The Toronto Blue Jays

Well, since I have been making "bird" art dolls for the last little while, I thought I would finish with the beautiful Blue Jay.  The Blue Jay is very common in Ontario and as I spent many happy years in Toronto I am fond of the Blue Jay.  I am fond of this bird not only because I love its bright blue plumage but also because it is the official emblem of the Toronto baseball team the "Blue Jays".

The Blue Jay is not seen in BC although the Stellar Jay is seen on Vancouver Island where I live (larger and not as bright at the Blue Jay seen in southern Ontario)

While I was looking through my stash of possible fabrics for this doll I came across a beautiful blouse that I bought on impulse but hardly ever wore (I am well endowed and this blouse accentuates this)! The blouse is shades of blue with made from a technique seen in Japanese tie dye.  I thought why not, and so I had my fabric.  I decided that this doll could have a longer skirt so that she would look great on a mantle but also hanging on a wall.

This doll sits about 10" tall and if hanging on the wall is about 18" tall

Her mask can be removed to reveal her wee face and her nest necklace

Back showing her bright feathers

I made her a wee mask to mimic the Blue Jay and then I added her feathered back feathers to pay homage to the beautiful tail feathers.  I even used the front button section of the blouse as part of her head dress to resemble the distinctive crown of the Blue Jay.  Overall, I was very pleased with the result.

The Blue Jay that this doll holds is made from felt.  This doll was fun to make and I hope you enjoy her.

Purple Finch

I am on a bird kick and so I decided to make another art doll featuring a bird I love but have never seen except in pictures, the Purple Finch.

The Purple Finch is a pretty, little songbird that is the official state bird of New Hampshire.  It has a cranberry/purple hooded head with brown wings, a light underbelly and pinkish chest:

I decided to use Cindee Moyer's on-line class, Raven and adapt it to made a representation of this lovely wee finch.:

A close-up of the fascinator with brown feathers cascading down

I was very happy with the result.  I just had to make her very own wee finch in felt that is perched on her hand.

Raven

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…suddenly there came a tapping at my chamber door". -Edgar Allan Poe.

This poem inspired the talented Cindee Moyer to create an on-line class depicting the mysterious Raven.  I signed up for the class a number of years ago and I finally completed my doll.

My Raven is pondering the word, "Nevermore":

Face mask is made with paper and glitter glue.

She holds her own copy of "the Raven" by Poe

Crow Mother

Continuing on the bird theme, I decided to make the ever mysterious crow.  A number of years ago, I was very fortunate to take the "Crow Mother" workshop with the wonderfully talented and fun Ute Vasina.  I have loved my Crow Mother and decided I would never part with her for she brings back memories of the fun times that I had in the workshop.

However, I have been asked so many times if I would sell my art doll, that I decided to make another Crow Mother.  Crows are highly intelligent creatures that live among us.  In mythology they have been symbols of the Supreme Being, and guides and messengers of the God(s).

I was very pleased with the result and it goes to show that Ute's designs are wonderfully written.  Here is my second Crow Mother that will be for sale in the fall.  She stands on her own at 13" tall and cradles her wee baby troll in her arms:

The baby troll she holds is all hand sculpted and brushed with artist chalks for colouring.  These babes are so much fun to make all on their own!

Tweedy the Owl

I love, love art books, especially those that have designs to make and inspire.  About a year ago, I purchased a wonderful book called "the artful bird" by Abigail Patner Glassenberg.  The book contains instructions and patterns to make your own feathered friends.

As you may have guessed, I choose to start with the Owl shown on the back of the book.  I have kept my husband's older tweed jackets for just this purpose!  I used the good parts of the jacket for the owls feathers and was very pleased with the outcome:

The owl has been regarded with fascination and awe in many cultures and throughout time. Owls have been both feared and venerated and have been considered either wise and/or foolish.  They are often associated with wisdom, medicine and prophecy.

My owl has his very own companion called Oliver.  Oliver is needle felted by hand.  The feet are wired, wrapped with floral tape and then wrapped with strips of torn cotton fabric to suggest feathers.

Steampunk Fish

Steampunk as a genre has been around for quite a few years now.  I am in love with this style and have made crows (last year) and now fish in the genre.  Steampunk is a cross between the sci-fi of H.G. Wells, industrialization, and the Victorian era.  It uses found/left over industrial objects such as gears, bulbs, screws, bottle caps, chains, springs etc.

A couple of weeks ago, a few of the cloth-a-dollics (local cloth doll club) gathered to make steampunk fish at one of our local sewing stores (Sawyer's Sewing Centre in Victoria).  Some of us used a basic fish template provided by the talented Maureen and/or a Frowning Francis pattern,  as well as modified fish patterns of our own making as inspired by the internet.

I now present my small school of fish (seven creatures in all).  They live in the deep Pacific ocean off Vancouver Island.  My first fish is the elusive red-eyed Gear fish:  although shy he will stop to gather gears, chains, springs and zippers wherever he finds them.

Next meet his dear companion the Cutlery fish who gathers all kinds of things from the ocean floor, including forks, spoons, egg beater, snaps and even a "hand"!:

This next little fellow is quiet but deadly, the Piranha Fish who loves chains and springs best:

Now here is a female fish known as "Tea-time Sally" as she is quite the one for a drink and a gossip:

Tea-time Sally's best fishy friend is called "Bright-Idea Betty".  She is always thinking up new schemes to fool the humans:

Both of these two gals are made using the Frowning Francis pattern and use both fabric and papers that are collaged on the cloth body.

Now the "player" of this small school is "Lover-Boy" Fish: Notice his large lips, the love tokens he carries to a prospective "lucky girl fish" and his jaunty paper hat!

Finally, the brains of this school is known as "Circuit-Geek" Fish for obvious reasons:

I made him by taking apart my husband's obsolete computer-what fun!

All of the fish were made with a cloth basic body, gessoed, painted and then embellished with the steampunk "stuff".  They are about 6" long by 4" tall and hang from fishing line (how appropriate).

I hope you have enjoyed my fish and if you are in the Victoria area, note that they will be at Pearkes arena on display (along with the many quilts and more fish) at the Victoria Quilters show on May 2nd through May 4th, 2014.

Cats

Believe it or not, I have not always been in love with cats!  We had no pets growing up and I was especially afraid of cats as they would tend to come to me and stare at me!  Little did I know that these feline creatures knew that I was a cat lover waiting to emerge.

In the late 1980's I went to see Andrew Lloyd Webber's show about feline follies in Toronto's beautiful, restored Elgin theatre.  I was hooked.  The production was magnificent and from that point forward I have been fascinated by the cat.  I was the proud owner of four cats at one time, sadly, only two are with me now.

I am sharing my recent fabric cats based on the musical and T.S. Eliot's poetry on cats.  I used Julie McCullough's Cat Dancer pattern and adjusted the head to make it my own using a technique I learned from the wonderful late doll artist Akira Blount.  The cats are made with multiple strips of co-ordinated fabrics.  The heads are hand sculpted with thread, covered with a "fabric skin" and then painted.

The first cat is a Jellicle cat named Lisbeth:

 Jellicle cats are black and white.  They sleep all day and move at night.

Her face is hand painted including her eyes.  She is 18" tall.

The next cat is named Mr Mistoffelees.  He is quiet and small and mostly black. He can creep through the tiniest crack and walk on thee narrowest rail.  "He can pick any card from a pack and is equally cunning with dice."

Now let us move on to Rum Tum Tugger, the Curious Cat.  He is male and rather fine but if you offer him pheasant he would rather have grouse.  If you put him in a house he would much prefer a flat.  If you set him on a mouse, then he only wants a rat!  Rum Tum Tugger is such a curious cat!

Rum Tum Tugger is 20" tall and full of personality.

Now comes the lovely Victoria, the all white kitten who loves to dance.  She swoons over Rum Tum Tugger but she is shy and very quiet.

Victoria's beautiful face and glass blue eyes.

Now this next cat I named Theo.  He is not in the musical but I love him.  He is quite old,  very serious and proud for he is Siamese.

Theo with his kitten buddy "Siam"

Finally, no production of cats would be the same without the old, sad and beautiful "Grizabella".  She sings the unforgettable song, "Memory":

"All alone in the moonlight, I can smile at the old days.  I was beautiful then.  I remember the time I knew what happiness was, let the memory live again"

Grizabella yearns to be accepted and she stretches out her hand which is taken by Victoria, the shy white kitten!

I hope you have enjoyed my cats.  There will be more in the future so stay tuned.