Mystery Unveiled ...

Sorry it's been so long in getting back to my blog.  I've been so busy creating and sewing and it's taken me over 6 weeks to finish this "mystery" project.  

So, we left off  with some assorted parts and clues ...

Here are some more clues ...

 Legs complete and now ...

 Can you guess yet?  Okay more clues ...

How about now?  ....  more clues ....

Not really fair, right?  Just a back detail ...

Now some really important details ...

YESSSSS!! ... the Scarecrow from L. Frank Baum's "The Scarecrow of Oz".  He will be appearing at the AFICC Show in Columbus, OH, next week with his friends and other characters from L. Frank Baum's books and display created by members of the Doll Street Dreamers Club.

Here he is on his doll stand as inspired by the cover artwork on the book.

Sorry the book cover didn't come out very clearly but you get the idea.

So it was fun taking you through the process of creating Scarecrow ...

What have you been working on lately?

Guess Who? ... Mystery WIP

I have been busily designing a special art doll.  I will give you snippets of information and pictures in the progress of my adventure.  It is a character you all know and love and here is where it is so far developing like a baby ...

You can see the head, torso and arms.  One arm has been stuffed, jointed and detailed.  The other arm is in its initial state without any stuffing or detail work.

Here is the torso and head ... poor little naked thing!

This is a closeup of the bottom seam on the torso... sort of folded like an envelope and stitched.

This shows the detail of the stitches I used in the first step of attaching the head to the torso.  I use button thread and try to criss-cross the stitching, going around the neck area at least twice.

This shows the welting detail of the character's hand.  The figure is wearing gloves.

So that's it so far ... Look like anyone you know?  (Tee-hee)

To be continued ....

Work in Progress ... I'm Still Alive!!

Been working so hard with this new character doll but I just wanted to reassure everyone that Polly-Wog's is still alive and kicking.  This little doll character has been a stinker in coming to life.

Do  you ever have crazy creative times when the mental images keep coming to you in batches and the images keep changing?  It really is hard to stay focused.  I will show you my work in progress and she still has a way to go.

 

Her name is Little Red (named for one of my best friends, Red Weaver) and believe me, sewing on a full head of curly red wool was quite a job.  I sometimes think it would have been easier for the dolly to grow her own (not really).  I have been struggling with designing a pinafore but after working with tiny seams and ravelling curves, I decided she could have a nice Osnaburg apron with a cute little pocket instead.  I am also designing a little shaggy dog for her.

 

Got to get back to the sewing table and get her finished.  I have more detailing to do and I have another deadline pressing.

 

Be back soon .....  woo-ha-ha-ha ....!!

 

 

 

 



Olive and Festus and Taking New Directions

January and working into February have proved to be pretty creative for me and this time has also presented me with some new artistic direction.

First, little Olive and her cranky cat Festus are two little characters that popped into my imagination during the pre-dawn hours one morning. 

Olive is yet another character that lives in Frog Bottom Borough nestled in the mountain meadows of sweet Shenandoah Virginia.  Olive has always loved apples and is well-known for her delicious, fresh, crunchy apples from her orchard.  She bakes the most delicous pies, tarts, apple dumplings and apple butter this side of the Mississippi.  She loves walking barefoot in the cool meadow grasses and Festus reluctantly follows her, begging to be carried. 

 Chasing mice is not his specialty ... too ambitious.  He will growl menacingly and whip his tail back and forth at birds in Olive's apple trees but prefers to sit in a rocking chair on the front porch and watch Olive peel apples or carve apple head dolls on warm early fall afternoons.

I loved making Olive and detailing her fingers and toes (toes even have detailed nails and joints).  She has a little summer dress made of repro vintage Civil War print and her sunbonnet protects her from the hot sun as she works over her kettles.  She and Festus are available in my Etsy shop as is her sweetheart, Gordy the Sweet Tater Man.  Festus is handpainted and soft sculptured and comes with his own cat-titude.

Now a new twist in the road has brought me to a fascination with pincushions and pinkeeps.  I wanted to get back to cross stitching but wanted to find a practical and useful place to be able to enjoy my finished cross stitch piece on more of a daily basis.  So I combined it with a pincushion pillow and here is the result:

I love the warmth and sweetness of this piece that can remain close to you as you work on your own particular needlework projects.

Presently, I am refreshing my skills at needle- turned applique.  I am taking a class taught by Judy Glick at the Quiltery (my favorite quilting and fabric haunt in Fairfield, VA).  I wanted to try my hand at re-introducing myself to applique as well as trying wool felt applique applied to, you'll never guess, a small canvas such as a pincushion!  Here is the result of that on a pincushion with wool felt and button flowers and a wonderful Blue Ridge beauty standing in the background.

  This has been so much fun and I must say I am moving through the tail end of winter and into the soggy sneak peeks of spring with a happier heart.

What have you been up to during these soggy, silvery sleepy days of winter?

Angel Grandmothers

At some time or another everyone has heard of a fairy godmother and some have been blessed with gifts from their fairy godmothers in their lifetime.

Well, in my childhood family, I had an "Angel Grandmother". 

Angel Grandmother
& Me

This was a special nickname that my toddler younger sister gave to our special Grandmother who in all respects was every bit an angel and grandmother to me and my sisters as we grew up.  She was a hardworking mother (my Mom's mom), wife and working as a full-time bookkeeper and executive secretary outside the home.  Keeping all these balls in the air was quite a feat for a woman during the 1920's and on until her retirement in the 1960's.

In doing some research on another ongoing project, I came across a picture of an angel doll that had wings made of wooden corbels.  I have always loved these types of primitive angels but have not yet experimented with the prim doll style as yet. 

So I decided to create an Angel Grandmother with wings made of wooden moulding pieces. This Angel's name is "Comfort" because that is what my Grandmother meant to me ... comfort and love. She carries some trademarks of her special love bundled up in her arms ... great classical childhood books for adventures in reading and cozy sweet dreams, a cuddly teddy bear for companionship and a basket of chocolate chip cookies (some of the best comfort I have always appreciated throughout my lifetime).

Angel Grandmother "COMFORT"

"COMFORT," TEDDY AND BOOKS

So this Comfort Angel will find her home with someone who is a special child or a special child-at-heart and hopefully will bring much comfort and love in her guardianship.



Fresh New Discoveries

What a great way to start off the New Year! ... new discoveries ...

To begin, I contacted my friend, Red Weaver of Weaver's Homestead on Etsy



http://www.etsy.com/shop/WeaversHomestead?ref=shop_sugg

because I had found some beautiful fabric


and thought this would make a divine handbag to start my new year (my old one is about 2 years old and I need a little breathing room to carry more things to my new classes for the year).  I sent her the fabric and design ideas and she is magically creating a designer bag just for me!!  Here is the style of bag I chose


 with several customized additions that she will incorporate into the final piece.  Such abracadabra magic this gal performs ... can't wait!!  Red is really easy to work with and has such a magnificient design sense that any creation you might like to have her design, she can fill the bill.

Now my next discovery ... I was researching some cross stitching and delicate designs because I hope to create some special pincushions this year for my shop at Etsy and I discovered a darling shop and blog,

Etsy Shop:  Prim Folk Art Shop

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PrimFolkArtShop?ref=search_shop_redirect




Blog:  The Wooden Acorn

http://www.thewoodenacorn.blogspot.com/

Valerie is the shopowner of the Prim Folk Art Shop and this shop at Etsy is such a delight.  There is such a variety of wool applique, rug making, cross stitch and assorted patterns that are both delicate and endearing.  These gorgeous patterns are in both folk art and prim styles and are made available to you in one-stop shopping by a grand collection of designers at very reasonable prices.  This is one of my "happy places" that I will run to especially on gloomy gray days with a warm soothing cup of hot cocoa.  Just browsing through the many selections sparks my drowsy creative spirit.



Valerie's delightful blog sparkles with cozy hospitality and visions of her own beautiful creations and insight.

Hope you will visit both Weaver's Homestead shop and Red's blog: 

http://weavershomestead.blogspot.com/

and Valerie's shop The Prim Folk Art Shop and her blog The Wooden Acorn (site addresses above).  You won't be sorry and when your creativity starts to fade with the gray winter mists, you will get a new spark of energy by visiting these two delightful artists at their hearthside shops and blogs.


 



Party Animal for the New Year ... WILBUR a Big Ol' Softie

Well, I couldn't let the New Year slip in without making a new party animal to celebrate at the party.

Here's Wilbur all decked out in his festive costume and ready to be adopted to a new home to cuddle and cheer you. 
See my etsy shop:  www.etsy.com/shop/pollywogpatterns 

I love soft-sculpturing and Wilbur's face is accented with 3-D sculpting in the tradition of the early Victorian sock monkey style with a 2013 twist!!  Who would ever guess that he is made from a pair of men's (new, of course) athletic socks?

I've always loved the story of the original sock monkey 
 and especially these homemade babies made to comfort children during the stressing times of the Depression.  Well, we all could use a little comfort now as we face the Fiscal Cliff and the shaky  days of adjustment and recovery ahead. 
 (Maybe President Obama could use a huggable ol' sock teddy bear right about now!). 



So from Wilbur, Gusto Mio and me ....

 

 

Happy New Year

 

 

and

 

 

a Joyous and Prosperous

 

2013!