Yesterday was great. I laughed with friends just about all day, at the job even. Not much got done on the creative front once I got home, although I did some sketching (of a small one bedroom house, based on the farmhouse in Ratatouille) and went through old miniature magazines. That CaseyMini lady is bad news. She's gotten me interested in miniatures again. Oh so wrong, that woman, but I oh so love her blog. She cracks me up.
Not only do I have a boat load of projects slated for the month, I have to show that I am doing something. Also, to prove to myself that I can stay focused in the "Land of Finish Me" so I can get to other stuff, like minis. No, no, I can't, must stay focused.
Today, rather tonight, I will update you on some of these projects. The first one:
Aliens- These are the kids. I started the whole family awhile ago and this week I finally got their faces on. What was I waiting for? I cut out different shapes of black felt for their eyes and little round grey pieces as pupils. They are aliens after all. The mouths are red felt.
I arranged the eye parts on their heads differently before gluing on, because they each have their own pose and personality. I picked a purple, velveteen like fabric for their clothing. It has sprinkles of green, red, orange, and yellow all over it. The sprinkles didn't photograph well, so you'll have to take my word on the description. I will try again when the critters are finished.
Blue and Yellow Angels- I showed these lovelies before too. I repainted the brown one because her first paint job was very blotchy. She looks much healthier now. I glued on the trim around their neck, bust line, wrists, and the hems of their dresses. I had another plan for part of their outfits but can't remember what it was and I won't spend anymore time figuring out the design. I want to get them done. I will paint their faces this week, add hair and some beads. Maybe on the beads.
Old Man Winter Voodoo Doll- Give him the boot! I got this idea of a voodoo doll form the cover of "Skirt" magazine. At that time winter was becoming a bother (it's not getting any better) and it would be great to have an Old Man Winter Voodoo doll. To toss around, kick him, poke him when you're tired of the mess of snow, ice, sleet, freezing rain and slush.
I will make him out of cotton and use fabric paints to make him blue, gray and just downright gnarly. I've got blue, clear, and white beads along with snowflake charms. Also he will get stamped with a snowflake rubber stamp all over his body. A frigid mess. I want to make several stick pins with suns on the end. To melt the little winter monster. You can't have a voodoo doll without pins, now can you?
Spring Faerie/Angel- I am so ready for spring. I can taste it. Smell it. Feel the warmth of the new season sun on my face. These little ladies will help to get rid of the cold, old man winter. Just in case the sun pins don't work. Some people like angels, some like faeries, some like both. It's that 'two birds with one stone' thing for me. Don't tell them because they fly too.
It's a simple pattern, the body and legs are one part, a separate arm and head pattern. This way the body can be done out of fancy fabric while arms and head out of a skin tone of my choice. I have also designed two wing styles. I can dress them up or down (with embellishments) as much as I like. Yay spring!
Here's the first pattern drawn. Eyes were for something else I started to think about. Attention span of a gnat.
Here's a cleaned up pattern.
The Reader- Her head has been stuck on a double pointed knitting needle for almost a year. She has been very patient but I'm getting tired of looking at her sans body. I took her head and measured out her body which will be in four parts. At least right now, to make her more 3D. This body style is called a 'stump doll'. Love it. Don't have to worry about stuffing legs and it goes on a base or stand like a dream.
There are two halves that make up the front and two for the back. The back section angles out a bit because I didn't want to make a structure undergarment to give the effect of a train. I'll deal with her arms once I get her body done. I will start off by making a mock-up out of muslin to see if the pattern will work or have to be altered. I'll take pics of that process too.
Today was a long day. It didn't start out well because I told myself that it was my day off. I knew I needed to do something so I had a cup of Chai tea (yum) and got busy. I also worked on needle felting, my skull ornaments. Will have pics of a completed one in a couple of days. I've got ten going.
Before bed I will start to stitch down the crazy quilt binding. It'll be done for show and tell tomorrow night for applique class. I need to pick up some clips (they actually look like hair clips) to hold the binding down as I stitch it in place. Now I have a gazillion straight pins in it. Yes, I will get poked, but once it's done, it will be beautiful and then I can use it. You can never have enough blankets, lap quilts, or throws.
Two more additions to the film bunch. They were suppose to have wings but me being the artist, it's my discretion that they don't. They still look angelic like and I feel good about that. I so love the fabrics I used for their arms and legs. I wonder if I left the manufacturer on what's left and then I can look for more. I'd loved to have a lap quilt. I usually go for bright and jewel tone colors for quilts but every now and I like traditional colors.
I used soft pastels for their makeup, cheeks, and lips. Along with color pencil to highlight and outline the lips. The eyebrows on the brown doll are done out of Pigma pen and the lighter one, her brows are of brown color pencil. Their hair is upholstery trim. Love the stuff, it comes in an assortment of colors and you unravel one end and get this massive hair thing going on.
I had to paint the brown one twice. I mentioned that she had come out splotchy at first. I wasn't satisfied with the second time around after I started doing her makeup. But those goofs were hidden by the pastels. Love those things. I've got to get better brushes for application.
She's quite elegant, don't you think? I had a different trim for under her bustline but forgot about it until I had the gold on. It still works. I can use the blue for something else.
