Wooly Critters

I have fallen in love with "critters" made from repurposed wool and/or cotton sweaters.  I first saw these marvellous creations made by "Sweet Poppy Cat" on pinterest and I decided I would give it a try.

Turns out making "Wooly Critters" is addictive.  I visit a number of thrift stores in the area and pick up sweaters to use.  Next I bring them home and wash them in the washing machine (like colours together, of course) using hot water wash with added soap and a cold water rinse.  This shrinks the wool sweaters so that they will not unravel when sewn.  Finally I throw them in the dryer and dry with heat to further "felt" the sweaters.  Now the fun begins:  I decide on a critter, be it cat, dog, lamb, monster, reindeer, etc, etc and I make a sketch on freezer paper to fit one side of the sweater.  Iron the pattern to the front of the chosen sweater, then cut out the pattern and create a hole for the face piece.  I kept two light coloured sweaters specifically for use as faces.  I add the face details, the heart or front pocket, the ears etc. by hand using embroidery floss. Finally I use the sewing machine to sew the front to the back and voila, a "Wooly Critter" is formed.

Without further ado here is the collection:

The Happy Striped Cat Family

Made with one of my old wool sweaters.  This one is going to a friend.

This doggy was made from my dad's vest and is now living in Alberta!

A fat, happy cat made with another of my old sweaters.

This colourful feline was made from a child's cotton sweater.

Yes, a sock monkey got into the mix.  I knit him the sweater and cap.

But wait there are more:

Two doggies waiting for their bone.

A lambie and Blizten.

The sweater let me know that it wanted to become a reindeer!

I just love this lamb with his heart in his pocket!

"Twinkle Toes" doubles as a pyjama bag (zipper in the back)

I call this one the Giggle Monster.

MacGordon the goofy Scottish cat.

Two sweet bunnies.

Rudolf, of course

A bandit!

Buddy made with my left over wool sweater and a repurposed cotton sweater for his overalls.

The cat on the front of this sweater dictated that this critter would be a cat!

The Flower Monster made with a Liz Clairborne cotton repurposed sweater.

Flower Monster bids adieu for now!

Shelley Thorton Dolls

In July I attended my first NIADA (National Institute of American Doll Artists) convention in Portland and took a class from Shelley Thorton on making a sculptural doll head.

I have loved Shelley's dolls for some time.  Her dolls evoke a sense of childhood play and innocence.  She uses mostly natural fibres and stuffs her dolls with wool.  Her dolls are a collage of unusual colours, textures and prints to form a pleasing image that can be held and admired. The size of her dolls (25-27") gives her work presence and draws the viewer like a bee to honey. Her signature is the sculpted hair and sculpted dress features to add an element of abstractness/folk ark to her pieces.

Here is my journey in making my first "Shelley" doll.  I hope you enjoy the process as much as I did!

We started with a basic head shape, sewn with cotton/hemp fabric and stuffed with cloth (understructure).  Then we refined the shape with extensive needle sculpting.  Next we covered the head with a cotton knit "skin".  Finally the features are embroidered.  I was able to finish the basic "skinned" head and start the embroidery in class (2 days).  Shelley Thorton provided us with a basic pattern for the body and instructions on ball jointing using wooden beads.  The rest of the doll I made at home.  This piece was so much fun and inspirational to make.  It is a joy to see the innocent face take shape.  I always take a lot of time to find just the right fabrics to bring my wee one to life.  

 I purchased the fabrics for her outer dress in Portland.  The undergarments are from antique Japanese silk fabrics that I had in my stash. Her boots are from upholstery fabric swatches and her tights are from an infant's "onesie".

 The doll stand was challenging as the doll is about 26" tall.  I covered the base of the stand with weights and then covered it with upholstery fabric simulating greenery.

 I made my doll, named "Shelley" a wee rabbit as her smock has rabbits on it.  The rabbit's frock is from an antique doily.

I added embroidered details to the rayon velvet jacket to enhance the design and tie in with the antique print of the smock.  

I was very pleased with my finished piece and am already planning my next doll:

Niada 2015

"Portlandia" protecting the city of Portland

I was very fortunate to attend the 2015 Niada Conference (National Institute of American Doll Artists) that took place in Portland, Oregon.  I had a wonderful time,  travelling to the conference with friends (on Amtrak for the first time), to taking a master doll class with renowned cloth doll artist Shelley Thorton, being enthralled with the key note speaker, Ronnie Burkett to enjoying the vibrant, funky city that is Portland!

I have long admired Shelley Thorton's "painterly" cloth dolls.  They evoke a sense of innocence, purity, and fun that is the best of childhood:

Her trademark is the fabric sculpted hair shapes for the hairdo.

I was delighted to take a two day class with Shelley where we were guided in making her beautiful needle sculpted heads.  I will post my doll (hopefully next month) once she is finished.  Shelley uses all cloth with mostly natural materials stuffing with wool roving and embroidering the features for a warm, innocent look.

Shelley's demonstration head

I was thrilled to share my love of art dolls with my sister who travelled from Toronto and joined me in Portland.  While I took doll classes and attended lectures she was busy visiting the sites of this fun city:

Washington Park (a natural park that includes a rose garden and a zoo!

One of the funky neighbourhoods complete with metal sculptures in the front yard.

Japanese Garden

My sister and I at the Gallery Night

Connie Smith

My sister was able to attend the "Gallery Night" (open to the public) where the newest work of NIADA artists is presented.  What a thrill:

A porcelain artist from Sidney, BC (Heather Mesiak)

Tanya Marriott (current NIADA President)

Stephanie Blythe

Leslie Molen

Neva Waldt

Kate Church

Susan Scogin (she made us a Oregon pioneer souvenir doll)

Russian artist Ima Naroditskaya (one of my favourite pieces)

Made by E. J. Taylor

 What is a trip to a doll conference without a wee bit of shopping?  I visited the Fabric Depot, Bolt, the artsy Gallery district on Alberta Street, and the downtown Button Emporium to name but a few!  The local Portland doll group gave an opening day tea at the Museum for the attendees and showed us their dolls-such talent:

A final highlight was the trip to the LAIKA, Box Trolls Studio which is in north Portland.  I was lucky enough to be one of the 25 attendees that was chosen to visit this iconic stop-motion animation studio.  It was trilling, overwhelming and delightful, all at the same time!

Internal armature in Caroline (first Laika studio movie)

Creative Supervisor, Geergina Hayns adjusting the face on one of the puppets.

Cute character puppet from the Box Trolls movie

Paranorman

It take a about 2.5 years to make a full length movie from inception to screen at the Laika studios using stop-motion animation.  We were able to see all parts of the creative process from the costume boards (fabric selection and sketches) to the construction of the armatures, puppet making process, to the set themselves during the filming process.

My favourite puppet.

During one of the many demonstrations, Toby Froud (Puppeteer fabricator and sculptor for Laika studios ) showed us his "old world" hand-held puppets :

There were many more wonderful highlights, not the least of which was connecting with fellow doll makers, some new, some very experienced but all full of enthusiasm and love of the dolls!

I would highly recommend attending a NIADA doll conference should it come to a region near you.  Next year's conference will be on the east coast in Washington DC.