One Doll Down....

And two more dolls to go! I'm really pleased with how they are going.

I revisited the doll on an armature, redid the wadding, and used paperclay to create some very simple hands, feet and a neck. This has all been done completely the wrong way round, in the 'Jules patent, never follow instructions manner', but it seems to be working ok. Andy says she looks like the Bride of Frankenstein - with her 'real' head and weird padded body. I want to try and dress her before I post a picture! Next time I will do it properly. I've bought the correct wires etc now, rather than improvising with cheap garden stuff, well, she was a trial version!

My clay doll is semi naked at the moment. She has had her face painted twice, as I was so eager to get on with her that I tried to do it one evening. Bad idea! The light was much too poor and she came out looking sunburnt! She looks much better now, but I am not really happy with the sculpt. I could have done much better. In hindsight I should have followed my own thinking instead of following the workshop - but, you live and learn. It was still a very useful thing to do, and I would recommend it for anyone like me, who is branching into clay for the first time.

Despite this I'm getting quite fond of her, and as Andy pointed out "look at your first cloth doll, compared to what you are making now". I think I have too high expectations of myself sometimes, hee hee.

I'm also so contrary - alongside these high expectations I really used to be bad (or good, however you view it), at making do. For example, I've always used whatever came to hand, like old sheets or garden wire. All my (unnamed) threads came from a job lot on the net. I think this had a lot to do with not having any confidence about what I was creating, and thinking it would never be any good. Now though, I am buying the best materials I possibly can, and what a difference it has made to how I feel about my work. I still enjoy recycling things, but not because I have to!

So here is my latest cloth doll, very aptly on 21st March - Prima Vera, Herald of the Spring.


She's been finished really simply, as a complete contrast to my normal work, which comprises of a lot of costuming and beading. She just looked me in the eye, and said "I am a free spirit, Jules", and so that is how she appears. Although some could say that her expression is just "Away with the fairies".......

I tried to make her appear very organic. The silk strips were dyed by me. As far as her actual creation goes she is by far and away the best "made" cloth doll I have done. I worked out the pattern and the stitching went well, and the hands are good, and poseable! As I am not really a "sewer", I was really pleased and that is another reason I wanted to show off the body, usually I am trying to hide something! The body painting came out a lot better than I expected too.I love her hair so much I wish it was mine! It's the softest Blue Leicester fleece which I bought from a lady in Germany on Ebay.

I don't have any other piccies for this post, although it's been a lovely sunny day today and we did attempt to go to a National Trust property. Ooops. Being members we hadn't realised it is a "free entry" promotional weekend. I have never seen so many cars, and all parked along the lane leading to the property, never mind in the car park. We swiftly decided not to bother, as there would be no pleasure in it.

I hope the Trust get lots of new memberships from the event, but suspect many people are just freeloading. We're happy to pay our subscription and go whenever we wish. I did buy two gorgeous hellebores on the way home from outside a little cottage, so it wasn't all a wasted journey, and we have marked a new walk to try. So hopefully we will be able to begin our "travels" soon, and I'll have some good photos to post.

I'm off to Cheltenham for work tomorrow, I learnt last week that my team is getting a new manager from 1st April, so that's more change to deal with. Still, it is the way of things these days. I still have my dream of spending all my time being creative, and it will happen.

It will be great to catch up with a few of my old friends tomorrow, I so miss seeing them regularly now, and I have a lunch date with my friend Kate. I'm looking forward to hearing about her recent trip to my beloved New Zealand.

Have a great week!