A break in the clouds…

means I've been able to photograph my latest dolls.

Do you remember Beatrix Potter's Tale of Two Bad Mice? It was one of my favourite books when I was a child; I loved the naughty mice, and how they rampaged through the doll's house and wrecked all of Jane's and Lucinda's belongings. I have to confess this was probably due to jealousy on my part, since I didn't have a doll's house and wasn't overly blessed with dolls (unless of course, you count the scuba diving Action Men Dad gave me).

So when I recently decided to make some dolls from self-hardening clay I immediately turned to Miss Potter for inspiration. I didn't want to make something that was too twee, or looked like a fairy–there are a lot of those around already–but wanted my dolls to have a more worldly appearance. I particularly liked, Jane, Miss Potter's dark-haired doll (Lucinda, the blonde one, was much too cute for my liking!) and the way her stiff little limbs made her look as if she was rigid with horror at what those pesky mice had done to their home.

I hope however that my dolls don't look as if they might swoon or blub at the sight of an intruder. I've tried to make them more modern too, although I'd like to think you can see where my inspiration came from.

The process for making them is really quite simple: all you need is some self hardening clay, a few scraps of fabric and a lump of toy stuffing. The bodies are stuffed bell-shaped fabric bags, while the limbs and head are made from clay, but pierced with holes before drying so they can be stitched to the body. I've given them little urchin dresses, nothing too swanky or pretty, but basic, hardworking clothes – ideal attire for fighting off mice!

Elizabeth,
x.

A calendar of cushions–February

Well, it's only February, and already my New Year resolution to make a cushion a month is falling behind schedule. Goodness knows what I'll have to show come July–I'll probably be passing off old pincushions as recent makes! Still, I have a few days left to finish this Log Cabin cushion, the top is almost done, I just need to add a small border. I had thought of teeny tiny HSTs for a border but am now inclined towards small bars made up of the red and pink linens.

Working with linens is a breeze if you use spray starch before cutting the fabric. It really helps stabilize fabric, and in the case of recycled shirts (the stripe and plain blue linen) means you don't have to worry about cutting on the bias and ending up with a wobbly strip.

Talking of recycled shirts, I'm using them as clothing for some new dolls I'm in the process of making. Although currently just a heap of heads and limbs I can already see these will have a more modern and urban feel than other dolls I've made. It strikes me as funny though that my doll's dresses will be made from my husband's old shirts (Patrick likes to joke that he always knew I'd have the shirt off his back). I wonder, does that make these dolls cross-dressing dollies, and if so, are they consequently the most socially inclusive, politically correct dollies ever?

Or, am I getting a little carried away with myself; after all they are just dolls!

Elizabeth,
x.

Dolly Distractions

Everyday, my quilt gets a little closer to its finishing line, and in between stitching sessions, I've found time to make another Frizzy Lizzie. That makes three in total, and since three is the perfect number for a girl group–The Supremes, The Beverly Sisters, Bananarama, and not forgetting The Three Degrees–I think I'll leave the Frizzies alone for a while. Although I couldn't resist making this little lady; like her frizzy-haired cousins, her hair is a mess, she also has the spindliest arms and legs, so I've called her Nelly Knotty Knees.

Sadly, I think the dolls are becoming something of distraction–a way for me to procrastinate, so it's time to put them away and get on with that quilt!

Elizabeth,
x.

Frizzy Lizzies

My papier-maché dolls have taken an unexpected turn. Initially, they were pale and interesting–the sort of young ladies, whom, you might imagine would be genteel, preferring to sit quietly reading poetry, rather than chase each other around fields. But these latest two are colourful characters with a fondness for flashy jewellery and a jolly good time. I've decided to call them Frizzy Lizzies due to their unruly hair (a burden I share).

I didn't mean for the girls to have tangled knots for hair, I originally envisaged sleek up-dos, but I struggled to make them look right. Whenever I tried to gather the hair into a chignon, all I achieved was a mess, so in the end, I decided to go with the flow and make a virtue out of my failure.

There are definitely more papier-maché dolls in the pipeline–they are such fun to make! Tidying up afterwards is another matter. Regardless of how careful I am, at least a handful of tissue paper usually manages to escape, although there is something quite pleasing about seeing what looks like confetti, scattered throughout my home.

Elizabeth,
x.

Arrested Development

As a child, I always envied the little girl along the road, whose parents lavished her with toys–most notably dolls. She had Tiny Tears, Teeny Tiny Tears, the entire range of Pippa dolls (and their accessories), Barbie dolls and Sindy dolls galore. My parents took a minimalist view when it came to gift giving, and my father, who published magazines on planes and scuba diving, saw fit to give me an action man, complete with wet suit, fins and aqua lung! This made me very popular with the boys but something of a misfit amongst girls, and somehow, no matter how much I tried, I could never get my action man to look comfortable in a tutu.

This perhaps explains why I love making toys, when I should have outgrown them shortly after the introduction of decimalisation. Recently, I've turned my attention from knitted rabbits to papier maché dolls. I was intending to make another group of peg dolls, based on my favourite detectives, but I'm waiting for Patrick to drill some armholes in the pegs before I begin (he likes to make a contribution and I hate power tools). So instead, I decided to make these…

The finished one is called Charlotte, and I think the name suits her. For both girls I used tissue paper so the papier maché remained light and delicate, and funnels and bottles as moulds for the bodies. The head, shoulders and limbs are all made from textiles–calico, yarn, embroidery threads and pipe cleaners. I think I'll keep the embellishment to a minimum as I like Charlotte's ethereal and slightly washed out quality (although the photos help on that score).

I can see that making these will become something of an obsession as I no longer look at bottles etc for their contents, but for their suitability as doll moulds. So the 'pegtectives' may have to go on the back burner until I have as many dolls as the little girl who lived on my road.

Elizabeth,
x.

Ladies who lunch

When I was a child, I used to love making peg dolls, and now that I'm fully grown, I still do. Peg dolls combine some of my favourite activities: painting, sewing, beading and playing with fabric, and best of all, they don't take long to make! I've recently been inspired to make another batch after watching re-runs of The House of Elliot, (a period drama about two sisters and their couture clothing house). I drooled over the lavish costumes, all silks, velvets, beads and feathers–perfectly capturing the opulence of 1920s fashion and decided that while I would look quite mad swanning around London dressed thus, my little ladies could certainly get away with it. So, whenever the immensity of my quilt-as-you-go Star Quilt got the better of me (more of which later) and I craved an instant (some might say shallow) hit of crafting satisfaction, I'd make myself a peg doll.

This group isn't quite as flapper girl as I'd originally intended. I found the straight up and down dresses made the ladies look too tubular, so instead created Edwardian style hobble skirts for my dolls, to give them more shape. I like to think that while I'm busily patchworking or quilting my ladies are lunching somewhere fabulous like the Ritz, or the Savoy–oh to be a lady of leisure!

As for the quilt-as-you-go Star Quilt, this is a college project that I've almost completed. Comprised of six sections, each consisting of various star blocks, eg, compass (see photo below), La fayette and Martha Washington's Star, I feel as if I've been working on it for ever, even though it's only been seven months. However, this week, I finished patchworking the final section and assembled the first four quilted sections, so I see light at the end of the tunnel and hope to show you the finished quilt soon.

After that, I'd like to make a start on a quilt of my own design, perhaps something simpler, based on a Chinese Coins pattern and suggestive of the sea side. But first, I'll make some more peg dolls–I think they are becoming a displacement activity!

Elizabeth
x.