings and radiates her love, like beautiful music and a sunny day after a long, cold winter. This was my NOTEworthy attempt at telling someone that I love and appreciate her.

Next time you feel the glorious symphony of the springtime sun- think of someone special. Look in the trees- is it a bird? Or is it your inner creativity beckoning you?

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Take a STAND

Ever wonder how to make your doll stand alone? Here's how to do it- no fuss, no muss.

Here is my rude and naughty dancing doll, before she took the time to put some clothes on. (just wait till you see those).

She's stuffed and dancing happily, as you can see. She doesn't need any help, either, thanks to her handy dandy stand-alone doll stand.

note: picture taken hastily on a weather-beaten table so she would not notice.

MATERIALS NEEDED
(I don't know what these things are called in reality- I just know what they are! Call me functional, visual, practical- technical, maybe- but a hardware expert I'm not!) You can pick all of these items up at a local hardware store for a few dollars.

1.threaded "screw rod" (for lack of a better name- it looks like a long flat screw with no head and no point.

2. brass tube (the same kind we use for finger turning) which can fit right over #1.

3. a little thingie you screw into the wooden stand, so the screw rod can have something to catch when you screw it in. This eliminates the need for messy glue. I think it looks like a weird little hollow eraser with The diameter you choose will be in proportion to the size of the doll."thread" on the outside. See picture above.

4. piece of wood for the stand. Don't let it be too thin, or your doll will flop over.r

5. drill -Make sure the drill bit is the correct size size for #1 and #3.

6. screwdriver

Hint: Print out the image above and bring it to the hardware store because the folks there most likely will not go for the terms "little thingie" and "screw rod."

HOW IT WORKS

This image shows how the "thingie" is placed onto the "screw rod." The hollow rod will be embedded in the doll's leg, with a hole on the bottom of her foot at the opening. That way, you can slide it right onto this, which [obviously] will be mounted firmly in the wood, so it stands up firmly. That will enable the doll to stand alone without external aid.

The "thingie" is the heart of the hidden doll stand. It grips the wood and the screw rod at the same time, so the doll stays stable. No glue necessary, no mess. Very easy and inexpensive.

PROCEDURE

1. Drill a hole in the wood to accommodate the "thingy." Then, screw it into the wood with a screwdriver. It should be completely embedded in the wood so the top of the "thingy" is flush with the surface of the wood.

2. Next, simply screw the "screw rod" in place.

You are nearly done! (Gee wiz that was easy!) Paint the stand however you like, put a label on it with your doll's name, your name, date, etc.

3. The next step is to embed the hollow rod into the doll. (You have to do this as you are stuffing the doll.- not after the doll is already finished.)

EASY SHMEEZY! Now all your dolls can dace to their heart's cotent, without fear of falling over or gettig hurt :-)

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