_Since the last post, Big Raggedy Ann got a new blonde bob and a blue dress with cornflowers with sprigs of green leaves. The back of the dress ties with three sets of light blue satin ribbons. This was an idea of my other doll-making partner, Evette. (Thank you Evette!) Most of the dolls we make have dresses that tie this way because it's easy and beautiful. Evette also taught me how to sear the edge of each ribbon tie with a match to keep it from raveling. Evette and I love to get together to sew and make dolls. She has created some beautiful dolls and has a great etsy site which you can find at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AllAboutEvette. _As usual, while making Blonde Annie, I heard some music which got Annie up and dancing. We were watching "Luxury Liner" with Jane Powell and Xavier Cougat. It's the scene where Jane gets all "dolled" up (pun intended!) for dinner and dancing in the main dining room on the ship. Xavier Cougat's band performs a wonderful Brazilian instrumental number and Annie started shaking and flipping her hair around in time to the music. Who would have thought she would be such a good dancer? My goal is to post her performance on Youtube, but for now, you can see pictures of Annie here. _My latest doll is Winnifred's twin, Federica. Here are some pictures of her in progress as well as the finished doll. Winnifred lives in Missoula, Montana, with Kath, who made the beautiful tea set in last month's blog. Check out her etsy site at http://www.etsy.com/shop/muddslingerpotz _Sophie has been working hard on the dollsbysasha website, experimenting with a new format and trying to organize the pictures, which are mounting by the day. Please feel free to comment on the site. All suggestions and input are welcome! I am currently reworking Delphine, Delfina's big sister. Delphine is one of my earlier dolls and has a more childlike face. She is currently blond with gold highlights and will have black and white striped legs, black boots, peach colored silk arms and a red dress with green petticoats. She is going to be the holiday doll this year! The holidays are coming and we haven't even had Thanksgiving yet. So slow down, everyone, and enjoy it. Meanwhile, I feel like Santa and his elves rolled into one. I may have to invite Evette and Sallie over to help me in the doll workshop. (I wish Sophie could be here too, but I plan to make a trip with some dolls to Costa Rica in the New Year to stock the store and we hope to celebrate the holidays again there. Pura Vida!) Finally, I'm hoping to go to the Los Angeles Ballet's production of the Nutcracker this year. I may just have to invite Sallie to come along. What an inspiration for dollmaking! Until then, have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Sasha
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Sallie, who is nine, came over yesterday to make an outfit for Raggedy Andy. Last month, we made Andy himself. First, we cut him out. Next, we drew the face and embroidered it. I did one eye, she did the other. I did one half of the mouth, she did the other. This is how Sallie learned to embroider. (Sophie was there too, working on Suki.) Next, we cut a heart out of a scrap of red tee shirt and hand sewed it to the left side of Andy's chest. After that, we pinned, then stitched the front and back of the body, right sides together. Here is where Sallie got to practice using the sewing machine. Again, we divided the work down the middle, she did one side and I the other. Then came the hard part: stitching and stuffing the arms. Once the arms were done, we attached them to the body, then stuffed it. Little Andy was coming to life! Next, we attached his black boots to his red and white striped socks, pinned the two sides of each leg, right sides together, stitched, turned and stuffed them. Attaching the legs to the body can be tricky, so I pinned them, hand basted them, then we stitched them to his body with the machine. Andy was almost done! Finally, la piece de la resistance: the hair. I cut strips from a clean, red tee shirt and bundled them together by tying them in the middle with another strip. I made lots of these bundles in different lengths, for the sides, bangs and back, then sewed them on. We had wisely made the back of Andy's head out of red cloth so that the hair blended in nicely, with no empty spots showing. We took pictures to show our progress. It took two sessions to make Andy. The outfit was also two days. But it was worth it. Sallie and I discovered that making doll clothes can be more complicated than making a doll, if you've never done it before. The first attempt at Andy's outfit turned out like a clown suit. Yesterday's attempt was better, but we had to redo the pants legs several times before we could squeeze his black boots through. We finally did it, attached the "blouse," a blue ribbon for his bowtie and a big snap to hold his outfit together in the back. All that's left to do is sew on the buttons at the waist and the pants legs. Muddslinger Potts Last month, Raphael and I saw Picasso, Matisse, Monet, Lichtenstein and Giacometti at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA. I've been devouring art books lately, mainly Picasso and Matisse. But to see the actual paintings and sculptures and realize that these works are housed within a short bike ride from our house, sent chills down my spine. After leaving the European Contemporary Art from 1900 to 1950 section, we stumbled upon Lichtenstein's multiple versions of Monet's cathedrals, and then saw the Monet's themselves! What a day! We ended our visit at the new Broad addition to LACMA, with a show about Mexican- American street and performance art from the 1970's and 1980's. More on that next time, as well as news on the Global Bazaar at the Los Angeles Crafts and Folk Art Museum and the amazing doll tea set from Muddslinger pots in Missoula Montana: see more of the tea set and more at MUDDSLINGER-Pots on facebook and etsy. Happy Halloween! Sasha Once again, I can't believe we're halfway through October! I want to say "Slow down!" Last night, there was a "harvest moon," or at least what I think a harvest moon should be: a full moon that is fuller and more brilliant than usual, to allow the haymakers to bring in the hay, even though the haying season must certainly be over in the Midwest farmlands.
Well, I got my pumpkin, which sits on our front doorstep next to the black bottle-cat. The bottle-cat is copied from a book of antique and collectible dolls, which has a picture of some bottle-dolls. I made the cat by taking an empty wine bottle and a black tee-shirt. I placed the bottle on the tee shirt and drew a chalk outline of the cat, cut it out, stitched it, leaving the bottom open. Next, I turned it inside out, stuffed the head and put the cat on top of the bottle. Voila! A black cat, to put next to the orange pumpkin. The finishing touch is a faux-rhinestone collar, purchased from the local fabric shop. Dollwise, I finished big Raggedy Ann last weekend, and she and Andy have been inseparable ever since. However, her blond hair, which looked so cute when I first pinned it on, was too long and thin when I sewed it on. So my blond Raggedy is going to get a redo this weekend. Also, I was so excited when she was finished, I dressed her in Sophie's old Raggedy Ann dress. It's too big, so Annie will get a new dress this weekend, some bloomers and a fresh white apron with a pocket, in traditional Raggedy style! Here are some pictures of Raggedy Ann and Andy, while Ann was being made, with her present hair and dress. Next week, you'll see her with her new do and outfit. Next project will be some new, smaller dolls for the Costa Rica trip! More on that next time, as well as some news about our recent visit to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the new Broad wing! Have a great week! Sasha The latest doll, first of the "Dugout Buddies," Andre, is finished, except for the number on the back of his uniform. And his baseball cap. And maybe a Dodger-blue tee-shirt to wear under his uniform. And maybe a little bat. And maybe a baseball....
Two weeks ago, we saw the Moulin Rouge dancers at the Hollywood Bowl. It was the last night of the season and before the dancers brought down the house and the fireworks lit up the sky, we heard some great music on a French theme, one piece of which was Gershwin's "American in Paris." As many times as I think I've heard it, how wonderful to hear it without interruption, under the Los Angeles sky! Then the orchestra struck up Offenbach's "Gaite Parisienne" and at least a dozen tall, beautiful, female dancers, and one male, burst upon the stage, whooping and shrieking, kicking and shaking their yards and yards of red skirts with tiers of white ruffles, on the inside! (Except for the man, who wore a sleek black suit.) They accentuated their dancing with cartwheels and teeth-rattling splits. The dance, of course, is "The Can-Can" and it was so much fun to watch, like being at a circus. Then we saw the fireworks show over the Bowl, signaling the end of the summer season. If you've never been to L.A., be sure to visit during the summer and spend an evening at the Bowl. You'll never forget it! Dollwise, I've started working on a large Raggedy Ann, modeled after a homemade Andy that Sophie found in a thrift store. The raggedys are fun to make because their bodies are so expressive. For now, I'm sticking to the traditional colors and features, but soon, I think I'll have to get a little more creative… It's October already! The days are shorter and the nights are cooler. It's time to get a pumpkin. And maybe to make a witch doll or a scarecrow! We shall see what time allows… Have a great week! Sasha Our newest doll, Mariel, is Sophie's first creation. She drew the face and spent an entire Wednesday learning to embroider and embroidering it. She then attached the face to the back of the head and stuffed the head. A few mimosas were consumed, but the results you can see for yourself. As for me, me encanta Mariel! I spent last Sunday assembling her, but first, there was some disassembly. When Mariel was imagined, we visualized brown or black hair, so we made the back of her head black. Since then, we tried different colors by pinning bundles of hair on her head (such a fun part of making a doll - deciding on the colors of the eyes, hair, arms and legs, dress, petticoat flowers and necklace!) Sophie decided on "dirty blond," which is taupe, in the world of tee shirts. So I took off the back of the head and replaced it with off -white muslin, then re-stitched the head, staying as true to the original shape as possible. Luckily, with a new, razor sharp seam ripper, the disassembly went smoothly. As I was sewing on the two foot long "bundles" of taupe hair, a Strauss waltz came on the radio. Mariel and I looked at each other for a split second, then started dancing. (My dolls are designed for dancing, as you can see by their full-skirted dresses, petticoats and long limbs.) Mariel got a little carried away and started doing cartwheels. That was when I realized her hair was too heavy for her neck, which was bending back as we whirled around the room. So, I gave her a haircut. Alas! Too short! So I spent this weekend cutting and bundling more hair and sewing it on. I also made her a blue-green taffeta dress. (Thanks again, Evette!) The blue-green dress ended up not working, but Carmen generously offered her blood-red taffeta dress and purple petticoat in exchange for the blue-green, Voila! Mariel was finished and Carmen had a new dress. The finishing touch was a ruby red necklace, like Carmen's. Photos will be posted soon! As you may have noticed, I missed my blog post last week. But I can't wait to tell you about the Moulin Rouge Dancers at the Hollywood Bowl and my newest creation-in- progress, the first of the "Dugout Buddies,"Andre Ethier! Have a great week! Sasha "Really, there is no one but Matisse." I wasn't sure why Picasso said this when I first read it on the back of a Taschen book on Matisse, because up to that point, I thought Picasso was the greatest painter and didn't know much about Matisse. But after Picasso led me to Matisse, I understood, and am now entranced with both of them. And with Giacometti, Toulouse Lautrec, Monet, Van Gogh, Vermeer, and so many more. After I started making dolls, I wanted to learn how to embroider and make beautiful faces, so I started buying art books at a wonderful used bookstore in North Hollywood. It was there I discovered Toulouse Lautrec's posters of dancers from the Moulin Rouge. I started dressing my dolls in crinkling taffeta dresses, ruffled petticoats and bloomers. The same thing happened with music. A few years ago, while working on Paulette, who was to be a dancing doll for my niece on her eighth birthday, I heard the "Suite Parisienne" by Jacques Offenbach from his comic opera, "Orpheus in the Underworld." It was the "Can-Can!" It made me jump up and dance around the room with Paulette! I told my sewing partner, Yvette, another Los Angeles area doll maker, about it. Together, we googled Offenbach and saw the dancers in their bloomers and petticoats and fancy dresses. We decided we would make a chorus line of "Can-Can" dolls. That didn't quite happen, but we've both made lots of dolls since. Yvette shared some of her vintage taffeta with me and I shared the huge purple petticoat from the 1950's that I found at a thrift store with her. (To learn more about Yvette, visit her etsy shop AllAboutEvette) Making dolls put me back in touch with art, the way one experiences it as a child: a total, uninhibited embrace. I am so inspired by the great artists when I design a doll and energized by Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Scarlatti and so many other composers when I sew, that the hours fly by and I end up hearing some incredible music in the process. While putting the finishing touches on Carmen, my latest doll, I heard a lively, exotic, piece of dance music that seemed written for her: "Fandango" by Boccarini. So everything is jumbled up with doll making: art, music, work and dance. I feel like I'm back in kindergarten and have just been given a box of beautiful, waxy crayons with exotic names like "magenta, " "heliotrope" and "vermillion," and my only job is fill a giant sheet of art paper with anything I want. Maybe you have something in your life that makes you feel that way. My next blog post will cover seam rippers and Strauss. See you next week! Sasha There will soon be a new addition to the dollsbysasha site: Carmen. She is tall and slim, has purple and white polkadot arms and legs, long blond hair with gold highlights, and a few curls. The room where I write this looks like backstage at the Moulin Rouge, with the bed covered with thrift-store evening gowns, tulle and scraps of netting and other materials, as Carmen's dress and petticoat take shape. I hope to post some pictures of Carmen and her dress-in progress in the next few days. I was at the Getty Museum a few months ago to see the French, 17th and 18th Century exhibit of clothes, furniture and lifestyles, to see what I could incorporate into the dollmaking. On the way out, I stumbled upon Giacometti's statue of a tall, thin, woman. (Not sure of the title.) Naturally, I had to pose next to it! A picture in the New York Times last year of Giacometti's six foot bronze statue, the "Walking Man" may have iinspired th etall, thin dolls. (Maybe a six foot doll is in the offing???!) Mimosa and Sophie's doll, Suki, are 31" tall. Strangely, Carmen is exactly the same height, without measuring! Next post, I want to talk about art and dolls and what Picasso said about Matisse! See you next week! Sasha I admit it. I love dolls! When I was a girl, it was considered "normal" to love dolls, collect them, play with them and have tea parties for them. I did all of that. (I was a tomboy too, but that's for a later post!) But as an adult, it was harder to admit that I still loved dolls! But after years of buying Cabbage Patch dolls for my children, after the children grew up and moved away, I started "collecting" Barbie dolls, and a few outfits, then a few Kens. To be fair, I also collected a few G.I. Joes, long after my own son had grown up and put away childish things. But the real passion started when, as an adult, I made my first doll, Manny. He was tall and skinny and made out of a white tee shirt, with long, black hair, also from a tee shirt. Manny was floppy and could bend at the knees and elbows, had a long neck and a head like an alien in Roswell, New Mexico. But he was my creation and I was hooked. Since then, I've made lots of dolls and was surprised to discover that many other people share my passion. One of them is my daughter and doll-making partner, Sophie, who is learning to make dolls and who helped make Suki, Mimosa's sister, both of whom are featured on the dollsbysasha site this week. We're also posting pictures of some dolls in progress because we can't wait to share them! Please check back on Monday, August 29, 2011, for the next installment of Sasha's Doll Blog. And don't forget to check Sophie's Doll Blog, too! See you next week! Sasha : ) |
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