Dollie Gets Her Fashion On

I have to say "she" has taken over my artistic process lately. Where these ideas come from is a mystery, but they show up & we have to follow their lead.

In an effort to be transparent here, this is not an ode to a mother I had a great relationship with. A friend who knows me well asked "so this will be a vodoo doll?" No, not at all, but there may be some sort of final purging going on. The pin through her forehead is only for placement before it was anchored. Honest. This great image of her in her youth is a pleasant view of someone who, sadly, had a very unhappy life.

Getting the proportions right was tough. A few minor surgeries were performed along the way.

 Lots of templates for the different elements. I save these for all my projects in case they can be used as a jumping off point for another idea.

   The skirt has wire in the hem so the folds can be manipulated. The petticoat is an old pattern crumpled up.

The the grey fabric seen here I will "upholster" to a large piece of plywood so it can be hung on the wall.  All the pieces will be mounted with velcro dots. The outfits will be interchangeable that way and she will be able to come off the board as well. The larger brads at her joints have been replaced with smaller pearl like ones.

 I've enjoyed this process. I am ready to complete it & move on to other ideas.  I still need to come up with the final name for the entire piece. Any thoughts? Please weigh in. I'd love to hear your ideas.