Photo Journal: Addisyn's Birthday Doll

So, Michael and his painting and all has got me all inspired and motivated, and I needed a gift for my cousin's little girl Addisyn's 1st Birthday.  So, perfect timing, right?

Apparently, it's even better for me than I thought to spend time with fellow artists!

DAY 1:

A good start on the first wing.

DAY 2, 3:

Realized the original wing layout was not going to work and frogged quite a bit of work and redid it for a much better result.

DAY 4:

Feet and legs are done, including cuffs on pants which will match shirt!

DAY 5:

Body is finished, including sleeve and hem ruffles on shirt.  Heart design on shirt is simple colorwork rather than embroidery.

DAY 6:

All crochet work is done, most ends are finished, wings attached.  Note shoulder straps.  She is not a pixie or a fairy, but a little girl wearing butterfly wings.

DAY 7:

Finished doll.  Light hair and blue eyes like the recipient!  

All in all, it was great to be making a doll again, so thank you to Michael for the motivation and Jeremy and Sue for the occasion!

And, BONUS!  She was a huge hit!

A Doll-making State of Mind

So, I have to say, I've not been as slackerly as it looks from my lack of posting.  This spring has been pretty rough.

But, I'm stepping off on the right foot now.  I've designed a couple of new patterns for the Etsy shop and with the encouragement of an artist friend that I've been spending a good amount of time with/talking to, I've gotten back into a mindset where I can start creating dolls again!

Dolls are hard for me when I'm not in an overall happy place.  I can do it, don't get me wrong, but especially for projects like the one I'm currently working on, coming from a positive place makes it a lot easier.

Like the movie, The Cat Returns, I believe that an artist imbues their creations with a lot of heart and a little bit of soul.  So, for example, you wouldn't want to work on 1st Birthday Gift for a little girl when you're sad and angry about everything.

I can't post pictures of my doll yet, because she's still a surprise for the person/family she's for, but as soon as the birthday party is over, I will be posting a photo journal of her at the aforementioned artist friend's request.

I just need to get her head and details done and she's ready to go, and I'm off and running!