On my worktable

 A new doll........... not quite finished.  If you saw the last post I had a bit of a disater with the last mask for this doll.  This mask was sewn on twice. 

I have to say, this dolly is so accident prone.  She has fallen down frequently, split her seams, had to have a spot wash and had her clothing unpicked and resewn.

And she is not quite finished.  She needs shoes and socks, and an accessory item, but I am giving her a rest so we can both settle down.  I think her expression is a bit peeved or sad or fed up.

What do you think?









Now as for the mask...............I managed to salvage the paperclay. After removing the fabric, it just needed a good sand and it is ready for a new face to be drawn.  Of course I had to tea dye the cotton knit and I hope the colour is the same.  Who would have thought something so simple was so complicated!

As much as I have enjoyed the challenge of making these paperclay masks, I do want to create a mask that is lightweight.  I have a mask which is just layers of felt and cotton knit, and it seems to be a strong enough mask to hold the features. 

Soft mask - no paperclay

The features will be much softer and from memory the doll in the Blue dress and jacket named Kym is made with the softer mask.
(See my thumbnails on the right.)







And on to the other thing I have been working on - The Pants!  And a Shirt!  Now I know these look a bit rough and they are still pinned and unfinished, but I love the character this clothing gives the bear. 














I am so inspired by various Russian bear artists. 

Olga Zharkova

Philomena Kloss









And I have discovered that ageing a teddy is "a thing".
So more on that later.  At the moment I am back to making things.  Check my Etsy page and press on like.  I feel a bit lost amongst all those talented makers.

Etsy, Pants and High Tea!

 Hi everyone,
I have listed a Hare cloth doll on my etsy site.
MinikinsBySandy
I am determined to make and sell my work.
This is now my job, and I do enjoy the freedom of creating.















I made this a long time ago and I like the quirkiness of the style.  He is 22" long and his ears are 18".
I doubt I will make him again.  At he time I was making a female version and so I will probably sell that and that will be it.

I am in love with Russian Teddy Bears and I want to make this style.  Take a peek at this pintrest page -   Pintrest dressed bears

Today I decided I wanted to dress a bear in pants with pockets.  But it took my brain a little while to work out the pattern to fit the bear. Sewing bits together suddenly created a pair of pants.
I was so pleased with the results.   So I will be working on these type of bears.
After getting over the stress of trying to design the pants, I really enjoyed sewing  them up and I can't wait to finish them.

But I had to go to High Tea this afternoon with my sister! It was so enjoyable.  A glass of champagne to start then a personal 3 tiered tray of delicious delicacies.  And of course a pot of tea in beautiful crockery.

Just to take time out from daily routine.  If you have never taken High Tea, give it a try.

We went to a city hotel and there were no other people taking High Tea  Stamford Adelaide High Tea, so it was very private.  There were people coming in for coffee or beers, but there was plenty of seats in the lounge and people did their own thing.  It was lovely.  We are going to do it as a thing for special birthdays and get togethers with my other sister who is returning to Adelaide after living interstate for 15 years.  So there are a lot of changes happening around me lately.  Its all good .....I think  😏😏😏

Oh, I did a bad thing

I am one of those people who has to unpick 20 rows of knitting if I make a mistake.  I need to do over something if I know an error is there.
So in my determination to fix this face I did a bad thing.....
You see it became obvious to me, the glue had lost its tackiness and when I attached the knit overlay, there were spots of loose fabric.  I had painted the face and already sewn the head to the doll body - twice- but could not stand knowing that the loose fabric was there.  It would create a wrinkle on the face if gently touched.  So I removed the head, pulled out the knit from under the neck and started to prise the fabric from the paperclay mask.  Well, you guessed it ................I tore a hole in the chin.  I was just getting to the loose bit and bang  BIG HOLE.  So the face is ruined. 

LUCKY  I had another head ready for the next doll.  And I can salvage the mask and just glue and paint another face.  They say every cloud has a silver lining, so it is not that bad, but it really was bad, because each face when painted is a little different.  Lets see who I can come up with for the next face.

Well I finally did it!

So here is my first doll listed on Etsy.!!
It has taken me quite a while to stop fussing with her and just get her up on the site.
It seems I joined Etsy in 2011.  That is 7 years ago! Not active for 7 years!
I have made some purchases from Etsy, however, I have to admit I find all this social networking daunting,  There are thousands of sellers out there and I am terrified of being judged or compared. But I really would like to have a doll making business, I think what I make is sweet and unique and could make someone special smile.
The more you do the better you get, and already I can see the improvements I need to make.  Being creative is a blessing and a curse, especially when self doubt creeps in.
I will try a few different doll making styles  -  you know I have tried many different methods!
After working for so many years in many different jobs, I just want to spend my days creating and sewing, not having to answer to anyone and just do my own thing.
I have been supported by a few  keen followers and yet I am shy to comment on others sites.
That has to change or I will be having a very solitary life creating and sewing by myself.

So thank you to all those who look in to see what I am up to and giving me encouragement.
Being a small fish in a big sea means you have to do something to be noticed.  I have plenty of time,
just need the something special to happen.