February In The Niche

February is the month where there are lots of red, pink, and hearts are everywhere you look.  That is the theme I chose for this doll, which is a Barbara Willis design called Field of Dreams.  I took this class when I was new to doll making at a store I adored because of all the bright colorful fabrics.  And it had a fantastic name, Cotton Candy!  But, that store closed some years ago. The teacher was Judy Brown (pictured below). Judy is a patient encouraging teacher who, over the years since first meeting her at Cotton Candy, has become a doll making friend.

One of the features of the design is that the doll can stand on it's own.  I put it on a stand for display purposes but the picture below shows her standing without any help.  Strong ankles are the key here which means the feet, ankles and legs need to be stuffed firmly.

The doll has a pancake face with the corners of her mouth sculpted.  The facial features are all hand painted.  The pupils are size 11 seed beads which also give some dimension to the face.

The costume was a lot of fun to make.  She has a lined jacket, pantaloons and billowy skirt.  This was the first time I made shoes for a doll too.

Hair is Tibetan Lamb.

I would consider this an advanced beginner doll.  Barbara Willis also has some beginner patterns and the next picture shows both Field of Dreams and the beginner pattern Sea Side Sadie.

January In The Niche

Ari Briavel of Winter Wild Woods took up the spot of honor In The Niche in January.  The pattern is a Barbara Schoenoff design and part of her Elfling Series.  The doll features wooden bead jointing, which you cannot see because of the clothing, that allows the elbows, wrists, knees and ankles to be manipulated for posing.  The picture below shows the beaded joints.

The costume consists of blue ultra suede and on the hat and jacket I couched fiber with free motion embroidery.  The fur is real and I got the pelt for free at a Guilded Lilies doll club meeting in Columbus, Ohio.  One of the members was moving and brought in heaps of fabric and other goodies that she didn't want to move.  I believe she got this at an estate sale and it was part of a stole.  Sorry the picture is blurry.  Hair is Tibetan Lamb.

Here is a better picture of the costume as I was making it.

 Close-up of the boots.

Close-up of the face.

This doll was made in a class sponsored by Time For Dolls in Akron, Ohio.  Barbara was the first professional designer/teacher that we had come and teach to our group.  Unfortunately, the group disbanded shortly after I moved to Colorado.  They were the best group of women and I miss them all.