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.

Visions of Betsy McCall

 I've decided to spend time creating an entry for the JRAC (Jordan River Arts Council) fall Rare Threads exhibit. The theme of ancestral inspirations struck a cord. I have a stash of lovely handkerchiefs that belonged to the matriarchs of my family. The idea started as fabric trays of black linen that would have pieces of the textiles attached with french knots. In my usual fashion this has morphed into something completely different.

The fabric tray thing was much to boring, blah, unimaginative. I guess it was just a jumping off point for other ideas. A large paper doll with my mothers face began to emerge. I spent quite awhile yesterday finding the right facial image. Then I worked on the proportions for the doll. Had a little help from Pinterest as I have a board of all sorts of art dolls. The black linen will be the body of her dress. A mock up of the skirt will be next so I can figure out the layers and volume. There will probably be wire stitched into the skirt so it can be very 3D. Does anyone else remember cutting & playing with Betsy McCall paper dolls?

These fine ladies helped me come up with the body. It will be hand painted fabric sewn to pelon. I'll copy the face onto fabric as well after I alter it a bit in Photoshop. The joints will be hinged with small white pearl buttons. But don't hold me to that.

A plug for some of my current favorites in supplies. Rotary cutters weren't part of my arsenal until recently. Wow are they nice! The metal triangle was on the supply list for PBI & I love it! So flat, nice markings, just the right size for most jobs where a 90 degree angle is imperative. The protractor is an oldie but goodie. Angles are always tough to duplicate, but I've learned to use the right tool.

Today a parting shot from a little walk I took last week down the alley from work. Who doesn't love a tree house? This one caught my eye. It's a classic. It screams summer to me. I love the boards at different angles. Too bad it's an old stump & not a living tree it's attached to.