5 hours ago
Thursday, September 12, 2013
a couple of real dolls
The following is the result of my recent swap with the Beaded Art Doll Yahoo group. We needed to make a beaded doll, small enough to fit into an Altered Altoid (mint) tin. I made one for Judy, another Canadian and she made one for me. The first doll is mine to Judy. Her name is Cattie (green/purple) and I originally thought that she might be a caterpillar. However after I beaded her for a while, I just couldn't bear to add feelers and legs, so a garden creature she became. I designed and stuffed the form and then beaded it the only way I know how. Intuitively! Cattie's box was painted on the inside with Tim Holtz, Alcohol inks and on the outside, with his Distress Inks. Her bedding, or blankets on the inside are painted cheesecloth and free motion stitch on watersoluble stabilizer (WSS). I created the leaf on the top by stitching paper to cheesecloth, between two layers of the WSS. Washed the stabilizer away, cut it into the leaf shape and then hand stitched a fine copper wire to the back, to give it some shape. I then pulled out the WSS again and free motion stitched some raffia to make a ground cover. After that I glued on a small stone and made a worm by wrapping a strip of batik fabric around a pipe cleaner. A little more hand wrapping with Perle Cotton, a couple of beads for eyes and the piece was done. I'm very happy with the results, despite the fact that Cattie was my first beaded art doll. I was sad to see her go, but was assured that she has gone to a good home.
Now the second doll (blue with black hair) is the one I received from Judy. I've named her Sasha and she's really quite adorable! Calm and refined and so totally unlike me! LOL! She feels beautiful in the hand and her box is very elegant with it's beaded top and my golden initials (AMD) on the inside. Judy ran into a time crunch at the end, but has invited me to add something to the inside bottom of the tin. I may make another blanket, but this time I think that it needs to be made out of silk. Or how about a little bead weaving? I have no plans to make it right away, but promise to post again when it's done. Thank you Judy for my lovely little treasure!
Now for the photos:
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10 comments:
They are both beautiful, and so different. the one you received is really well done, elegant. wow. what a good swap. And yours is so...well....YOU!! beautiful!! love the ethereal leaf and garden wrappings too.
All I can saw is wow (actually - double wow!). They are so very different and it's hard to believe all that detail went into something that small.
Both so very different and both beadily delightful. It must have been a lovely little project to be involved in, a one on one with beads and a tin.
they are both brilliant! a delight to look at! makes me want to touch them!
No wonder you have been quiet lately... very busy and the dolls are so cute!!!
Heh, heh.....I knew the little dollies would be popular!! Thanks to all for your kind comments.
Beth, mine was mailed off at the end of July, so that's not my excuse. More my current obession with paper and bowls.
Kaite, it was a very worthwhile swap. I will definitely end up making more of the dolls and perhaps one or two more altered tins. First I need to find more of the Altoid tins! There's only so many mints I can eat &/or pass on to my relatives and friends. LOL!
Ines, I too love to hold them in my hands. They're a nice weight and fit just perfectly! Artists are very tactile, so it's just natural to want to touch.
MA, you should know me by now. Nothing is ever too small to manipulate and/or add beads to. Hmmm, perhaps I should make some beaded inchies! Wanna swap?
Rachel, I think that Cattie is "me" as well. I love her wildness and slightly eccentric look! Leave it to you to be the first one to comment on something beaded. Somehow, I'm not surprised...Have you been beading lately?
Beautiful! I'd need larger tins! LOL That's awfully tiny to work on and then fit inside the tin!
Thanks, Linda!
Heh, heh.....larger tins would definitely be easier, but then you'd be tempted to make larger dolls and you'd still be in danger of the lid not closing.
yumpin' yimminy! this whole post is so awesome! thanks so much for the creative boost - colour, technique, style, detail....
Anne Marie, what a beautiful write up. I am so enjoying Cattie and her box. I took her to work with me and paraded her through the office. I love the intuitive feel to her and all your special skills incorporated into her. I wish my style of work was more free, however, my work always ends up tight and for whatever reason it agrees with me. I spray painted inside and out of the tin with Design Master 24KT premiun gold plating finish. I then gold leafed the outside of the tin and washed it with Golden acrylic Phthalo Blue (red shade). The beads I used for your initials were size 11 gold plated seed beads. I created the doll form, stuffed her and beaded her with size 8 silver lined blue bead, 3mm fire polished crystal cut in jet black ab, dark bronze, gun metal and blue ab. Her hair is 3mm black bicones with size 15 black seed beads. Oh yes, her little necklace was size 11 gold plated seed beads to match the initials on the inside of the box. The beading on the top of the tin was done with the same silver lined blue size 8 beads sewn upright with size 15 purple ab beads. This too was my first swap and I will do more it was such fun. I truly feel I was the one who benefitted the most on this swap to have one of Anne Mare's creations. Thank you everyone for you kind comments.
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