Cloth-over-Clay

 It's been awhile since I've added a tutorial, so I thought I'd post some photos of my cloth-over-clay technique:

Super Sculpey:

Pressmold dusted with cornstarch first for easier clay removal (or can spritz the mold with water)

Removed from mold

Face refined

Tacky glue

Apply knit fabric, pouncing into face with stiff, dry paintbrush

Don't stretch fabric, start at the center of the face and work outward

Use tool or fingernail to press cloth into face details to further define

Wrap fabric around to back, trim when glue has dried

Paint with gesso, buff with piece of brown paper grocery bag

Paint with skin tone acrylic paint

Stitch to head

Dyeing Mohair Hides for Dolls

From Dollmaker's Journey Customer Connections archive:

Saving this here, as sometimes things disappear from websites. Please visit Dollmaker's Journey for all your doll making needs.

DYEING MOHAIR HIDES FOR DOLLS By Bonnie B. Lewis

Here is the method my good friend Ellyn Voss uses to get wonderful dyed mohair fleece for doll hair.

CAUTION! This method works best with bleached hides because they stay supple when dyed. Unbleached hides become stiff and brittle, difficult to work into a wig. It is bleached if the fleece is white and not off-white or yellow.

Other terminology: A skin tanned WASHABLE dyes beautifully. A skin tanned DRY CLEAN will harden.

1. Cut skins into about 12" square pieces (or as tall as your pitcher by 18" long (see step 3). Larger pieces are more difficult to dye using this method.

2. Dissolve 1/2 package Rit dye (powdered dye works best) in 1 cup very hot water. Stir to dissolve. Cool to lukewarm. Make sure you have adequate ventilation when using the powdered dyes.

3. Add 6 to 8 cups tepid water to dye mixture in two-quart pitcher. (This is very important, because fleece can be shocked if subjected to extreme temperature variations. Hot water will cause the hide to
stiffen.) Pitcher may be glass, enamel or plastic, but NOT metal. Mix dye thoroughly, using wooden or plastic stirrer. You can also use a 9 x13" glass or enamel (NEVER metal) pan, but pieces of fleece must be cut to fit pan. IMPORTANT *NEVER* use any of these utensils or containers for food again.

4. Wet hide in lukewarm water. Loosely roll into tube with fleece side out.

5. Immerse fleece in tepid dye bath in the pitcher until you are satisfied with the color. DO NOT agitate; just make sure fleece is completely covered with dye. You can push fleece down into dye with handle of stirrer. Remember that the fleece will look a lot darker when wet, and will lighten in color when dry. This step can take from ten minutes to several hours to overnight, depending on how dark you want the mohair. You can use the dye several times, but the color will lighten and you will have to leave the fleece in longer for good results.

6. Gently rinse out excess dye under tepid running water. It helps to wear plastic gloves so your hands won't become dyed in the process. Some people are also allergic to the dyes; better safe than sorry.

7. Place wet fleece on an old white towel and roll up, gently pressing to remove excess water. You can do this several times.

8. Hang fleece with nap going down on a clothesline and dry by turning on a powerful fan. Dry the skin side first for about an hour, then turn fleece around and dry the mohair side. Using a fan will speed up drying time and help the mohair to fluff. Be sure and place an old towel under the drying fleece to absorb any excess water that might drip. This method of drying is preferable to using the clothes dryer because it eliminates agitation, which can create felting.

Realistic colors: For a wonderful redhead color use Rit Pumpkin. Use Rit Tangerine with a tiny bit of Golden Yellow for a bright carrot top. Rit Tan makes a good very light brown (almost blonde) color.
Rit Cocoa Brown with Yellow is a light brown. It is impossible to get a good dark brown or black color using Rit dye.

Fantasy colors: For fantasy pink hair use Rose Pink and Tan. Rit Golden Yellow by itself is a good fantasy color for a very bright yellow. For fantasy fairies try Rit Seafoam, Purple, Blue, and Kelly Green. HINT: If the color is too bright, try over dyeing with Rit Tan to dull the color.

CAUTIONS:
Always wear a mask when working with powdered dyes. Liquid dye is not as critical. You can buy masks at any good hardware store, pharmacy or craft store for $3 -$4 a package. Check the paint department.

NEVER use utensils for food after using with dye. Always dissolve powdered dye in small amount of water before adding lots of water. SLOWLY pour dye into jar so particles don't become airborne. This is the same principle as putting down the toilet seat before flushing. You can put powdered dye and hot water in a quart glass jar, add lid and shake well. You must have good ventilation when working with powdered dyes. Use a stove vent, open a window, use a fan, or do it outside. Protect your hands. Wear rubber gloves.

You can find mohair plates from the following sources:
World of Mohair (Sue Kneir)1007 Bower Road, W. Harrison, IN 47060
(812) 637-3874
http://members.aol.com/SDKneir/index.htm Major supplier
http://www.gfwco.com/Tibet%20Lamb.htm

Check out other things they carry. South Forty Farms (Georgia Thomas)
http://www.southfortyfarms.com

HERE'S ANOTHER TIP from Patricia Rose Studio:

Leave the fur on the hide, cut the hide into smaller pieces, if you want, by cutting on the raw hide side only. Draw a line, cut close to the surface when you cut so that you don't cut off too much fur on the other side. Boil some water, put it into a large enough bowl to submerse that section of the hide. Before putting the hide in, thoroughly mix in some liquid RIT dye the color you want. Don't use Cocoa thinking you are going to get brown, it turns purple. Put the hide into the boiling water with the dye in it and stir it around for 5 minutes. Take it out, run clear water over it to rinse out the dye and hang it on skirt hangers to dry. That's it. If the color is not what you want, you can re-dye it after it is dry. Do not use a blow dryer on it. Sometimes it takes two dyings to get the desired color.

I had an armature epiphany last night...

Insomnia. Not a good thing, really, but it does provide time to ruminate about all sorts of things. Last night it was how to approach the armature for my Hoffman doll.

I turned to a method called the Seldinger Technique, used in the nursing/medical profession to insert central lines.

The problem with the armature I use is that the ends aren't smooth and pointy, and therefore get caught up in the polyfil - even if I've made a channel in the stuffing with a knitting needle. So I thought I might use a plastic drinking straw to make a temporary channel for the armature. I found a knitting need close to the size of the straw, so I could slide the straw over the needle and through the stuffing.

After the straw was inserted and the knitting needle removed, the armature slid really easily in the straw.

Then the straws were removed, and voila! Armature in place! 

 

I whip stitched the horizontal part of the wire to the doll to keep it from sliding around, and have covered the wire behind the legs with fabric tubes that match her stockings.

Video Tutorial ~ DIY doll wings, upcycling project

My first attempt at a video tutorial, which will hopefully improve with practice. I've made a set of wings for a doll, using a simple wing shaped piece of plastic and silk flower petals. I chose to use plastic milkjugs as a base because the plastic was more durable than file folders, etc., and my husband drinks LOTS of milk. We recycle, but that's a lot of plastic - I knew I could find some use for them!

I put my little camera on a tripod, and often had to wrap my arms around it while I worked in order to get a nice straight-on view. I had no script, so I just talked as I worked - a bit rambling at times!

Looking for ideas for Tutorials

I recently purchased a very cool program to process videos from my fancy video camera. The program that was bundled with the camera was essentially worthless. Now I'm looking for ideas for tutorials to post here and/or my website. They don't necessarily have to be video tutorials, but anything.

So what do you think would be of value to you? I'll be able to tackle these tutorials after Cycle Oregon in September, because I should be RIDING between now and then if I don't want to suffer too badly on the 500 mile bike tour.

Just leave your comments below for consideration. Thanks!

The problem with ears

is getting them the right size, the same size, and in the right place. This can be tricky, working on two sides of the head. You've got to constantly check your work from all angles. So I thought I'd try something new today.

I cut two ears from thin cardboard and used Tac'N Stik to attach them to the head of my second Izannah doll. It was easy to shift the ears until they seemed right.

Of course, I had to first sketch the eyes and eyebrows, because they're helpful in determining where the ears are supposed to go.

You've really got to look at the placement of the ears from all angles - from the back of the head, the top of the head, etc. Go grab a buddy and see where the top of the ear is in relation to the eye and brow.

When happy with the placement, I pressed the cardboard ears against the head and traced around them. Now to apply the paperclay, using my pencil marks as guidelines - but first, after finding out the hard way, it's important to score a shallow line along the pencil line. If you don't, when you spritz the dry clay with water so the new clay will stick, it'll wipe right off.

I finger-rolled a snake of clay, and placed it along the marked line for each ear. Using my fingers and clay tool, blended the edges toward the head. This doll with have a cloth covering made of cotton knit, so the ears will be fairly low-profile so the cloth will go over them smoothly.

And because this doll will have a cloth-over, the ear doesn't need to be terribly detailed. Once this clay has dried, I'll refine it a bit more.







This Izannah-inspired doll is being created in Dixie Redmond's Izannah Workshop. Visit the blog for the details HERE.

Sewing with Freezer Paper - Tip for New Dollmakers

Freezer paper is an absolute necessity for me when sewing dolls, especially when sewing small, detailed parts like fingers. I find this much easier and more accurate than tracing around a template and sewing on the line - nothing against those who do so, this just works better for me (that, and the fact that my purple air-soluble pens are often too dried up to use, or the ink disappears too quickly here in the moist Pacific Northwest). In addition, the traced line has some width to it, and fingers may get chubby and end up with seam allowances that are to narrow to be turned right side out and stuffed without blowouts (that happens to all of us). Freezer paper also lends some stability to the fabric you're sewing. Plastic-backed freezer paper is usually available in the canning sections of most grocery stores, but you can certainly order it online. I use Reynolds brand as it is readily available locally.

To start, trace the pattern pieces onto the freezer paper. Use a window and natural light if you don’t have a light box. Avoid using a pencil to trace the pieces, as the graphite can stain your fabric if you accidentally sew over the line. Be sure to transfer any other markings onto the freezer paper – any indicated openings, fabric stretch direction, etc. It’s helpful to put the name of the pattern you’re using as well, for easy identification later (I’ve had a torso piece pinned to my wall for years, as I have no idea from which pattern it came). 

Next, carefully cut out each pattern piece from the freezer paper, along the drawn line. Some patterns have darts, so follow the pattern instructions to determine if you need to cut the dart from the paper or leave it drawn.

The freezer paper template is then ironed (plastic side down) to doubled fabric, right sides together. Pin through the layers to prevent the fabric from shifting.

The sewing is done right against the edge of the paper. Sew slowly and accurately. When you come to curves, stop sewing and leave the machine needle in the down position. Raise the presser foot and turn the piece, then presser foot down and continue sewing. Sometimes you’ll find yourself only sewing a stitch or two between turns. Most times you will leave a small section unsewn so you can turn the piece right side out. Other times you will sew all the way around, then cut a slit in one side (e.g., two-piece heads with a front and back only). 

Then trim the fabric to the appropriate seam allowance as indicated on the pattern/instructions. If you’ve left a section open for turning right side out, I suggest making this seam allowance a little wider as the fabric edges can fray a little as you stuff the part, making closure a little trickier. Clip any curves, taking care to avoid snipping through your stitching. If you remove the freezer paper carefully, you can reuse it over and over. 

Unless yours is a simple pancake doll, this technique may not be applicable for all doll parts. For example, use freezer paper to sew the center seams of the body front and back (for a 4-part body), but not when sewing the front to the back.

You can also use this technique with many fabrics, knit or woven. Below is craft velour, which has some advantages. It doesn’t fray, it’s quite forgiving, and is available in a variety of skin colors. Using an open-toed presser foot really helps you see where you're going - whether using the freezer paper OR the traced template method. My (green) presser foot is Teflon coated, so it slides along the fabric easily. 

Messy Mix Tutorial

Excerpts from The Cloth Doll, Summer 1988, by Helen Pringle:

When the entire head of a large, heavy cloth stuffed cloth doll is painted, permanent damage can result from an otherwise minor accident, and can leave permanent dents. Because the paint was applied directly to the cloth, the paint had soaked through and stuck to the stuffing inside.

...after trial and error and experimentation, the problem was solved with'Miracle Mess Mixture' - a mixture of one-half modeling paste and one-half acrylic gel medium, applied in multiple thin coats to the doll head and arms before they were painted.

Helen used Liquitex Modeling Paste and Liquitex Acrylic Gel Medium. Buy small volumes of each, as the paste begins to harden once it's opened. Use a good brush and save it just for the mixture. Helen prefers a 3/4 inch soft nylon "exploded tip" brush as it minimizes brush marks.

Mix one part paste to one part medium in a clean, small glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Add water sparingly, a few drops at a time, when the mixture begins to thicken. Adding too much water will result in poor adhesion which will eventually crack. Once the paste has been opened and partially used, wipe clean the top edge and lid of its container to avoid dried bits falling into the remaining paste. Before replacing the lid, cover the mouth of the jar with plastic wrap. Mix only the amount you can use within a few days.

Work quickly. The mixture begins to dry when exposed to air. Swish the brush in water if it gets clogged and press out the excess water from the brush. Allow the first coat to dry for a couple hours before applying the next coat. Then allow 1 hour drying time between coats. Apply a minimum of four coats. After the second and subsequent coats, sand carefully with medium sandpaper or a flexible sanding pad to eliminate brushmarks and rough spots. Wear a dust mask.

If the head will have a wig, you don't need to sand that portion of the head. Also, you can build up hair by applying extra coats to that area.

When coated to your satisfaction, paint with either oils or acrylics.

Disadvantages: Once the first coat is on the cloth and dry, the shape of the head cannot be changed.

Advantages: The coated head always remains flexible and the undercoating adheres to the cloth and remains on the surface, rather than soaking through and sticking. Clean up with soap and water.

The purpose of this method is to prolong the life of the paint and to help avoid permanent dents. It is not meant to imitate other materials or mediums.

In my experience, after applying the first couple layers you can smooth out some of the brush strokes with a light spritz of water and smoothing the surface with your fingers - do this while the Messy Mix is still a little damp.

If your doll's hands look flat and unnatural, you can put a little curve in them and the Messy Mix will help hold that curve.

How to Make a Tibetan Lamb Wig

Aahhh, a day off work. I see it's been awhile since my last post. I really should be working on a doll right now (ODACA Day / UFDC Convention is just around the corner), but thought I should get a quick post in first.

I thought I'd describe how I make a wig from Tibetan lamb. I'm sure there are other ways, I just haven't figured them out yet. I start by draping a paper towel over the doll's head. Pinch darts in the paper towel to get a good fit. Pin the darts and trim the paper towel so it matches the natural hairline. I like to fold under the front edge of the wig to make a nicer hairline at the face, so take that into account if you want to do that. Remove the paper towel, cut the darts so there's a seam allowance of about 1/8 inch, and use this piece as a guide to make a pattern with a little more symmetry.

Now use this new pattern to make a cap of felt, and sew the darts with your sewing machine. Fit the felt cap to the head. Does it work? If not tweak it (it's more cost effective to test the pattern with felt than to just cut into your hide).

When you're satisfied with the fit of the felt cap, you're ready to cut the wig from Tibetan lamb. Pay attention to the natural direction of the hair on the hide. I try to position the pattern so the hair flows away from the face. If you've made the pattern piece from freezer paper, just iron it to the hide. Take great care when cutting the hide, to avoid cutting the hair.

I just made a wig for a doll class - I'd already packed all my scissors, so I found a scalpel - specifically, a pointed #11 blade. I drew around the ironed-on pattern with a pen, removed the pattern from the hide, and cut along the line with the scalpel - not flat on the table, but holding the hide up a little. It worked much better than the scissors, and didn't cut any of the hair (nor did I cut myself). While I have easy access to scalpels at work, I don't see why an exacto knife wouldn't work.

With a 1/8 inch seam allowance, sew the darts right sides together, sliding as much of the hair fibers out of the seam allowance and to the right side of the wig as you can. Sometimes the hide doesn't slide well in the sewing machine, so I put the hide on a piece of tissue or pattern paper, sew the dart, then tear the paper away.

For my Verity doll with most of the head painted, this wig needs to be glued onto the head. I glued the front edge of the wig under about 1/4 inch. Fabri-Tac works well, as does Grrrip glue. When that sets, glue the wig to the head with white tacky glue. That glue will give you a little more time to position the wig.

If the doll is all cloth - that is, the head isn't painted - the wig can be ladder stitched in place. Don't glue the front edge under. Just use a fine but strong needle to sew the wig to the head. The cut edge of the wig will be turned under as you go - all the way around the head.

After attaching the head (and all the glue has dried), comb out the hair. This makes it super fluffy and frizzy. Carefully wet the hair (don't saturate the hide) and towel it dry. Add a tiny bit of hair mousse, then comb it out again, styling it a little, then let it dry. All the pretty little curls of the Tibetan lamb come back.

Fingernail & Toenail Tutorial

This technique came about as a complete accident. I was using chenille stems as armature for fingers, and found that the wire had rusted a bit. I added nails to hide the rust, and after some experimentation found that this method created realistic looking nails.

This photo shows the toes and fingers before beginning the nails. Do not draw the shapes of the nails with anything - you will free-hand them with Mod Podge.

Using a very small paintbrush, paint a layer of Mod Podge in the general shape of the nails. It will be hard to see this first coat, as it soaks into the fabric a little.

When dry, add another layer of Mod Podge. It goes on white and dries clear.

When dry, add a third layer. Refine the shape of the nails with each layer of Mod Podge. This photo show the nails with three coats of Mod Podge.

Next, paint the final nail shape with flesh-colored acrylic paint. Leave a little of the dried Mod Podge visible around the edges of the nail. 

Now paint a fine line of white (acrylic paint) at the tips of the nails to create a French manicure look.

Add one more layer of Mod Podge over the paint.

The finished nails. You can see why drawing the nails first is unnecessary. This is more subtle.

Dyeing Tibetan Lamb

After much deliberation, I took the plunge and tried my hand at dyeing Tibetan lamb. Of the information I found on the 'net, much of it was contradictory. Cold water, hot water, liquid dye, powder dye, etc. I ultimately used information found at http://www.dollmakersjourney.com/ (thanks ladies!)

I did the dyeing outside, and as it was a breezy day dried the pelts outside, too. This is the first one attempted. I wanted a natural red color, so mixed four colors of Rit dye. I've got two more outside drying. One is a darker auburn, the other a light brownish color - I may stick that one in the pot again.

Unfortunately, I rolled my ankle as I was stepping off the deck yesterday. The pain and the accompanying crunch as I landed made me think I broke something. My first thought was "oh crap, how in the world am I going to walk to work, at work, and along the Las Vegas strip." It's swollen, bruised, and still very painful to walk.

This morning I mixed up another pot of dye (just two colors this time), and I'm not sure if I'll like this one. I may need to add a little something.

Photographing Dolls

Recently I've had a few people ask about photographing dolls, which can be challenging because a doll's skin reflects light differently than a human's. I've been taking digital photos of my dolls for several years, but before that used my 35mm SLR. I love the instant gratification of digital photography, because it has enabled me to take step-by-step photos to include in my patterns or post on the web.

I use one of two digital cameras. The most expensive is a Nikon 5700 (about $750). It's fairly big, bulky and currently isn't working. So I'm using my little Fuji Finepix (under $200). It's small and takes great photos. It's the one I take on my bike trips, vacations, and keep in my purse at all times.

On weekends, I have a friend who stays with us and sleeps in my photo room during the day - so I can't take a photo of my setup right now. Having a "photo room" may sound excessive, but I got tired of repeatedly setting up and taking down photo lights and background in my sewing room (they just take too much room). Now that my kids have moved out, I have two spare bedrooms - one for my main studio, and one for taking photos.*

There are three issues on which I focus when photographing dolls:
Lighting
Shadow avoidance
Background

LIGHTING:
1. Never use a flash. It just washes out the doll.
2. Don't direct your lights directly toward the doll - this will wash out the doll, too. Aim the lights away from the doll and reflect the light off the ceiling or walls.
3. I used to take my dolls outside on overcast days in order to photograph them. Sunny days were just too bright, and washed out the dolls. If you do this, remember to keep the background plain.
4. Now I use 2-3 photo lights (very bright, hot, short lifespan), with one fluorescent light above and behind the doll for a backlight.

SHADOW AVOIDANCE:
1. Shining your lights directly toward your doll will increase shadows. Use reflected light.
2. Position your doll away from the back wall. Placing it close to the background increases shadows.
3. Move your lights around until shadows are minimized.

BACKGROUND:
1. I invested in a "seamless paper" photo background several years ago. I found the photo store on the Web and called the number to order it. I bought a "vinyl varitone graduated background." It was $45 in 2001. They come in a variety of colors and sizes. My taupe background is 42 X 62 inches. Using a seamless background eliminates the line where the back wall and surface on which your doll stands meet.
2. If you use a sheet or similar for your background, IRON it. You can see every little wrinkle in the photo, and it looks less than professional and is distracting.
3. Avoid clutter and unnecessary props. These just take the focus away from the doll.

Also, take LOTS of photos at different angles. Then you can weed out the bad ones. Use your macro setting if getting close to the doll.

Hope this helps. I'm sure real photographers out there have many more pearls of wisdom for you.