my personal creative outlet
Rheadiculous
"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance."
--Aristotle
Making Pea
Getting Ready to Make Pea
April 21, 2013
Pea is what I am calling my first doll. I am calling her this after my youngest daughter who thinks what I am trying to do is "cool". She is 16 and her name is Lilly. We have called her Pea since she was a baby. It all started with the nick name Sweetie Pie. Over the years Sweetie Pie has had many changes ... Sweetie Pie, Princess Pea, Grand Mast Flash Pea (her Dad's doing), Pea Pie, and now just Pea. She hates it, but it is all hers! She went with me to JoAnn's and picked all the fabric for my first doll, so I am really excited to share this project with her. My first obstacle though is figuring out the sewing machine. It's very old and even though we have had it refurbished it seems really complex to me.
My boss at work, who is a great seamstress, found the manual for my sewing machine on-line!! You know it's old just by the font that is used to write it. Yes, I'm a nerd and notice these things! So when I got home from work I took out the machine, opened up the book and started reading. Step by step I figured out how to wind the bobbin and put it on!! Woo!! I feel like I can sew a whole wedding dress or ball gown or something at this point!!
I got my fabric out and jumped right into sewing the "skin" pieces to the "clothes" pieces so I could cut them out. I'm not sure how crazy I am about the fabric choices, but I think this is going to be a really fun doll. I was so excited to be sewing the pieces of fabric together. It brought back very lovely memories of me sitting with Dee Dee while she sewed on this old machine. I remember sitting underneath and pumping the treadle for her when she told me to. I can not imagine how aggravating that must have been for her at times! LOL Unfortunately I have discovered that this old machine is not going to work the way I need it too. One thing I remembered is that the machine would move the fabric along when she was sewing. I have seen other machines do this as well. My old machine here is not doing that. Its very disheartening and makes me very sad to realize that I actually wont be able to use her old machine. For now I have to come up with a plan B on the machine situation. As bummed as I am about the machine, I did get the fabrics sewn together in spite of having to pull the fabric through, and the doll cut out. So that's exciting. Not a total loss.
Getting Schooled by Patti
October 4, 2013
Well, I did it. I went out and purchased a new machine. I did a lot of searching around and reasearch and settled on this sturdy, affordable, and easy to use number ...
Ever get so gung-ho to do something that you jump right into without "really" reading the instructions? Yeah .... guilty here. I have been wanting to make these dolls for so long now, and have been postponed for one reason or another, that the other day I dove right into it! I cut out ALL of my pieces and began sewing them together! WOO!! I was actually sewing in a circle, literally, took me forever to figure out! Being that I have never used a sewing machine before, this was good stuff! Just like Victor Frankenstein proclaimed when the creature moved for the first time, I also proclaimed with a squeal of glee ... "Muwahahahahaha, it's alive!!!" The leg I had sewn together was a thing of beauty; so much so that I sewed together the other leg! I was happier than Old Man Parker with his major award!! And while my leg may not have been as glamorous as "the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window", it sure was pretty! I mean, just look at it!!
While I was sewing it, I was trying to think of ways to make it a little easier on myself. I noticed that the fabric was fraying apart on the sides, and then when I turned the feet I created holes in the seams. Boo!! But hey! I could fix these!! Right? To me, that first leg was a masterpiece!
Well, this morning I cracked out Patti's Cloth Doll Making video. I popped it right in to the body making section! Do you know what I discovered?
I'M DOING IT ALL WRONG!!! *face palm*
Why, oh why, didn't I take the blue pill!?! Why? Because that would have been too smart of me! I could not help but laugh at myself about this. There was Patti, sitting behind her fancy machine - one that I don't think I could ever figure out! That thing has so many settings! All I need is a GO button. That's about all I can handle! So there she is, cute as a button, just smiling and showing me what I should have done. It makes perfect sense! The bulb is now lit! As Patti clearly shows, you sew the hands and legs and face and arm pieces together BEFORE you cut it out! Oddly enough, that is exactly what it says in the instructions in the book, and also outlined on the pattern too!! Brilliant!! I bow my head in shame at my own impatient stupidity! My inner child is my worst enemy, seriously!
So this afternoon, with Patti's keen and simple instructions, I sat down with my cloth, my machine, my book, and my DVD, and paid attention this time. I did something amazing today ... I learned something!! Patti is a great teacher and I am excited to be back on the right path to my creations! I chuck this little oopse up to learning sewing maching basics. I also learned that my chopsticks are greatly helpful in turning the legs and arms! Oooo, and I also learned how to do a ladder stitch!! Now I can finally finish all those dern sockand glove creatures!! Woo!
Progress looks like this, and I'm a very happy girl!!
PS ... sorry for all of the bad movie puns .... guess its a bad movie pun kind of day!
Stuffing Pea Parts
October 28, 2013
Things are moving along greatly! I am slowly figuring out my sewing machine and how to sew. My boss at work gives me some great pointers that have really come in handy. I know this doll wont be perfect. I mean, how could she? I have never used a sewing machine before ... I have never made a doll of any kind before. A good friend of mine suggested, "Hey Rhea, why don't you start with something easy, like napkins or curtains?" Well, I suppose I could. But I am stubborn and just assume learn it on the thing I really want to make ... the doll. I figure, hell, if I can make a doll then my chances of sewing an actual curtain are just that much better! Rhea logic, yes, I know.
What I am finding is that Patti Culea's instructions are VERY easy! They are so easy that even I can do it! I sat down the other night, put The Voice on, and began stuffing my doll. It's crazy how much stuffing you can shove in these little doll parts! You think the seams are about to burst, but no. Normally you would put a metal frame it there, however, I opted not to do this yet. I'm not ready for that. I also decided to keep the hands and feet simple by not worring about fingers and toes. Keeping it simple for now. This was the end result of my stuffing and while she seem a little uneven and lumpy, I am still very pleased with her so far.
My one disappointment, and one thing that I will need to work on, is the head. I am calling this head the Franken-head because all it needs is some bolts and a few joules of electricity. I thought this might be the case when sewing her together. I felt like I hadn't quite lined her up just right and I was correct. What I also didn't do, something that my boss pointed out, is add snips around the "rounded" parts. She pointed it out on the pattern and explained the purpose to me ... it makes sense and I will do this on the next time around. You'd think this would be discouraging or disappointing to me, but it wasn't. It allowed me to practice, learn my mistakes, but mostly I get to practice drawing and painting a face! I think this will be the most difficult part for me ... painting the faces. I have Patti and her DVD to guide me though, so when I do start actually painting I will be doing so step by step watching those instructions......intently!
Here you see Pea all attached minus her head which I will probably redo....although I really do like the "sad" look on her eyes. I love this about drawing the faces. No two are alike. It seems to be different every time I draw one and I am learning all sorts of neat tricks. I am so excited how this is all coming together. I am very much looking forward to making the clothes and finishing her! I will probably end up giving her to my daughter who inspired me to do this doll. These doll's are such lovely keepsakes!
Never in a million years did I think I would ever enjoy actually sewing. When I start new arts and craft projects they are usually a fad and my enthusiam quickly dwindles. My wedding album is a prefect example. I've been saying I would scrapbook that sucker for the last two years! LOL With these cloth dolls though, I seem to have such a fondness. I turn up my music and just sew away and I truly find it oddly cathartic. I am looking forward to making many more of these lovely dolls and hopefully continue to improve.
If I actually knew any other doll makers, I would ask them if they do this: I find myself literally thinking up themes in which to make my dolls. For example, this first doll I am making I have obviously named Pea because I was inspired by my daughter Lilly who we have called Pea her whole life. As I shop around at Michael's or JoAnn's, or while I'm sewing, I find myself preparing for my next doll and looking for themes. I also tend to want to have these dolls tie into someone I know and I want to personalize them that way. This is just kind of an interesting thingI find myself doing. I wonder if everyone else in the doll making world does this as well. Humm, I suppose they do
Can't wait to start painting that face!! Woo!!
© 2012 by Rhea C. Cryingwolf