Oh, my...where do I start? This doll had been in-progress for about six months as a I pieced together her clothes. It's a bit of a relief to be finished with her.
Her costume took shape around the jacket. It's cut from fabric that I pieced together from vintage lace, silk, satin and chiffon. The fabric is covered with a pebble motif in free-motion machine embroidery. Cut to have tails, like an antique tuxedo, the fitted jacket is trimmed in more vintage lace.
The leather belt laces up the back through brass rings that are stamped with a floral design. The belt pouch is fully functional, closing with a mother-of-pearl button, and cut from the edge of the leather hide to preserve natural texture.
The dress that Rhianon wears under the jacket was created using the draping method. The bodice is constructed mainly of silk and lace; the full-circle skirt is wool tweed in a herringbone pattern, trimmed in vintage laces. She wears eyelet lace bloomers under the skirt.
Her little leather slippers match her belt and pouch and are laced with linen thread.
I dyed the wool for her hair to match her eyes. She stands 17.75 inches (45 cm) tall and has pose-able arms, legs and fingers.
I lost track of how many hours I worked on her, but I remember that the shoes took an entire afternoon. I always remember the shoes. Those tricky little things with no margin for error. It has to fit perfectly or it will just fall off. =P So frustrating, but SO rewarding!
On another note: I have a cute little crochet shrug to block and photograph and share. =)
You literally blow me away with every doll you make Inez.
ReplyDeleteNow I know that my doll making is not (*yet*- fingers crossed *sometime in the near future*) to par with yours, but if you are ever wanting to do a personal swap you know where to find me! ;)
Thanks! I will seriously consider that offer! Things are threatening to get crazy around here, so, it'll be a little while before I can commit to anything.
ReplyDeleteShe is gorgeous. She's seriously one of my favorite poppets now. You do such amazing work. (In case you're wondering how I found your blog, I'm meleriffic on craftster.)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Melissa! Great to see your face here, too!
ReplyDeleteOoh, very beautiful and like your other elf, so elegant. I love how you've dyed the hair to match, and the jacket is wonderful! I'm so inspired by you. Especially the shoes - I am not very good at shoes.
ReplyDeleteThank you! To be perfectly honest, the shoes give me more headaches than any other detail. It's one of the reasons I like to use leather - if the fit is off, you just make a few cuts, then add a new seam. For this doll's shoes, I had to do that in the front and back to get them snug enough to stay on. The trick is to turn it into a new structural detail that then looks neat (and deliberate). ;)
ReplyDelete