Mahdreen the Elder Elf of Wisdom.....COMPLETED!

First a picture of the beautiful Mahdreen, my Elder Elf of Wisdom.....completed!

 She has been the most patient Elf that I've ever known, so many months and a yr have gone by since I began her. She has waited through all my healing from surgery, moving to AZ, getting settled in my new abode and then a few other projects that seem to have jumped ahead of her. Ah, but here she is finally completed and as beautiful as I thought she would be from the inception.

I will post a tutorial on her as best I can, being that she was a personal project I didn't get a step by step picture of her progress. She has gone through many changes as I put her together and played with the possibilities of what she would look like when finished.

This has been a learning experience for me as well in making Mahdreen. As I read more about soft sculptured dolls I came upon new ideas, I mixed them with the picture I had in my vision of her and voila'.........My greatest desire is to add more Elves to Mahdreen & Zandar's world.

Zandar (above), for those who are new to my blog, is my first Elf. Zandar is not my pattern (a pattern from SDA) but his clothing and detailing are. Mahdreen is a pattern drawn by me, as are her sculpting, clothing and detailing.

I will have a tutorial on Mahdreen coming this week! I also have a grandson on the way (November) so I'm making a quilt...my first for both! I will be sure and post on the progression of it and of course make a tutorial out of it as well. I also have a new doll that I've drawn just recently and plan to start that too! Busy, Busy, Busy!

See you soon,

Michelle

Clothes for Mahdreen the Elf of Wisdom

Hello to all :) been away for awhile......had the flu & that hung for several weeks! So I've been officially accepted here in AZ, lol.

Going to post the new clothes that I've made for Mahdreen my female Elf of Wisdom....she's been waiting patiently. I'll be back soon to show you some embellishments that I will have added to her wearables & also hope to have her hair "do" in place, I've taken out her braids for embellishment.

Her outfit is all free hand/formed, the jumpsuit is a pant pattern cutout (from memory) & I've just made the upper section that would have been belted at the waist go a bit longer and brought it past her bossoms :) which i've free formed also (some extra doll body material & poly fill-handstitched to body). I've taken some upholstery material & also some curtain material and made her jacket-no pattern.  

I will embellish as I go and see what happens! I can see her with lots of jewels & some great boots?

Be back soon!

Michelle

P.S. if you have any questions please feel free to send me a note...also patterns are always available even though I've free formed them :) but a little imagination can take you a long way when putting together clothing...there's no end to it!

Zandar is here!

I am happy to say that Zandar the Elf is here in all his splendor!

I had thought that I would be finished by tuesday at the latest but just as I was finishing the details......there just seemed to be more to add!

I've had so much fun with Zandar and am very happy to have him join my family.
A FEW OF THE DETAILS......
His hair is hand stitched and his clothes are part pattern and mostly modification :) I like to start with a basic pattern piece and then adjust and modify as I go so that it fits just right. Depending on a fold, a seam, a dart or hem..things can change. It all depends on the personality of the doll, and they do end up having one ;D

I gave Zandar a walking stick...its part of a dried flower arrangement that I have in my living room! I took only a portion of it and of course gave the other half to Sophia :) she loves it.

The boots are made from a piece of upholstery suede that I found a few weeks ago...haha, I just knew I would need it sometime soon. I have hand sewn them with some button/upholstery thread that I had in a box of bits and pieces that my Mom left me. Thanks Mom.

His earrings are actually jump rings from my jewelry making supplies and his coat trim is a strand of beads that I started during the Holidays for a gift and didnt finish. They had a place after all :)

I have painted his face with gesso only in the places that were to be filled in with color, Eyes, mouth,& nostrils. I have used water color pencils for all three areas and blushed his cheeks with a bit of my powder blush.

Hope you enjoyed the ride, I LOVED it!
Love~Peace~Balance~Harmony
Michelle

Day 9 or maybe 10 depends :D

I painted the face with a mix of gesso and flesh toned acrylic, its coming along as quickly as Ms Sophia would like it to, lol. I see a few stray strands of stuffing that have made their way through the material. I will sand or just clip those away before I start painting.
I was on a site yesterday re: face painting, and she said that she paints the face with acrylic paint and has had much success. I might try that sometime :) But for now I will continue with the watercolor pencils that I have come to love.
I will wait for the paint to dry....maybe 24hrs and then we will start painting the facial features.
I have not gotten to the body...all in due time, I love making dolls :D but Ms Sophia has her own agenda today......

Thank you, Dulce....the dollweaver

New Material! that's my decision on the body...yay! Day 9

I have decided to use the new funky material that I purchased months ago. I can see it in my mind and it will be fabulous! I cant wait for you to see it. I wanted to cut out the pattern for the body all week long and just kept hesitating for some reason. I kept thinking well, Im just procrastinating but all worked out for the better just today:) I can see just what she will look like and I still think she will be a she...hmm but you just never know with dolls. They seem to have a mind all their own when it comes to creating them. And this magnificent creature is no exception......

Im putting the last coat of color on her face and will then start to draw her facial features......tomorrow or the next. Im going to work on the body today now that I have the right decision on the material. I wish my little Sophia would cooperate when I want her to, but of course she has a mind of her own as well. The large plants have not been moved out of the art room yet, too cold outside for the time being..kind of slows my progress down a bit. But I love her lots and she is my greatest company and my Sunny place any time there isnt any :).

Tried to look for more of my older dolls and havent had much luck, mostly due to the fact that I can't look for them on my own, they are in the garage in boxes. My back has a bit of a problem, a bulging disc! ugh. So I will trudge along the best way I know how..and make more. Isnt that what its all about anyway...more dolls! Yes, Yes! lots more dolls!

I really fell in love with these soft sculptured  in mid 2010 and just havent been able to put the idea down, nor do I want to. So limitless, no boundaries, just creation in all its glory.

I have just recently been in contact with a doll group here in Ohio. I will be attending a class in late April and Im definitely looking forward to it. I am of the understanding that we will have Ute Vasina the well known Troll Doll maker come to head a class for us in June. Im very excited to be a part of her class and to add hers to my knowledge and abilities. If you are not yet familiar with Ute please check out her website by clicking on the thumbnail on the rightside of my blog. She has some very unique ideas and some very lovable creatures that she has brought to life.

Well back to work, looking forward to posting the body pattern and progressing on this lovely ladies face!

The wetlands out back here are still wheat colored and do not make for good pics so I havent taken many of them lately....i will have something better for you to look at soon! Until then.........

Sweet Dreams, Dulce, the dollweaver

Definitely Day 8 of Soft Sculptured Dolls

Soon I will want to name this lovely creature, for I am sure she has come to life.

I have just finished applying the gesso to her face. I applied several coats each after the other without waiting for them to dry. I will let them dry altogether and then will give a fine sanding and then one more gentle layer of gesso. We can then apply her makeup....the fun part!

Oh and while trying to take some of the first pictures, well actually the first picture I started to take, I dropped the head that was on the stick right on top of my little Sophia :o. Sophia was trying to be nosy as usual and couldnt wait for her chance to jump in the large planter next to my art/sewing desk!lol and in trying to hurry the pictures along, hoping she wouldnt jump in, I dropped it right on her black little face lol. Im still giggling about it as I write. Ok, so I had to stop, grab her, call my husband to help and then wash her down. Fortunately its non toxic paint and she was very good about getting her face washed. I wished I had taken a picture...I was just so concerned that she would start licking it off her face or it would dry and I wouldnt be able to get all of it!.

She's all clean and I have some pictures of the head with gesso. I want to cut out the body pattern tonight and take some pictures of that also. The face will definitely not be ready to be painted until tomorrow or the next, so we're looking at Tues for face painting. But that gives me lots of time to work on the body!

She's coming along just fine, I will be back hope you're enjoying the fun in the making.

Thanks for dropping in, Dulce The Dreamweaver

April Fools Day ! the day after :)

Good Morning to all! I was here yesterday and of course in a hurry so what I tried to post at the last minute did not-post :/. Only stopped to say Happy April Fools!

Im working on the doll face today and will show you what I've done with the stitching and face painting. I would like to get to the body today and have some great ideas for body and clothing. I have some really interesting material that I picked up a few months ago, can't wait to use it. I'll post some pictures of the material(s) and finished sculpting for now. A first gesso of the sculptured face and some face painting in just a few. My goal is to makes some real headway with this magnificent creature today!

Enjoy, be back soon...Dulce the Dollweaver :D
Sophia's watching the birds.....

New Post for day 7... of soft sculptured dolls

My, there have been so many interruptions lately, I dont know what to make of it. I've been trying to make some progress on my doll and each time I make an advance on the project it seems that I have a hurdle.
 I mean I know we had the full moon on the 19th but come on, that passed...let's move, K

I have some pics of the sculpting of the new doll. As Ive said, it isnt much but I promise that he will become someone.! Im so excited for this adventure, I know you will too!

Im going to bed, really tired. So see what you think and dont hesitate to give me some Ideas.....post, post, comment, comment............all is so welcome.
Having some trouble with posting pictures so I only have one..will show you more tomorrow.


Thank you, Dulce'

Day 7 of Soft Dolls- Sculptured... :D

Well I've done some of the sculpturing of the face of my new doll. It's definitely proving to be someone I had no idea I would make....but I really think that it has character.

 I took out the initial sculpturing that I had put in and gave this one a few tweeks. I really do love how it's coming along..I had a smile on my face the whole time I was working on it. It may not look like much at the moment but it will, I can feel it and definitely a "character".

I want to work on the body for a few days and then come back to the face so that it develops. I have to gesso the face and then let it dry. I will then have the pattern for the body, which I think I will make partially costume and flesh. I have some very unique material that I bought some time ago, knowing once I saw it that it had a place in my doll world. We shall see.

I love the process of doll making because it is so abstract. I have painted for many years and my favorite style has always been abstract because there are no boundaries. It is the same with sculpturing dolls, the faces and styles have no boundaries. Dolls and the characters they become are as limitless as your imagination.

A little note about me, I have always kept my distance from faces in painting for some reason....but with sculpture..I don't feel that hesitance. I feel a necessity to help these faces come to life, it has become so exciting. It's almost as if each one is being born as you work with it. It's also a welcoming hurtle for me as well in the painting/creation realm.

Let me leave you with some pictures of the face I have sculptured and I will be back tomorrow. I did go to the clubhouse today, to walk on the treadmill and also to work in peace, haha. I made progress on the doll face as well as the sweater (knitting) that Im working on. I have promised myself that I will finish it even if im well into spring, I can always wear it in the fall next year.

An amazing find, lol, my camera battery has no power! I plugged it in and will be able to take my doll pictures soon. I'll post in a few hours, see you back then.

Dulce' the dollweaver  (just a few pics of some late may 10' skies)

Day 5 of Soft Dolls...missed Monday!

Hi, back from my long weeked away from making dolls. I posted yesterday but only my fried chicken and my windchimes :)It was great chicken mmmm

Anyway, I have stuffed the doll head and its ready for sculpting. Its a bit different than I had imagined but I like it so far. I can't decide if I want to cover the face with another piece of flesh colored knit and get rid of the center line or just gesso it and go from there. I didnt cover the Gypsy and you can see the line down the center of her face, minorly, but you can see it. If I decide to cover it I will need to do that before I sculpt the face of course. Hmm..ok. Im going to give it a go without the covering once again as I did with the Gypsy.

2 of the pics that I took a few moments ago. I started to stuff them earlier and noticed that one of the front areas of the neck started to run. I caught it in time and put a tiny bit of fray check on the area to secure it!

I wish I could find my disappearing ink pen for the facial features. I really don't want to have to buy another one, I've only gotten one use out of this one so far. I know it's in there somewherrrrrre. I also would like to pick up a longer sculpting needle since this is a longer/larger doll face.

I've had a lot of fun this weekend looking up different doll sites that I found in a magazine called Soft Dolls. I started buying this magazine late last yr, which is how I became interested in making them in the first place. Soon after looking into this magazine my dear little Gypsy was born. I will post that site as soon as I learn how...lol. I know it should be easy but....and it might be so we shall see.

Well, I will be back in a few, I need to make some dinner. I bought some strip steaks at a great price! And we have a great indoor grill that gives you a steak that tastes just like you made it outdoors..mmmm. I still would like to post the recipe for the fried chicken that I made on sunday.

Beeeee back! Dulce

Day 4 Soft Sculptured Dolls cont

I did get the doll head sewn together and snapped some pics to show you what ive done so far. I am waiting for the fray check to set up/dry and then I will proceed by stuffing. I will take some more pics along the way with each process. I found a few things that I will modify for future dolls such as the marking pen that I used. I used a wet erase marker because it was handy and my dissappearing ink pen was not! It would have worked out fine except that when I ran a bead of fraycheck on it

the ink ran. Fortunately I trimmed the front of the face which I had planned on anyway and it will still work out :)
NOTE: to self....dont use regular markers! lol.

ok some pictures for you and some explanations: as you see in these two pics I have the front 2 halves sewn together and the back 2 also. I then have sewn the front and the back together, having matched seams at the top of the head.

The last pic is after I applied the fraycheck...its quite liquidy if you've never used it before. So as you can see, it made the ink run.. :(
But as I said, I had already trimmed the front of the face which will be the part that shows, so no running there, yay.

I have a few things to take care of and then I should have my material dry from the fraycheck. Then we can begin stuffing...I'll be back in a few.

Dulce...the dollweaver


I also have a piece of batting that I will stuff with, the bottle of fray check so you know what that looks like and my trusty crochet hook to help me get my batting in place...ok some more pics and explanations!

3rd day of Soft Dolls cont:

Hi Im back and I've decided that you all should just come right along with me as Im making this. In between the actual sewing and such I will as Ive said post pics of things Ive made in the past,dolls, crafts, costumes and more! Above you can view Ms. Sophia atop her kitty condo :)

I dont know what this doll will look like yet, he or she will be a work in progress and will unfold before our very eyes! I worked on the "Traveling Gypsy" in this manner also and didnt know that she would be a gypsy until I began her hair and clothing. My patterns are hand made (my Mother Juanita taught me how to do this-as I mentioned before she was a professional seamstress) as you will see this allows me to be more creative. I can pick and choose what I really want my doll to look like, wear and more :D

Ok enough of my jabbering...I have pics of the pattern pieces and the material already cut out. I used a wet erase marking pen (you can buy a disappearing ink style if you like) to trace around the pattern because knit fabric is a little bit shifty lol. I also used a seam clamp to hold both pieces of material
together while I cut around the tracings.

next you see the pattern pieces and the material that has been cut out. Dont worry about the ink showing because you will not see this once you've sewn them together.

 The next step we will take once we have sewn the head together is stuffing it and then sewing or rather sculpting the face and bringing the features to life..this is the fun part!

Be back soooon, Dulce