Vintage Spirits

Spring vacation week just started- wonderful! Usually I spend the entire April vacation week cleaning out my flower garden but this year I have very little left to clean out because of the extremely warm weather we have been having this spring I was able to start working outside weeks ago. That means I have lots of extra time this week to work on new dolls! Yeah!

I have been given three bottles from three different friends that I am determined to turn into three distinct characters this week. Since I have already made the heads (a very time consuming process for me)  I may actually reach this goal by the end of my vacation. The first bottle I have had since the winter- cobalt blue -I thought I was going to use this one last February but made Birdie instead using a green bottle. I received it from a fellow Textile Tart doll maker.  I removed the label from this bottle replacing it with a vintage label that reminds me of France. I am going to create Marie Antoinette from this bottle.  The second bottle I just received two weeks ago from another Textile Tart. She thought I would like it because of the deer head that is attached to it. She was right- I love this bottle! I am going to make a huntress. And finally, a friend from school gave me the other cobalt blue bottle with the Cupcake label. What a great theme! I will use vintage fabric and jewelry pieces on these dolls so they can truly become Vintage Spirits #6, 7, and 8.

I will try to blog the creations a bit as I go along. I prepared the bottle necks by attaching wooden dowels. I used a longer dowel on the shorter bottle to raise the doll up a bit more. Then I sewed the torsos. They have not been stuffed yet nor have the breasts been sculpted. I just placed the heads on top- I won't actually sew them on until the body costuming is completely finished. Setting them up this way at the beginning helps me visualize possible costuming before I start designing.

Marie Antoinette, The Huntress, and Cupcake

Needle Felted Cardinals

A work in progress. I am making a pair of cardinals. The male cardinal is finished but the female cardinal still needs her feet threaded and her wings defined. They are a bit smaller than the robins I made earlier- standing approximately 3 inches high and almost 5 inches in length. I think when finished they will make a cute couple.

Easter Egg?

A week ago I decided to needle felt something for Easter. First I thought of making a rabbit- perhaps Peter Rabbit in his blue jacket? Then I thought of something less involved- how about some Easter eggs? In the end I did make an EGG! Humpty Dumpty!

My Humpty Dumpty is almost 6 inches from the top of his noggin to the bottom of his shoes. The entire piece measures about 14 inches. Humpty can be removed from the wall. Humpty has internal wires in his hands, arms and feet. He wears his traditional tailed suit jacket, white collared shirt and royal blue trousers. His black shoes include spats. He sits on a flagstone wall which is also needle felted however the inner core of the wall is styrofoam.

I am really pleased with this piece. I researched illustrations of Humpty Dumpty that appeared in early editions of Mother Goose books when designing my version of the icon. I gave him a true egg shaped head/body but tried for a gentle face. The poor fellow does not yet know what life has in store for him!

Spring Is In The Air!

Is there anything that heralds the arrival of spring more than seeing your first robin? I don't think so! The other day I had a flock of them on my front yard, talk about inspiration. Here are my first two needle felted American Robins. They stand approximately 3 inches tall and span 4 inches from head to tail.  The little one with the turned head was my first. When he was done, he seemed to need a friend so I made him one. Now they stand together.

Birdie: Vintage Spirit #5

Birdie is finished! What a joy she was to create- she really evolved in the process to become this somewhat warrior like creature. She has a vintage rhinestone feather pin synched at her waist; two birds on her label; a needle felted bird on her finger; and of course her signature shell bird hat that ultimately required the addition of blue plumage. Her auburn hair extends beyond her waist. I had to decide whether or not to show the wefting and, although it usually is not shown, on this piece I secured the hair with the wefting visible because it created a smoother hairline at the back of the neck and eliminated all the hair ends from sticking out. Also, the wefting was very neatly done so I think it looks fine. I did cover all the words on her label because it is not vintage. I needle felted the little bird on her finger- very small at only a bit over an inch from tip of beak to end of tail. In the end, I am pleased with her- my fifth Vintage Spirit!

Birdie Gets A Body!

Naked as a Jay-bird but at least she has a body! The arms are pinned at the shoulders because I haven't worked out the details of her costume yet. She has her left arm extended to hold a bird on her finger. I will be needle felting the bird. Next step is to color her hands and fingernails. Back to work....

Vintage Spirit # 5 - Birdie

Bird hat placed on head (temporary).

Close -up shot

I finished obsessing about the face and actually made four more "interesting" faces- no beauties in the bunch but compelling none the less. I have also decided which bottle I am going to use first- the newer one- Covey Run. This bottle was given to me by a friend plus it has a beautiful bird label that I am anxious to duplicate in the costuming. Actually, I have already started with the hat. These Vintage Spirit dolls are all about their hats!! I made this hat from a seashell I picked up on the beach last summer. The bird's head is the shell as it curves at its joint. I deepened the color at the "beak" and added the dot eyes and Voila! the shell becomes a bird! It had a bit of a crack in it which made the process of creating the hat more interesting. The additional wing adds vintage lace/beading and completely covers the crack.  So..long story short..it is now a beautiful hat. I will be adding a tie ribbon on it to hold it on the doll's head later, but for now, along with the label, it is my inspiration for the rest of the costume.