Colorful Quilt Patches

I had planned to be blogging about the armature for my large doll today, but my week went awry.  The most that I was able to accomplish on that project was to determine the length I needed to cut the pieces of PVC pipe.  I hurt my shoulder and had to go to the doctor.  The doctor sent me to physical therapy.  The physical therapist has set appointments twice a week and also given me exercises to do twice a day at home.  All told, this will be taking a nine and a half hour bite out of my week for the next several weeks.  If I am lucky, they won't have to do surgery on my arm.  That will be determined in about six weeks.

In the mean time, I had a few minutes here and there I would run into the studio and cut a few blocks for my quilting guild's new challenge quilt.  I wasn't planning to do challenge quilt right now, however I decided to be a good sport and join in the challenge at the last moment.  I enjoy the educational aspects of the guild, and I want to participate as much as I can, but sometimes the guild has more activities than I can handle.  It takes me a long time to make a quilt.

The challenge was interesting.  Each group had six people.  Each of us started with yard of fabric, roughly 42 inches wide by 36 inches long.  (1.06 m. x 0.91 m)  We each made a small cut at the half-way point of the width of the fabric and tore the fabric in half.  We kept half of our original fabric and passed the other half of the fabric over a couple of people.  Each person tore half of that piece of fabric in half, kept half of the fabric and passed the rest over to the next person.  We kept tearing the fabric and passing fabric to different people.  I can't remember the rest of the pattern, but the bottom line is that everyone ended up with a piece of each fabric.  The pieces ranged from our original half yard (0.56 m x 0.91 m.) to a piece about four by six inches  (10.16 cm. x 15.24 cm.)   From there, we have to add fabric from our own fabric stashes to make a quilt that has to be a minimum of 36 inches by 42 inches. (0.91 x 1.07 meters).

The process is further complicated by the fabrics don't exactly match.  Each person brought in a fabric without regard to what anyone else might be bringing.  We had to mingle around until we were able to find fabrics that worked fairly well.   I think that was a good idea.  It gets us working with people with whom we might not ordinarily work with on a project.  So all of the fabrics will have to be somehow finessed into a quilt pattern.  Each person in a group will have the same challenge colors, but what colors they add to it and how each one of us will interpret the quilt is going to create many quilt patterns with the same material.

My original fabric was the bright red.  The first picture shows the colors that will be in my quilt.  The first two rows are the challenge colors.  Everything else was added from my stash of fabrics.  This is going to be a very colorful quilt.  I'll blog more about the quilt as things progress.  I am debating whether or not to change out the bottom fabric.  The color is right, but the pattern is geometrical while the other patterns are more abstract.  I guess I will make a block and see how it looks with the other blocks.

We plan to have a showing of our quilts in our August meeting.  I am always amazed at how many different ways you can make a quilt using the same colors.  Perhaps everyone has the same feeling.  We are all proud of the quilts we make, but we also worry that our quilts will not measure up against the others.  However, we persist.  We learn something with every quilt we make.

The second photo is for a completely different project.  Perhaps you read or saw in the news about the terrible fires that raged in California this year.  Thousands of homes burned to the ground.  People lost everything.  A quilt guild in another part of the country decided that they wanted to send people that were affected by the fire a quilt.  The guild put out a call for a specific size and type of quilt block.  They asked that each person that wished to participate to send two blocks. They said if other quilting guilds would send them quilt blocks that they would put the  blocks together and make the quilts.  I expect that they will get more than they bargained for with this project.  The word is spreading from guild to guild and state to state.  I expect that quilt blocks will be pouring in from everywhere.  Anyway, the second photo shows the fabrics I will be using to make my blocks. 

I hope that things will be better next week and I will be able to blog about the armature for the doll.  Check back next Sunday afternoon for the new blog post.

Large Doll - Part 6

This week I am back to blogging about my large doll project. The doll will be approximately fifty-two inches tall.  (1.32 meters.)  It keeps growing. I had taken a couple of weeks off to work on my short term project.  Every once in a while I have to get away from a large project or I get bored with it.  That's my story and I am sticking to it.  Actually, besides the short term project, I spent some time on research for the doll project.  I also had to make a trip out for some needed supplies for the armature.  I am ready to get back to work on the project now.

I began this project in January, creating the head out of paper mậché.  New readers may want to go to my blog and view the posts for earlier in the year to see the step by step process: http://folkartbycaroljones.blogspot.com/

I generally make the wig for my doll myself.  I had actually planned to do it this time, but some issues came up.  The main issue was cost.  Doll hair for sale at a craft store cost about $2.50 a packet for a 0.9 ounce package.  For a doll this size I would need many of them, because I want the doll to either have hair long or hair long enough to create a bun.   That would take a lot of doll hair packages.  I considered my options and decided to look at wigs.  My initial thinking was that I would by a long hair cosplay wig and cut it up to make my own doll wig.  The wig had so much hair that I was thinking that it might have enough doll hair to keep me going through several dolls.  However, once the wig arrived, I'm thinking I might use the wig as it came out of the package.  It seems to fit pretty well and very little modification was needed for it to fit. 

For the record, cosplay wigs are fairly inexpensive.  I was surprised. The prices were quite reasonable for costume wigs.  Cosplay wigs come in all sorts of styles and colors, from normal hair colors to neon and florescent.  I was really pleased to find such a quantity of good quality wigs out there.  I think I will be using this resource for future projects.

At this point, I have not glued the wig to the head.  I want to attach the head to the body before I add the wig.  The hair will just be in the way during that process.  I don't want to get glue on it.

Some of my other research over the past couple of weeks was about making and adjusting the size of  wigs.  I have my own preferences for making wigs, but spent some time looking for better ways to make a wig.  What I found is that my method is similar to making what is called a ventilated wig.  The base of the wig is made of lace and tulle or some type of netting.  The hair is attached one strand at a time to the netting by a hook that either has a bent end or one that looks somewhat similar to a small latch hook.  I have never made a wig cap from tulle, but it would be a very similar process.  Many of my dolls have hair that is rooted into a muslin wig cap using a needle to pull the hair  through the fabric.   Once half the strand is pulled through the wig cap, then tied in a double knot.  It takes a long time.  I don't think I want to time to do it with a this a doll this size.  It could take months.  This project is on a September deadline. 

I also spent some time learning how to make wigs smaller.  One of the best YouTube videos I found was How to Make Your Wig Smaller by GodivasSecretWigs.  If you have an inclination to make a large doll and use a wig made for humans, I highly recommend this video.  It is much simpler to change the size of a wig than I would have imagined.

Another video I watched while doing research is how to adjust the size of a styrofoam head to make it to the size of the wig.  This might also be valuable if you wanted to make a large doll and needed to scale up the head.  All of these videos are readily found by using a few key search words.  I had actually seen this video once before when I was originally thinking about making a large doll.   I was glad to be able to find it again.

Other than that, I made the trip to the hardware store for some PVC fittings.  I raided my husband's stash of hardware for the pipe.  I guess that I am ready to begin working on the armature.  It is a little bit daunting, but I am sure that once I begin I will wonder what I was so worried about.  I hope to have the armature cut to size and dry fitted this week.  I may have to wait to glue it together.  The glue requires a well ventilated area.  It is probably best done outside.  It looks like we are going to have rain and snow later this week so that part might take another week.  After that, things should go fairly quickly.  At least I hope they will.  Since this is my first experiment with making a large doll, I really have no idea what might come up.

Check back next Sunday afternoon for an update on this project.

Halloween Folk Art Cat - Part 2- Project Completed

I have completed my latest project, a paper mậché Halloween cat.  Regular readers know that one of my challenges for the year was to create a Halloween item once a month.  I am finding that I am already running a few weeks behind.  This is my second project.  Although, to be fair, I did not post the resolution until almost the middle of January, so I was late getting started. 

I am also still working on my long term project, a large doll.  Between the the two projects, I am putting in a lot of hours in the studio.  I will be blogging about the doll project in next weeks blog post.

Last blog post, I showed the armature for creating the doll.  After that it was pretty much a matter of adding layers of paper mậché.  This doll has a total of four layers.  Two of the layers were added, then additional pieces of material were added to create the cat's pants and the big smile. 

After the second layer, I had to add some additional support to the tail area.  The tail kept shifting as I moved the doll about while adding the paper strips.  The movement caused the tail area to crack.  I needed to strengthen the area by adding some additional support.  I soaked small pieces of a manila file folder in multi-purpose glue and applied them over the crack.  The glue soaked into the bits of folder, and that made them flexible enough to follow the curve of the area.  Once they dried, they were very firm and stiff.  With two additional layers of the paper mậché, the area is now strong enough to support the piece without cracking.

Other than that, it was just a matter of painting the piece and adding some embellishments.  I wanted this to be a black cat as that is a Halloween tradition.  However, I found that painting it black was a bit problematic.  The black was very black, and it seemed to soak up every bit of light.  I really had to use very bright colors for the rest of the paints just to keep the piece from fading into the background.  If I had not already painted on the face by the time I decided that the black was too dark, I might have painted it over and used a very dark gray.  However, done is done, so I decided to press forward with the project.

Besides using the traditional red-orange Halloween color I brightened the piece by adding metallic paints.  I made a small start stencil and traced stars all over the shirt.  I painted the stars with a bright gold metallic paint.   The stars seemed to fade away against the orange, so I outlined them with black paint to make them stand out.  I also painted the suspenders with a medium cadmium yellow and added orange dots. 

I originally painted the pants a navy blue, but once again the piece started fading into the background from lack of reflected light.  I over-painted the blue with an antique metallic gold.  The pants tend to read as an olive kacki .  Because the paint is metallic it adds enough reflected light that the piece moved forward again.  I echoed the color on the shoes. 

For me, the colors of Halloween will always be orange and black.  Although I used other colors in the piece, I wanted to give a nod to the traditional colors, so I just used orange and black in the bag.   I only used two black stars because I still needed to keep the black to a minimum to keep the piece bright.

When I make a doll, I don't want the doll to just be standing there.  I add embellishments that help tell a story about the piece.  I want the viewer to engage with the piece and figure out the story.  If I had just painted the doll and not added embellishments, the viewer might have guessed that this was a Halloween piece.  By adding the trick or treat bag and candy, it adds to the narrative because they bring back some memories to the viewer.

The giant lolly-pop is a great example of this.   Practically every kid that has seen one of these giant lolly-pops at a candy store, amusement park, circus or sea-side resort has longed for one.  If the viewer was ever the recipient of such a confection, perhaps he or she remembers that moment that the candy was received.  It seemed like the greatest treat in the world.  The cat's big grin can reflect the emotion of that moment.  If the viewer never received one, perhaps it brings up a memory of an opportunity missed.  Or perhaps the viewer will remember the moment as one which as a parent, they had to say no to a child because a parent knows it is over-priced, too much sugar, and doesn't taste all that great anyway.  (And perhaps the parent knows this because the parent has had one at some point.)  So the story can be interpreted in many ways depending on the point of view of the observer.

At one point, I considered making a noisemaker rather than a lolly-pop.  When I was growing up, Halloween was also a time to make a lot of noise.  I remember having an noise-maker that was on some type of ratchet.  As you spun it around it made a grinding sound.  Another noise-maker was some type of  tin (or more likely aluminum) paddle with a bead on a wire.  When you shook it, the bead banged against the paddle making a loud noise.   I guess I haven't seen too many of those recently.  Everyone is so busy and/or stressed these days that excess noise is even more of an irritation than usual.  Anyway, I decided that the lolly-pop was a better option not only for the candy connection but because the noisemaker would have taken longer to make.

Overall, what I want to convey about the piece is the hopeful attitude of a Halloween creature showing up at the door with expectations of candy.  When I was growing up, Halloween was such a special holiday.  I can still remember the excitement of running around in a costume and yelling trick or treat at each doorway.  I think today's kids are missing out on that part of the excitement.  Halloween today is not the same.   But then, I guess people can not miss something that they never had, so perhaps children today will still have fond memories of Halloween, even if they are not the same memories.

Next Sunday I will be blogging about my large doll project.  Check back on Sunday afternoon for the latest on that project.

  

Halloween Folk Art Cat - Part 1- Armature

Regular readers know that I am posting on my long term project and interspersing it with blogging about interim short term projects.  I like to have more than one project going at a time because sometimes I get bored with a long project.  If I hit a discouraging point on a project, I can turn to something else for a day or so.  Then I can return to the previous project in a better frame of mind.  Today I am writing about my latest short term project; a paper mậché Halloween themed cat.

I really enjoy making projects by the strip method of paper mậché.  (How about that, I finally took the time to figure out how to get in those accent marks.)  It is easy and relatively inexpensive.  A few spoonfuls of water and flour make up the paste.  The local newspaper that comes in the mail is free.  The only other expenses are some wire, foil, tape, a few inches of twine and a little paint.  For a mere dollar or two I have hours of entertainment as I match wits with the materials to bring a character into existence.

The project begins with a wire armature.  This project was relatively small and will not carry a lot of weight.  I start with a long piece of eighteen gauge wire.  (Heavier project may need different materials for the armature.)  To prepare the armature, you need to know how tall you want your  figure to be.  The armature will extend up into the head of the project, but will not generally come to the very top of the head.  Knowing the size of the head is a good way to start the project.  In this case, the head is going to be a two inch (5.08 cm) styrofoam ball.  (Regular readers may recall I am also on a mission to use up a lot of the odds and ends that are lying around the studio.  This ball had a pipe cleaner attached.  I could have pulled it out, but decided to leave it on to help secure the head and create the shoulders.)  Now that I know the size of the head, I multiply that figure by 7.5.  I use this figure because the average adult human figure is between 7 and 7.5 times the size of the head. 2 x 7.5= 15. (5.08 x 7.5 = 38.1 cm)  Double that figure because you will be folding the wire in half at the mid-point: 2 x 15 = 30.  (5.08 x 38.1 = 76.2 cm.)  Then add the length of the wire again because you will be folding the wire at the ankle point up to the top of the thigh on each leg.  30 + 30 = 60.  (76.2 + 76.2 =  152.4 cm)  That will get you very close to the length you need.  You might also want to add another inch or two because you will be losing a little of the wire's length as you twist the wire around and when you bend the wire out to account for the hips and feet.  60 + 2=62.  (152.4 + 2=154.2 cm.)  Note:  for the metric conversion, you might want to double check the math.

The arms need to be added as a separate piece of wire.  How do you know how long to make the arm wire?  On average the span of your arms from fingertip across the back to the other fingertip is almost the same size as the height.  I learned this from nurses at a hospital.  They use is as a way to measure height for people who are unable to stand.  So if your character is going to be 15 inches tall, your wire will be the height times 2 because your are going to double the wire 2 x 15=30. (38.1 x 2= 76.2 cm.).  The wire will lose a little bit of length as you fold and twist it, but that is okay because you want the armature to have a little room for the hands and a bend at the elbows. 

It could take a couple of tries to get the length of the armature wire down so that your figure comes out to be the size you want it if you want the figure to be an specific size.  It is one of those times where experience with the material is going to have an effect on the outcome. 

In this case, I was creating a cat rather than a human, so I changed up the proportions a bit to account for the shape of a cat body.  The figure is only going to be a foot high.  The body will be a little shorter and fuller than if I were making
a human type doll.

After you have the wires cut, it is a matter of folding and twisting the wires and putting it all together.  I taped the folded wires with masking tape to hold them together and make the extremities stronger.  Note the twisted wire in the spine.  The arm wire was inserted through the twisted wire that creates the body and legs.  That area has some tape also to keep the wires in place.   After you get the whole thing together, you may need to do a little work to straighten things up.  At this point you can see that the spine area is crooked and the legs are not the same length. 

In this case, I was making a cat figure.  I added an additional wire armature for the tail.  When I first started thinking about the figure, I had envisioned the tail coming over the shoulder and curling so that it could hold a pumpkin or trick or treat bag.  However, I soon realized that this would create some balance problems and I would have to build an additional stand to help keep the figure upright.  I decided that the tail should come to the floor and help to support the figure.  A figure with three points of support will stand on its own without having to have an additional support.  If you work at it hard enough, you can make a figure stand on its own two feet, but it is time consuming and may need adjustments as you add accessories to the figure.

At this point, I started to shape the arms in the position that I wanted them to be in the finished product.  It is helpful to have an idea of what pose you want the figure to portray.   I don't want my figure to just be standing there.  I want my figure to look like it has been caught at a certain moment; as if he were in the middle of an action.  In this case, the cat will be trick or treating.  I want him to be holding a trick or treat bag and a piece of candy, specifically a lolly pop.  I have posed his hands (paws) accordingly.

After the armature was complete I began adding foil and taping it in place to form the body.  In my opinion, the more time you spend on this part of the process, the happier you will be with end result.  Foil and paper can be used to pad the figure any way you want.  If you see an area where there is a bit of a divit, fill it in with more foil, paper or bits of tape until you have the surface fairly smooth.  Remember, this is only the basic form.  The detail will come later.  I spent the better part of an afternoon pushing, prodding, and massaging the foil into the shape I wanted.  I prefer to have my foil fairly solidly crumpled as I put it in place.  If the foil is too loose, it may deform as other pieces of the armature are added. 

Besides foil, paper, and tape I may incorporate other items into the armature.  In this case, I added a couple of very small styrofoam balls to fill out and round the cats hind quarters.  It was quicker than creating the area with foil and gave me the rounded shape that I wanted. 

It is worth noting that while you are filling out the body that you should also check the stance of the character.  Is it leaning forward or backward or to the side?  Straighten the figure continually as you are adding the material.  It is much easier to fix a problem here than later in the process.

Finally, I added a few details to help define the features.  The first part of the ears were added by adding some folded cardboard triangles that I cut from a recycled file folder.  (This same file folder was used to create the base for my autumn scarecrow centerpiece that I blogged about at the beginning of February.  I make my recycled material work until I hit the very last piece of it.)  To fill out the back of the ears I used balled up bits of tape, which were taped down with more tape.  I used a little bit of foil and cardboard to shape the nose so it stands out from the face.

Then it was time for the first two layers of paper mậché.  Once I had a couple of layers on I decided that I wanted to add some more armature to help create the clothing, specifically the suspenders and pants.  I added some cardboard armature to create the trousers and define the area of the suspenders.  The clothing could have been just painted on, but adding the cardboard will make the trousers look like they have more body and texture.

After the first couple of layers of the paper strips, the mouth was added.  The mouth was shaped by a bit of twine.  I just used a bit of twine on a spool to figure amount I needed for the shape.  Then I cut the twine and taped the ends together to form an oval.  The oval was taped to the face.  This will create the lips.  This cat is going to have a big smile.

About this time I also noticed that the tail was cracking where it intersects the body.  The movement of the figure while I was adding the paper mậché was causing the area to crack.  I had to go in and reinforce the area.  I did this by adding some strips of the recycled file folder that had been soaked in white multi-purpose glue over the cracks.  Soaking the cardboard in white glue caused to cardboard to become malleable.  This helped shape the strips to fit on the curved area.  It will also strengthen the area once it is dry.  After the cardboard pieces tacked up, I covered the area with a layer of masking tape.  Since then, I have had no more problems with the area.  After that, I added more layers of paper mậché.

Next Sunday I will be blogging about the conclusion of this project.  After that I will be back to blogging on the progress of my long term project, a large, almost life-size doll.  Check back on next Sunday afternoon for the next post.

Large Doll - Part 5

I have been busy on the doll project this week.  To begin, I'll add a quick recap of the project so far. 
I cast a paper mache' head on a Styrofoam head, then removed the head from the mold.  I had to take the cast piece off in three pieces, which I put back together and added more layers of paper mache'.  The next step was to build up the facial features, which took several days.  That brings us up to today's blog post.  Readers can go to my blog and view previous posts to see the step-by-step pictures of the process.


This past week I started painting the head.  I have never found an acceptable flesh color pre-mixed.  Many of the colors are too light and pink or have too much of an orange or reddish tent.  I try to mix my own colors to get the flesh color I want.  However, I am rarely satisfied with the result.  The problem mainly is that human flesh is not one color, some areas are darker or redder and there are shadows that change the temperature of the color.  The other problem is that most acrylic paints dry darker, but some dry brighter than they are when wet.  It may look as if I have the perfect color mixed, but one dry it turns out to look differently.  I have to tell myself that this is only a doll, and good enough will have to do.  I am making a doll, not painting a masterpiece.

The first paint on the head was a coat of medium thickness opaque gesso.  Paper mache' is not a smooth medium.  Despite being sanded, there will be some areas that are not entirely smooth.  In some ways the rougher texture actually helps the face look more authentic.  A completely smooth plastic face never looks real.  The thick gesso helps fill in some of the pits left that remain after the head was sanded.   The gesso also creates an opaque layer that covers up the printing on the newspaper that was used to make the paper strips for the paper mache'.

My first color mixing attempt was a little darker and had more sienna in it than I wanted.  That was okay because this was only the base coat.  I mixed a second color adding some pinkish white.  The mixture looked dark when it was wet, but dried lighter than I had anticipated.  I spent a few minutes debating whether to give the paint a third try, but ultimately decided to work with what I had.  It was not that far off, and I was worried about making things worse instead of better.  Besides, I was using up quite a bit of paint in the process.

When I mix paint for a large piece like this head, I mix up a large batch of paint.  First off, I do not want to run out of paint in the middle of painting the piece.  Since this is a mixed color, my chances of reproducing it close enough to match are slim.  Also, I need to have enough paint to touch up any painting errors made while painting the features.  This means I may have to plan on keeping the paint around for several days.  When I am finished painting for the day, I spray the paint liberally with water, cover the paint tray in plastic wrap, and keep the whole thing in a plastic bag.  The paint will stay moist for several days.  I spray it each day to make sure it stays wet.  Trust me, you will need it sooner or later.

So after the base coat and the final skin color, it was time to paint the features and highlights.  I added some pink color to the cheek area.  I found that the color wanted to stay darker in some areas where there were a few pits.  To address that issue, I dry brushed the color on the cheeks and then wiped it with a damp paper towel.   I kept dry brushing and wiping until I had an even layer of color on the cheeks.  I am not sure that it will show up as well in the photos as it does in person.

I spent some time debating on the eye lashes and eyebrows.  I had originally considered purchasing a set of false eyelashes and cutting them down to fit the project.  I decided against that because it might look odd to have eyelashes, but painted on eyebrows.  So I ended up painting on the eyelashes and eyebrows as well.  The eyebrows were the real nemesis.  I would paint one and the other would be off.  I'd correct that and then the other would look wrong.  The eyebrows were too light or too dark.  I think I must have painted in the eyebrows about four or five times.  That is when the reserved flesh color really came in handy.   Finally, I had to decide whether it was time to fish or cut bait on them.  When I had them to a point that they were good enough I decided to quit, even if they were not how I wanted them to look.

The painting was finally declared complete.  I still had to put a couple of coats of sealer on the doll.  The photos were taken before I added a satin sealer.  It came out okay.  I admit I was sweating that a bit.  Once, long ago, I had a project and the sealer for some reason was not compatible with the black paint, even though it was made by the same company.  It stripped the black paint off the project.  Unfortunately, I could not remember which type of sealer it was, a varnish or an acrylic sealer.  I have a number of sealers in the studio and I was worried about the project surviving intact.  It would have been frustrating to have to start painting all over again.  Fortunately, the sealer worked perfectly.  At this point I am calling the head complete other than the hair.

Readers might notice that the head does not have any ears.  I did not add them to this project because the planned the hairstyle will cover the area.  The styrofoam head I used as a base did not have ears.  I would have had to build them on after I removed the head from the mold.  The cut to remove the cast piece from the head would have sliced through the ears, making for a difficult rejoining of the sections.  Once the hair is on, you will not notice that they are missing.

The doll looks a little strange being totally bald.  Her hair will not be added until later in the project.  Readers may remember that while creating the sun bonnets for my scarecrow centerpiece I made one that was too large for that project.  At the moment that bonnet is covering the bald head of my doll.  It is a little large, but I could see it working in a project of similar size.  Perhaps at some point I will make a doll head centerpiece that features that bonnet.  It is not what I had in mind for this project.

One little curiosity came up on this project.  You might notice it in the last photo.  The cast head is about half an inch shorter than the head it was cast upon.  The face is a little broader that can be accounted for by a few strips of paper mache'.  You might wonder how this might have come about.  It is because in the process of removing and re-attaching the pieces of the head.  As I mentioned earlier in the project, the paper mache' pieces tend to bow inward or outward when removed from the mold.  Flexing the pieces to make them line up again changed the shape of the head.  The head is rounder rather than narrower.  It is not a game changer for the piece, just something that made me take notice.

Readers might remember that one of my goals for the year was to try to create a Halloween piece each month.  That might have been a bit a bit ambitious.  I finished January's piece at the beginning of February.  I have been working a my February piece, but I suspect that it will carry over into March.  It is good to have a quick project to work on while carrying on a long term project.  It keeps me from getting bored with the piece.  My next blog post will be about my February Halloween piece.  Check back on next Sunday afternoon for that blog post.

Large Doll - Part 4

The last two blog posts I had been blogging about a relatively short term project.  Now I am back to blogging about my long term project: a large, almost life size doll.  I guess this doll would be about the size of an eight year old child.  When I blogged about this last time, I had just completed casting the head in paper mache', removing the head from the foam head and removing the head from the mold.  I had also put the pieces of the molded paper mache' back together.  Since then I have worked a bit more on the project.  New readers can go to my blog,  folkartbycaroljones.blogspot.com, and scroll back a few posts to see the information on how the head was created from previous posts.

The paper mache' head had a slight bump that indicated where the nose was on the face, but other than that it was relatively featureless.  My next task was to create the features.  I used more paper mache' strips to build up the nose and mouth.  This was done in a series of layers and some balled up paper for the external nostril shapes.  The areas were built up until I felt that they were raised up enough for the features to be seen.  In the photos the built up strips are darker than the head because the flour paste and strips are still wet.

At this point the mouth looks a bit large.  It is important to remember that the muscles that surround the mouth are seen, but are not part of the red of the lips.  You have to add in some of that musculature in order to make the lips look right. 

The next step was to create the eyes.  That took a little bit of time to get right.  I had to have the eyes sized correctly in relation to the size of the head and also to the size of the mouth.  As a general rule of thumb, a face is five eyes wide.  I also had to figure the size of the iris of the eye.  A dime was too large to just trace around it.  I had to use a compass and make a small circle the that I could trace for the iris.

I also had to build up the upper and lower eye lids with paper mache'.  From previous dolls I have found that it just does not look quite right if I just paint on the eyes and the upper and lower lids.  (My painting skills are not all that advanced that I can make it look right with just paint.)  I added a couple of layers of paper mache' around the area of the eyes to build up the upper and lower lids.  That little bit of depth that was created makes the eyes look more realistic.

The eyes did cause one problem.  I sketched the shapes I needed and cut the pieces out of the newsprint scraps with scissors.  This was okay for the lid at the eye, but it created a hard edge at the outer areas of the lids.  I ended up sanding down the edge, but it still left a little bit of a line.  If I were to do this doll over again, I would tear the outer edges so that it would have a deckled edge that would blend in better with the face.  Oh well, live and learn.

This doll head has a slight tilt to it, as if the doll were looking slightly to the left and downward.  I like this because it imparts the idea of motion; as if something has caught the dolls attention.  Many dolls are made so that they stare straight ahead.  That make the doll look to still and artificial rather than lifelike.  The tilt created a challenge in that the doll's eyes are on a slight tilt rather than being able to draw them in on a straight line.  I hope that they will look natural rather than cock eyed. 

After all the features were completed, I took advantage of a warm day to go outside and sand the doll head.  I hand sanded it with 220 grit and 400 grit.  I was concerned that if I had used a palm sander that it might cause too much vibration and tear the head apart.  There were some areas that I wish had been sanded better.  Maybe I will try the palm sander on a future project.  However, this is a handmade doll, and I am willing for it to show some flaws rather than trying to be too perfect.  (Not that I have to worry about this coming anywhere near perfection.)

The rest of the time I had for crafting was spent on musing and researching.  The head is moving towards completion and it is time to start thinking about the armature that will support the body.  As you might guess, the armature will be made from PVC pipe.  The questions that I had were how to make the armature to hold the pose I wanted and how did I plan to anchor the doll so that it could stand up.  There was much to learn.  I looked at everything from simple 90 degree pipe joints to building fully articulated manikins.  There are many ways to accomplish the objective.  Then it becomes a question of how much work I want to put into it and how much expense do I want to incur in the creation of the armature.

The musings covered everything from how to pose the doll to how much muscle definition I wanted to create in the doll.  My original idea was that this doll would be a dancer.  To make that come out anywhere near right, it is going to take a lot of work.  Dancers tend to wear outfits that  reveal stature and muscles. What type of costume for the doll? 

I also considered things such as what materials will I use to form the body and hair?  How much is this thing going to weigh?  Is this project biting off more than I could chew?  Will I be able to pull it off?  Should I give up and just work on making a witch for Halloween?  What am I going to do with this piece after it is finished?  All this and more has been passing through my brain for some time.  I will be blogging more about the choices I have made as the project moves along.  As choices are made, some doors open and other doors close.  Each choice narrows down how the doll will look. 

I will be blogging more on this project in the next blog post as well as the progress on the doll.  Check back on Sunday afternoon for the latest updates on the doll.
  

A Cute Autumn Centerpiece - Part 2

In last weeks blog post I blogged about wanting to cut expenses on a project and how I made the base for the project.  To recap for new readers, I made a ball from foil and papier mache' for the head.  The base was Styrofoam packing material glued into a 4 inch clay flower pot.  A dowel connected the two pieces.  Raffia covers the entire project with more raffia added for hair.  That was the gist of the post anyway.  You can check last Sunday's blog post (2/04/18)  If you want to see step by step photos.

Today I wanted to blog about making the features and the bonnet.  The inspiration project for this had one way of doing things, but I came up with alternate means of making the objects.  I was trying to use up odds and ends that I have around the studio rather than purchasing new materials for the project.  After all, if you have something you can make do with, why spend more money?

My solution to making the eyes and mouth were to use scraps of fabric left over from other projects.  However, fabric alone was not firm enough to hold its shape well.  I solved this project by using some Stitch Witch fusible to fuse two pieces of fabric together.  I placed a piece of the Stitch Witch between the wrong sides of two pieces of fabric and fused according to the manufacturers directions.  Once the fabric had cooled, I traced the shapes onto the fabric and cut them out.  The fused fabric was stiff enough to hold its shape.

I cut out the eyes from a scrap of brown fabric and the mouth from red fabric.  It wasn't until I started making the nose that I ran into a situation.  The shape did not seem to work well for the nose.  I did not want to introduce another shape or color to the face.  I was stymied for a few minutes, and started playing around with a piece of raffia. 

Playing with the raffia led me into making the nose from raffia.  I started by tying a regular knot in the center of the piece of raffia.  After that, I tied a series of what I believe are called surgical knots.  You begin it by looping your fabric and wrapping the material as you would for a regular knot.  Then you wrap the other end of the material around as well.  When you pull on the ends, the knot tightens into a flat knot.  I kept tying these knots until I had a series of knot long enough to make a nose.  When the desired length was reached , I pulled the remaining raffia to the back and hot glued it down. Then I trimmed off any unused raffia.

Once I had the features made, it was time to hot glue them to the scarecrow head.  Before I did that though, I gave the face a good trimming.  Raffia has little pieces and shreds hanging off each piece.  The face area was very rough looking.  A little judicious trimming helped give the face a smoother appearance.  Once I had experimented with the features until I was happy with the placement, I glued them down with hot glue.

The final bonnet attempt.

Last week I had blogged about making the hair into pig tales.  That pulled all the hair forward.  When the bonnet was glued in place, it made it appear as though the scarecrow had a thick head of hair.  The raffia is a bit wispy, and when the hair was left straight it looked a little straggly.  I folded small bunches of raffia in half, tied them with a single piece of raffia and hot glued the bunches around the head.  Once the hair was put into pig tails, I gave it a trim to even it up a bit.

A working hat would have a wider brim.

Then, it was down to making the head piece.  The inspiration project used a piece of black burlap cut into a circle and glued to the head.  I had some very nice brown burlap, but there was no color contrast, and besides, it is in my project cue and I did not want to be cutting it up for this project.  I tried cutting a piece of black fabric into a circle and gluing it to the head.  It was limp, and looked like someone had just stuck a piece of rag on the head.  I tried folding it and stuffing it with some of the raffia I had cut off when trimming the head.  It really did not look very appealing.  I tried turning the circle into a beret and stuffing it to make it look as if it were made from a heavier material.  That was another non-starter.  I had to take a break for a bit and think about it.

Sometimes, if you take a break and just give yourself a little breathing room, the answer you seek will find a way into your mind.  That is what happened in this case.  I was at a quilting sit-and-sew and a lady showed me some blocks she had made of a 1930s quilt pattern called Sun Bonnet Sue.  When I came home I was flipping through and old quilting magazine and it had an article on the Sun Bonnet Sue quilt.  Another magazine had some red work done with Sun Bonnet Sue designs.  It finally filtered through to me, make a bonnet.

My first bonnet was not successful.

With an idea in mind, I started searching online for bonnet patterns and checking through my fabric stash for colors that would contrast or coordinate with my autumn palette.  I found a free pattern, but it came with absolutely no explanation on the scale of the pattern or how to fit the bonnet.  If you want to look for this type of pattern, use the search words pattern for pioneer bonnet or prairie bonnet.  After searching around on the internet, I did find some instructions with pictures for making variations on a bonnet that was somewhat similar to the pattern.  It was helpful enough that I was able to start figuring things out for the pattern I found.

I had to do a little trial and error to get the pattern the right size for the head.    The pattern looks huge and looked like it would be too large for the head.  I took a few measurements of the head and adjusted the pattern to what I thought would fit.  You have to do a lot of gathering on this type of bonnet.  By the time everything was gathered and matched up, the hat was too small for my scarecrow's head.  I made another one, but this one was too large.  In fact it fits me.  All I have to do was add the ties, and I will have my own hat.  The third one fit just right, or at least right enough.

Sometimes when I work on a project, it will trigger some old memory, buried so deeply that I am not even aware of it.  I remembered I had actually seen my grandmother make herself a hat similar to this one to wear while gardening.  I remember showing me that she used an extra piece of cloth as interfacing and told me that she sewed extra line across the brim of the hat because that helped stiffen the brim.    The brim of her hat was wider than the brim on my hat.  Her hat was an actual working hat where she wanted to keep the sun off her face.  For my scarecrow's bonnet, I wanted the bonnet to frame the face, but not hide the face so the brim is a bit narrower.  I also used some light to medium weight interfacing on the hat brim because I had some scraps of that product.  If  I were to make another hat for myself, I would probably use a heavier fusible interfacing.  I did make the extra stitch lines across the brim, and it did make it stiffer.

At the moment, my fabric stash was a little spare of fabrics in autumn colors.  Being that it was the end of January, autumn fabrics were not in stores either.  I ended up choosing the bright red left over from making my Leaf and Star quilt.  It came down to choosing between the red and a dark brown.  I think the red was definitely the better choice.  It really brightened up the piece.

Anyway, I made the bonnet, but did not make the ties.  I could have sewn on ties, and used that as a ribbon under the chin.  However, I chose to use some silk leaves (left over from another project) to make a collar, and some of the purchased flower heads as a necklace instead.  It added more color and interest to the project.

By making parts of the project myself, I was able to cut between $24.00 and $34.00 dollars out of the cost of the project.  It is really worthwhile to see if you can find a way to shave off a few dollars here and there.  I don't think that the project suffered from the changes I made.  If I try another project of this nature, I might even try to make some of my own flowers.  They won't look as authentic as the silk flowers at the craft store, but they may add some folk art charm to the project.

So that is the end of this project.  Next Sunday I will be blogging more about the long-term doll project I started in January.  Check back on Sunday afternoon for that update.