Doll Experiment - Part 13

It seems that I am running a day late and a dollar short this week.  Time flies.  At least I am making another post this week.  I have added the hair to my doll and completed painting the face.  The doll is starting to look more human.  At this point I felt a need to add a short shift while I work on her clothing. 

Making the hair took hours.  I unraveled hemp cording to make the hair.  Unraveling the hair took many hours over a period of days.   I held my left arm in one spot for so many hours that I have developed a cramp in it that has yet to completely go away. 

I left a small amount of the cording unraveled at one end.  I used some tacky glue and rolled the unraveled end into a coil.   Once the coils were dry, I glued the coiled end of the "hair" to the doll's head with hot glue.  The coil covered areas of the scalp that would have been left open between pieces of hair.  Many times I make a wig for the doll, but in this case I decided that I was going to use a method that took a little less time. 

I have some silicone finger tips that I use when working with hot glue.  They insulate your fingers from the hot glue, and that has saved me from burning my fingers while trying to get the hair in place.  I purchased mine at my local craft store.  I recommend them if you plan on using hot glue on a project.

The eyes needed some more work to make them look more alive.  An outer band was added to the iris, along with some gold metallic paint to give the eyes some sparkle.  A small white dot was added to each eye to give the impression of reflected light.  I also added eyebrows.  Although you would expect them to be there, she actually had a much softer look before they were added.

Doll makers will tell you from time to time that at some point a doll can become interactive with you.  The doll informs you what she needs to complete her story or point of view.  It is a projection of course, but there are many old world legends and stories about dolls that take on personality:  Pinocchio for example.   In this case, the doll seems to want to be named Barbara.  However, in this case, that will not last, and the doll will become the character she is expected to be.  There will be more about naming the doll in future posts. 

Check back on Sunday.  If I am able to finish the doll's clothing by Sunday,  I will blog about that on Sunday.  If the clothing is not complete, I will be showing some of the blocks for my new quilt.