Warm Hugs

I was very moved by a website I found while surfing the net during the winter holidays.  It is called Enchanted Makeovers and its website is http://enchantedmakeovers.org/    The organization transforms homeless shelters for women and children into spaces for individuals to thrive in, not just survive.  It sets the stage for individuals living in the shelters to become empowered during the process.  I was so moved by what the organization was doing that I contacted Terry and asked her if it would help to create a pattern and tutorial for a cloth doll that her organization could use.  I wanted to develop a pattern that was very child safe, easy to make, and very warm and cuddly.  I couldn’t think of anything better than a pattern of a kitten made out of fleece called Warm Hugs.  I have spent the past few days of my 51 days of art creating the pattern for Warm Hugs.  The pattern is not complete but I wanted to share what I created so far.  I still have to try out the pattern piece for the tail and develop clothing for Warm Hugs.  Once the pattern and tutorial is developed I will also be sharing it for free with anyone that would like to make the dolls to donate to organizations that could use them to brighten a little ones life such as police departments, hospitals, safe houses, etc.  I will keep you posted on the progress!

Inspiration

This is my dear friend Vola at her home after we went out to lunch together a few weekends ago.  Vola has been a dear friend for many many years. The way she lives her life is an inspiration to me and most who are fortunate enough to have crossed her path.  A long time ago she tried to teach me how to quilt.  I wound up making a quilted table runner, realized how much time, work, and effort is involved in quilting and decided to go off into the worlds of doll making, beading, painting, jewelry making, and collage.  I may sometime go back to trying my hand at quilting when I feel I have more time to spend.  But I still use the stitch she taught me that hides how the thread is tacked onto the quilt, and how to use it to end a thread you are using to quilt.  I use it all the time in my doll making.   But, that is a little off topic.

 What is inspiring about Vola is that she spends her life every day trying to do something to make someone else's life just a little bit better.  She lovingly works on quilts daily to give away to all that she knows, to the homeless,and  to the children that are victims of domestic violence.  When she is not busy making quilts to give away with love, she is knitting hats to keep those less fortunate warm in the cold winter months.  I had the good fortune a year and a half ago of sitting beside her at her 90th birthday tea party.  People from near and far came to wish her a happy birthday.  Many shared with me how Vola had touched their lives in a very significant way by her acts of kindness during a difficult part of their life journey.  I have always told Vola that when I grow up I would like to be like her and feel lucky to have her friendship as a part of my life for so many years.  Not only does she inspire my art but she inspires how I try to live my life. 

Kuan Yin Revisited

I started a cloth representation of Kuan Yin quite some time ago and for some reason she was set aside amongst my multitude of unfinished projects.  I worked diligently during the last Figurative Artists Consortium Retreat in Ottawa on her hand beaded lotus blossom seat and never finished her.  So I took her out this weekend, completed her lotus blossom seat, needle-felted mohair for her hair, and have little left but a few finishing touches to do.

For those who did not see the original post, and may be unfamiliar with Kuan Yin, she is known by many as the goddess of compassion, one who hears the cries of all beings. She is also known in Buddhism as a Bodhisattva, one who puts off Nirvana in order to liberate all sentient beings. Many representations of Kuan Yin depict her as a beautiful oriental woman in flowing gowns carrying a vessel filled with the waters of compassion. She is often seen standing or sitting on a lotus blossom. In the representation of Kuan Yin that I have created, she has golden colored skin and is seated in the Bodhisattva pose.  

FREE SIMPLE NEEDLE-SCULPTING TUTORIAL

I have been preparing to share my needle sculpting techniques on a pin doll pattern I designed with the ADU doll club that I belong to in Ottawa and thought you might enjoy this needle sculpting tutorial that I am posting today.


Step One: Marking the Face

To start off, make sure you have a very firmly stuffed head. Try to make sure you have stuffing filling out the nose. You can mold the head with your hands to get the shape of head that you find pleasing.

For the placement of features many books on drawing the figure and portrait painting are good resources for facial feature placement. For a more childlike face, which I am working on here today, you want to place the eyes on a horizontal line that is at the halfway point of the face. The eye width should be the same distance as the space between both eyes. Since I generally work on small doll heads I use a regular sharp pencil to mark the needle sculpting points. Many doll artists use fade away marking pens but I find them to spread too wide to give me the exact points I need to work on a small head. The pencil marks can be later incorporated into the coloring and shading of the face. When I make a mistake in marking I just erase the mark even though it often leaves a messy smudge. I have been told that you can use scotch tape to remove this smudge but have not tried this technique yet. In this particular example I am using a fine woven muslin that I hand dyed. These needle sculpting techniques can also be utilized on other cloths used for doll skin such as doe suede.

Place one dot on the eye line at the inner corner of each eye and on the outer corner of each eye. Remember to make the width of each eye the same distance as the width that each eye is apart from each other.

Next place a small dot where each nostril should be. The nose should be placed half way on the face between the eye line and the chin.

Next place a small dot where the outer corner of each side of the mouth will be. The mouth line should be half way between the nose and the chin. The corners of the mouth should be placed on that horizontal mouth line. They should be vertically aligned with the center point of each eye. Sometimes I may move these points just a touch closer to each other than that for a more pleasing effect.

If you are adding ears to your needle sculpted head you will need to make placement dots for those. You need to make one placement dot on the eye line and one placement dot at the nose line on each side of the head.

Step Two: Preparing to Needle Sculpt

I generally use nymo thread in a color slightly lighter than the “skin” fabric but many dollmakers do not prefer to use this thread because it is multi-ply and can tangle while you are working with it. You can use silamide, strong carpet thread, or strong craft thread.

Thread your needle, I usually use John James Darners (number 7 or 9). For a larger head you will need longer needles. I have used long doll sculpting needles but they often are too thick and leave too large holes so when using them I will use the long needle to get to where I want to be and then switch to a darner to do the actual needle sculpting. I have been told that milliners needles are better for this but have yet to try them.

Use a single thread always when needle sculpting. DO NOT double your thread in the needle. Make a knot on one end and bring the needle from inside the neck part of the head into the back of the head. Make a tacking stitch so that the knot doesn't pull through

Step Three: Sculpting the Nose

Make sure you have enough stuffing in the nose area so you have a firm nose to work with. Bring the needle into one of the nostrils. Take a small stitch and then bring it to the back of the head. Do not pull tightly, just a little tug, then take a tacking stitch at the back of the head.

Do the same to the other nostril. You may want to repeat the process twice on each side to make a nice indentation in the nostrils.

Step Four: Starting to sculpt the eyes

Bring the needle from the back of the head to the front of the head in the corner of one eye. Take a small stitch and bring it back to the back of the head. Do not pull to tightly. Just give it a little tug. Take a tacking stitch at the back of the head.

Do the same process for the inner corner of the other eye. Repeat the process twice for each eye.

Step Five: Sculpting the Eyes and Mouth

Make sure your cheeks are firmly stuffed. Bring the needle from the back of the head to the front of the head in one corner of the mouth.

Take a small stitch and then run the needle under stuffing in the cheek and out of the face at the outer corner of the eye. This is where you want to give a good little tug to develop a nice smile and nice cheek.

Take a small stitch at the outer corner of the eye and bring the needle to the back of the head. Give the thread a bit of a good tug and take a tacking stitch at the back of the head.

This will give a nice shape to the cheek and to the eye.

Repeat the process for the other eye. Repeat the process for both eyes and cheeks twice.

Step Six: Giving Shape to the Head

Bring the needle from the back of the head to the side where you placed a mark for the ear at the eye line. Take a small stitch.

Bring the needle to the other side of the head at the mark for the ear at the eye line. Take a small stitch.

Go back and forth a few times until you have a nice shape to the face then go to the back of the head and take a tacking stitch. Run the needle back and forth in the back of the head a few times until you feel the thread is secure before you cut the thread off.

If you are not adding ears you are all set to start adding details to your face with watercolor pencils, pastels, or what ever art supplies you use to add color and depth to your needle sculpted faces!

THE PHOTOS AND WRITINGS IN THIS TUTORIAL ARE COPYRIGHTED AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT PERMISSION.

MARLA NIEDERER

ORSINI'S ANGELS

2011

Happy Halloween!

I made this pin doll with a Halloween color scheme. I used eyelash yarn for her hair and black bat lace for her bodice.