I make handmade Cloth Art Dolls, each and every one is made with love and a part of my soul. I use fine materials, like hypo-allergic poly fill, ribbons, buttons, hand embroidery on many of them and use cotton, tulle, and other textiles, also will use acrylic paints for some faces. My sewing area is free of animals and smoke. I have many patterns and am always finding new and exciting ways to change my patterns to make new dolls for you to love.
I’m complex and simple. I’m deep and artistic. I am fire. I’m magic and mundane. I’m loud and quite. I’m a wise teacher and an ever learning student. I’m neither black nor white. I’m gray. I’m stable and confused. I’m loved and hated. I’m a voyeur and an exhibitionist. I’m shy and outgoing. I’m open minded!! Spiritual! I see things, I feel things that some don’t, for those who do, you understand. I like control, but sometimes I'll give into my submissive side. I am an Artist!
I have been working on an Egyptian doll for the last couple of months. I took the body of the doll and primed it so that it is darker and painted her face on her. I got the design of the clothes from a group that I am on the pattern is free for the clothes and that is what I wanted. I am challenged when it comes to clothes. I got the clothes mostly completed and have just finished the hair. That was a huge challenge for me. After working for hours on how the instructions suggested I was not able to get it to look the way I was after, so I changed it and did it my way. I believe it has come out quite well. I have been debating on how I want to do the arms, there are several ideas that I have in my head - but on the other hand I may not change them at all, but add the embellishments that I want. The primitive polymer clay arms and hands are kinda a signature of mine it seems. This is actually different then the instructions on the pattern. The doll pattern is from Lisa Li Hertzi.
Wow, it's been a while since I have written on my blog. I have been busy with my apartment, moving rooms around (now I can't find things) and making dolls for swaps. I had an ornament doll to swap, and two other dolls. here are the pics of them.
This is the ornament doll, after talking with my swap partner this is what I came up with. I really liked the pattern I found and changed it a lot to make it an ornament. It is a holly leaf, I beaded the edges of all the leaves and added balls for the berries. The face is made from polymer clay and added gold glitter glue around the head and festive trim around the head area.
This doll is made from the same pattern, but I used the original size, the pattern is for paper machete. Which I changed to a cloth doll pattern instead. This time I moved the two small leaves to the back of the doll, and beaded all around the whole doll. The face is painted in a green, highlighted the cheeks with rose and wine color for the lips, the eyes have an amber color under the lids. I made beaded hair for this doll. On the main body of the doll I beaded the berries too.
This is a faerie doll that I made for another swap partner. She is into them. This doll has different aspects to her. I used a couple of recycled cloth items on her. Her face is made from a white tee shirt and the white body of the doll is made from material that you would choose at a furniture store when picking out the color and cloth design for your sofa or chair - those samples. I get them from a very high end furniture store instead of them throwing them out. The arms, legs, and bodess are made of cotton tie died, and I had painted the face. Her hair is an off white wool fiber with blue Tully. I added a Tully and black and white lace over lay for the skirt. Her shoes are white felt and trimmed with blue beads. She has wings attached to her back made from the same dark blue Tully and wire and I added with silver gilder designs of snowflakes on the wings. She has a silver trim around her waist and as shoulder straps.
I hope that each of my swap partners are happy with what I have made for them for this Yule/Christmas season swap.
Donnely from All my Sisters! Congratulations Donnely! I know that Namba Teeke will love his new home! May he Awaken your Spirit to wonderful creative inpiration and every thing in your life! Since I made this doll I have had so many inquiries about him. I will be making others similar to this one soon
This was a total inspiration for me. I have been working on other dolls and this one came out from no where. I hand made her polymer clay face and painted it, used orange material which I primed, so she smells like vanilla and cinnamon, added some yarn and black wool fiber for hair, used my sheer gold brown material for her dress with primmed cheese cloth and added some beads. She was completely made from scraps laying on my sewing table.
I just love doing swaps! I am in a group and we have these every now and then, and they are just a blast! This time we are doing a swap and the theme is Autumn Goddess. I did her a little different than most of my Goddess dolls. I like this design very much too!
She has legs and her arms are wire wrapped with black pipe cleaners with gold polymer clay hands. She wears a sheer golden brown skirt and hand painted face. Her hair is moss green wool fiber and in a bun in the back. She was a great joy to make! I just know that my swap partner will enjoy her too! Although this doll went to my swap partner I have had many request for her and I sell style doll for on my website too.
Well after looking at my pictures of my dolls, I have decided that I need to take new pictures of them. I am not that good at taking pictures and my dolls don't have good lighting and too much shadows around them. This will probably be an afternoon event for me and have been looking around the house to do the shots. I have found where someone talks about how to take pictures of your dolls and will be using this as a guide.. I wish I could find a place to set up and keep it set up to take pictures all the time, but space is precious in this little apartment! LOL
I still have a couple of dolls to finish for swaps, the last minute details is all that is left, and I will be able to send them out. I have been fretting alot over a challenge that ends in Nov, and I finally got some inspiration for it, took some notes and will be able to take on that challenge as soon as my swap dolls are done.. thank goodness.
I have two very detailed ideas for a couple of dolls and have the materials already purchased for them, one will be an Egyptian Goddess and the other is a Spirit doll. The Spirit doll will be knew for me, since so far my dolls are mainly Goddess dolls and Tribal dolls.
I will be setting up a new contest very soon for Yule/Christmas for my website. Got some ideas and will see what comes about. My first is going quite well and will be done Oct 16th with the winner of my Namba Teeke doll annouced on Oct 17th. I will really miss this doll, he has been sitting in my studio keeping me company for so long. He was such a delight to make.
I had an inspiration to make a mermaid doll, well I just finished her. I am so happy with the way she turned out. I actually started out wanting to make a fairy, but as I was laying out my cloth and pattern for my fairy, she came into my head and I could help myself, she just wanted so bad to come out! I used my usual Goddess doll pattern and made some changes and added a tail. I found that I had everything around the house to bring her about.
This is my version of the Red Flannel Goddess. I made her in honor of Red Flannel Days here in Cedar Springs Mi, which celebrates "Red Flannels or the Union Suite" from which the very first Union was started. We have a wonderful parade, battle of the Bands, Arts and Crafts and many other activities that have been going on now for 70 years. What is most fun is everyone tries to wear red or you could go to jail by the Keystone Cops!
I have this doll finished Black & White Goddess. She is a little smaller than the rest, looking at sizes. I made wing style arms for her and added black &white feather for her hair. This doll has been sold.
I made my first Primitive doll. She is from a freebe pattern Donna Veal and I call her Autumn Moth.. she is not for sale just having fun learning how to make primitives. I am seeing ways to incorporate them into my dolls.
This little birdie was fun to make, I changed the pattern some made the tail and wings bigger. I think he is so cute! He has painted eyes and a polyclay beak and wire feet.
I just love this doll, I had so much fun making her. I found this pattern and it just spoke to me.. make me.. make me.. lol I truly hope that my swap partner enjoys her as much as I have, in both who she is and how much I truly enjoyed her coming into creation!
I have to admit that some parts of this doll I have never done before. I used polyclay for the arms that is new to me and attaching her to a stand is something I never done before either.
This is the Bride and Groom that I made for a wedding couple getting married this Aug 22nd.
I just fell in love with this pattern which is actually a Goddess pattern by Lisa Li Hertzi.
To the Bride, I added pearl beads to the dress hem, sleeves and around the neck and to the veil, and silver beads to the body of the dress.
The Groom's body is white for the shirt and bottom half is black for the pants, I added a collar and a bow tie, his black jacket is in tails. This is the back view of the dolls. I put them on a wooden stand, and added their names and their wedding date on the wood too.
I signed up and got a wonderful partner for our Goddess Doll Swap! My partner is from England. I find this such an exciting adventure. We e-mail each other and get to know one another and from this we make dolls for each other. I am so very excited to make her a doll as I am to receive one from her and to see what she has picked for me. Will post my doll when I get it from her.
I got some real neat material from a high end furniture store for free. I am thinking about making some very neat one of a kind Goddess Dolls out of all this sample material. I have velvets, stripes, flowers, all kinds of different designs. I think this will be a hoot of fun to do, should make some very interesting Goddess Dolls!
I call her my Fire Heart Goddess. Made of yellow felt, beaded red heart with a beaded sun. I have yellow and red wool felt hair.
This is my Star Goddess, made of Black Felt and has black wool felt hair.
This is my Shell Goddess, made of sand colored felt, and a beaded shell.
This Goddess Doll is my Fire Spirit. Made of red and pink felt.
This is my Goddess Doll. She is made of black felt and silver beads, two crescent moons and the full moon.
This Goddess Doll was sold and is one of my favorites. She is made of Blue Felt and silver beads that show the Waves of the water under a Crescent Moon. She was sold right away. This is my Spiral Goddess Doll. She is made of Black felt and multicolored beads. the face spiral is of the mind, an open spiral over the heart, and a creation spiral over the belly.
I go past this little shop everyday coming and going to work. The name inspired me to make this little Goddess doll. This is also my first bead work too.
I am making this doll as a pattern for another doll I want to make. I added a bust, and shapely legs and feet. Need to work more on her arms. Slimmer and with more shape. I also am working on making the body and the legs all in one, so that she will stand up. I will be making a bride and groom and this is for me, my first step. I like the bust, legs and feet. I'm playing with clay for the shoes with nice heels.
Now for this doll, my next challenge is wings! I have read up on several others tips and instructions on how to make them, I just have to see what all I have on hand and what I can come up with that will look nice for her. Wish me luck.... LOL When I am done I post them.
I joined another doll forum and was just in time to whip up a doll for a challenge they had going. It was my first doll challenge and was a lot of fun to do. She is a Polish Goddess called Samovila.
I have several dolls in the process coming in the near future. I have bride and groom coming up real quick due in August and a special doll for a store. I am also making my own version for her as a thank you. I also am getting into a Doll Challenge which I have to make two dolls due in November.
So far the store owner is pleased with my work, and has sent me some more ideas as how she wants her doll. This is the biggest challenge I have had so far, so much fun.
I have made three dolls from some wonderful doll makers patterns which I have only posted one so far. I am really learning a lot from working with these others doll makers patterns. Now my only problem is all the dolls I have around my house. LOL
I entered a Goddess Doll Challenge just for fun. I only had three days to do it in.. LOL! Whipped her up real fast. After the judging is over with I'll post a picture of her. I can't wait to see what others sent. It's a "fun challenge" , and for me it was to see how quickly I could come up with a Goddess and make her.
I made this Raggedy Ann doll for our great niece Daisy, who will be 1 years old next week-end. I was so very happy how she turned out. I used the "Sweet Annie" pattern from Mamaws Creations. It was so simple to put together. Daisy's mom and dad are into horses and I had this Blue Betty Boop Cowboy material sitting around and no Raggedy Ann is complete in my mind without her apron. I had a challenge with the hair wanted to make sure it would not pull out under the pressure of a toddler. LOL, I went to a new group of friends I have at FOCD, and these wonderful dollmakers gave me great suggestions which I took advantage of. I can't wait to give it to her this coming week-end!
I have a consignment that I am working on for a bride & groom for a August wedding. I am still finishing off my new series of dolls, working on a goblin and I got another doll that is very different from any of these that I am making and am working on getting a consignment job of signature dolls for a store. So I am busy and its loads of fun. Been looking around at new fabric stores and checking on the cost to have my sewing machines fixed.. but I am thinking about pulling out my old machine that is a wheel and pedal style it only does straight stitches, but that's all I really need.. it would be a blast I think to sew on an old antique sewing machine, thing is it still works while these new ones die so quickly.
Oh and almost forgot my daughter is getting married this July, wow so much to do. I love it.
I have been working on an Egyptian doll for the last couple of months. I took the body of the doll and primed it so that it is darker and painted her face on her. I got the design of the clothes from a group that I am on the pattern is free for the clothes and that is what I wanted. I am challenged when it comes to clothes. I got the clothes mostly completed and have just finished the hair. That was a huge challenge for me. After working for hours on how the instructions suggested I was not able to get it to look the way I was after, so I changed it and did it my way. I believe it has come out quite well. I have been debating on how I want to do the arms, there are several ideas that I have in my head - but on the other hand I may not change them at all, but add the embellishments that I want. The primitive polymer clay arms and hands are kinda a signature of mine it seems. This is actually 
different then the instructions on the pattern. The doll pattern is from Lisa Li Hertzi.
