A Week Away

I spend a wonderful week in Courtney, BC with four good friends.  We rented a house on Dove Creek (called Dove Creek Farm) and the place was even better than advertised:

Charles and one of the two horses

The two brothers grazing in one of the nine paddocks

The back view of the house with Mason bee homes under the eaves

Dove Creek from the trail on the property

Another view from the trails

One of the three trails as seen from our back porch

We had a glorious time and even took time out from our mad creations to visit the Farmer's market and downtown Courtney (including the thrift stores!) Fun had by all!

Here is a sneak look at some of our ventures:

Four of us were making a wee Waldorf doll

We made wee elephants (6" tall)

Bobbi's sweet dolly in progress

Joan's Raven doll waiting for hands and a head!

There will be a future post to reveal all of the finished (or almost finished) projects!

Charlie Patricolo Workshop

Twice a year our doll club has a doll making retreat at Heritage Acres in Saanich, BC.  This year we hosted a wonderful cloth doll maker, Charlie Patricolo.  Her dolls are all cloth, some with wire armature, most without.  This class was meant to be especially useful for beginning doll makers.

Charlie brought a number of her dolls for us to inspect.  What fun we had.

Everyone enjoyed the workshop and learned many tips on making all cloth dolls with soft sculpted faces.  Here are a few photos of the dolls in progress:

I made one doll in class and finished the costuming at home and them promptly made a second doll!

Francesca and her kitty

A closeup of her wild hair

My second doll, I named her Lidia and she makes teddy bears

As many of you know, I love taking workshops.  It is so much fun to learn new techniques and create with like minded peers in a warm and giving environment.  I look forward to my next doll making adventure in mid-May so stay tuned!

Waldorf Doll Workshop

I have always wanted to make natural material soft dolls in the style of Waldorf dolls and this year I was lucky enough to have just this opportunity!

In February the first Dollfolk Handwork Festival was held in Portland Oregon and I signed up for a workshop with Fabs from Fig and Me

I met many like minded ladies and I had a great time despite the cold wintry February weather.  The next festival will be held in the month of April or May, the organizers assured us so.

Here are pictures of what I made and of the workshop:

This is the model doll. She is 12.5" tall and so sweet.

A fellow doll maker's progress

Pinning the hair cap in place

My dolly all skinned and waiting for limbs

Here is my finished dolly, Francesca with a jumper and sweater made by Fabs

Her knitted beret made by me

Francesca's friend, Phoebe, made by a fellow Canadian from Kelowna

A wee one wearing a cape made by Fabs

All ready for a wintry day (see still needs her boots)

 The following are the process photos of constructing the head:

As soon as I returned to Victoria, I completed my second doll:

Meet Pippi, a sweet, fun loving girl who loves her monkey

Hand knitted cap and vest

Here she is showing off her outfit

Bye for now, time for a cup of java

I am now sure that I want to make more of these little darlings this year!

2019 Warrior Woman

I cannot believe that a new year has dawned and the first month is coming to a close!  Time does pass swiftly.

The first doll of 2019 was inspired by some remnants of kimono fabric donated to me by a fellow member of the Coast Collective Art Centre.  I made another warrior woman with asian aspirations.  I am including the reference photos that inspired me for this creation.  I used Arley's Candlestick Diva pattern as the starting point ( I just love his patterns),

 The doll came together quite easily as I decided on the bones for her and had them in my stash from Halloween.  You can see some of the fabrics I piled up to use for her costume above.

 Notice that the candlestick I used in in shades of brown, just like her costume.  This was done by sanding and repainting the black candlestick and then adding a glossy sealant.

 The back of the Kimono is pieced with an accent silk piece of Kimono that was included in the package I received from my fellow artist.  I just love to work with silk as it drapes so nicely.

 The hair is done with a mix of yarns and I added fine braids for that messy, warrior effect.

 Her feather head dress was in my stash from an item I purchased in the summer at a local decorating store.  It worked perfectly in her hair.

I hope you enjoyed seeing her in photos.  Yes she does have real fur from remnants of an old fur coat I was given (the majority of the fur coat was repulsed into fur teddies in memory of a grandmother).

This warrior will be in a show at Tullista Park in Sidney BC the first week in May.