Rhissanna

Marie Antoinette and the Heart-Shaped Cheese. Now with added cheese.

2013-05-17T00:03:00.000-07:00

I'm honoured, and delighted,
to be included In
Castles, Crowns and Cottages
exploration of
La Belle France.

There will be updates on the
Princess Milk Maid Doll,
and my recipe
for a heart-shaped cheese.

I'll be here all week.

Poor, dear Marie Antoinette

a pawn, not a player,

in a most unpleasant game

at Versailles.

But, before her sad end

she was a lonely, bored

and over-scrutinised girl

with money and taste

and a great desire to escape.

And escape she did, to

the Petit Trianon,

which was a gift to her,

to do with as she pleased.

Once through the gates,

the little palace and its grounds

were a fantasy retreat.

A magical rural sanctuary.

An idealised bucolic pastoral.

Where she and her princess friends

could play at shepherdesses

and milkmaids.

Her farm and mill

and dairy

were exquisite

creations.

Like this.

The Laiterie.

Beautiful as any design

in an aspirational interiors magazine.

What wonderful cheeses would come from

such a serene marble dairy,

pressed by the milk-white hands

of a doomed princess?

I wondered if she had

little princesses come and play.

Sweet and well-mannered, shy little girls

who'd come and curtsey and

stir the silken curds and whey.

I wanted to know what they'd look like.

So here was my inspiration.

A doll with the painted face

of an 18th century princess,

playing at a milkmaid.

With contemporary 18th century portraits

as a reference for the features.

The eyes suggested with paint

in monochrome, like a grisaille.

The irises in a grey blue,

wide and innocent.

A rosebud mouth,

small and slightly pouting.

Paint and powder,

a natural blush deepened

by a touch of carmine.

And finally, soft white hair,

powdered, pomaded and piled high,

to be decorated with

rows of roses.

And I know what she'd make,

this little princess milkmaid.

She'd make heart-shaped cheese.

The beautiful Neufchatel.

(PS. I didn't make this particular cheese. I wish I had.
If I made these wonderful, dreamy cheeses,
this would be a cheese blog, not a doll blog.)

No, no, my dears!

Not the stuff in the block

by the cream cheeses

at Wal*Mart.

This is the real thing.

Salty and tangy and crumbly-delicious.

I miss it so.

So, I made a heart-shaped cheese of my own,

with herbs and garlic.

And this is the recipe.

Ingredients.

1 block of neufchatel cheese

(or cream cheese; full fat,

fat free, whatever)

1 or 2 cloves fresh garlic

(To taste.)

A handful of fresh herbs.

I used parsley,

but any mild, soft-leaved herb would do

either alone or blended.

Method.

First, puree the garlic.

(My Aunty Joanne who was

the most glamorous woman I ever knew

taught me this method.)

Peel the garlic cloves

and sprinkle on a good pinch of salt.

Start to chop the raw garlic into the salt,

scraping the knife and gathering the

chopped bits back together.

The garlic will start out as little chunks

but will slowly transform into a thick puree.

Chop the clean herbs into tiny flakes.

Yes, by hand.

Line your heart-shaped mould

with foil and sprinkle the base

with a light layer of chopped herbs.

Fold the remainder of the herbs

and the fresh garlic puree

into the neufchatel cheese.

Spoon gently into the mould

and press into shape.

Chill.

An hour or two is fine

Overnight is better.

Turn out of the mould.

Serve with good bread,

buttery crackers

and

cold, crisp white wine.

(If you don't have a suitable mould,

form the cheese into a cylinder,

then roll in chopped herbs

and wrap tightly in foil or cling film.)

Dollmaker on Thursday: Summer Covington Smith

2013-05-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

Summer Covington Smith

is a wonderfully talented

doll maker.

I first found her dolls on her blog,

Dreamspirations Gallery

and I was entranced.

Her dolls are quirky and wicked,

and somehow still full of a

gentle sweetness.

Like Trogg, here.

And Isabella,

biting her lip.

Those huge eyes

full of worry,

make you just want to

give her a hug.

Gretta, all Gothic

in stark black and white

displays wide blank eyes

over sewn lips.

A doll to tell secrets to,

perhaps?

Summer's blog is generously full

with hints and tips and

her work-in-progress shots.

This is the creepiest smile, right?

Right!

And even if you're not scared of clowns

there's something deeply unsettling about

Barstow here.

Does it surprise you

he also has a

blood splashed axe?

This is Madeline.

I love how she still looks

sweet and vulnerable

even with a zip

for her mouth.

Her elegant little dress

with a single red rose

keeps our attention

on her expressive face.

Oh, I love the fidgeting toes!

Summer also make

wonderful cloth dolls.

Evette, here

is a sultry stunner.

Look at those boots!

She also makes

Goddess dolls.

This is Summer.

Her cool greens and warm pinks

are like a rose garden

Summer has a wonderful eye

for grotesque faces

that are appealing

and full of character.

Like Stink-Eye here.

Or tender and cute,

like Mallory.

But I must admit a soft spot

for wicked old

Lord Arsenic!

Summer's Etsy shop is here

She also sells crocheted gloves

and scarves and wallets.

Go and see!

Molly Cottontail

2013-05-12T22:44:00.000-07:00

The inspiration for this rabbit

came from an Easter card

I found at

The Graphics Fairy.

I loved the idea of a grey bunny

with a pink gingham dress.

I love the hat

and the pink striped socks

and little black shoes.

Now, Molly here is a toddler bunny,

and mine are a little older than that

so I made the dress

more suitable for a big girl.

First,

painting the body grey.

This gristly image

is the body drying outside

between sandings.

After being painted and sanded

I glued on the head

and shoulder plate.

I know.

Awkward!

A lined and fitted bodice.

A full skirt.

Little white collar.

Tucks along the hem.

And the dress is finished!

It has a wide sash

at the back,

and white daisies

on the collar and cuffs.

And it's perfect

for playing dolls,

on long Summer days

in the meadow.

Shared on
The Graphics Fairy
Brag Monday.

The Return of the Return of Doll Maker on Thursday!

2013-05-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

Well, hello there!

This is a

Double Feature!

(Please note,

these aren't my photographs.

They're Georgina's.

I wish I could take photos as nice as this!)

(PS, see that fab hat?

It's available here.)

This lovely creature

is Georgina.

And Georgina is a doll maker

I've been following for quite some time.

She makes gorgeous dolls,

from the sweet Claude here.,

to the fantastically exotic

and ethereal

Demonette.

Georgina's dolls

challenge our notions of

a doll's anatomy.

This is Spoilt Claudia,

an Aracna doll,

with a spider's many eyes

and a spider's eight limbs.

Here she is as a

work-in-progress.

Spider legs and all those eyes.

And here she is completed,

with her surprisingly sweet pout

and dreamy gaze.

All Georgina's dolls

are beautifully photographed,

and seem to inhabit

a glamorous environment

where they are completely at home.

Here is The Faun

as a WIP.

Here she is,

lounging by candlelight.

I love photographs of dolls held in the hand,

so here is the Faun again.

Georgina has given her

delicately fluffy and convincing faun legs

and graceful, elegant arms.

The dolls' bizarre bodies

and exotic faces

are complemented

by exquisite costumes

and ornate accessories.

Here, a flowing pink gown

contrasts with the avian face/mask.

Another doll-in-the-hand shot.

This is the Sleeping Demon.

The Sleeping Demon

has an intricate

bronze headpiece

and is otherwise naked,

showing her jointed limbs

Here are her beautifully sculpted teeth

in what is possibly

the nicest photo ever

of a doll's teeth.

Georgina's work is always fascinating

and I truly enjoy the way her figures

push the boundaries

of what we find beautiful

in a doll.

I think her dolls deserve

to be better known.

Find her dolls

in her Etsy shop,

Nevermore Dolls.

Find Georgina on facebook.

Her blog.

A doll for a doll.

2013-05-05T05:22:00.001-07:00

The problem with making

a doll

for a doll

is that the doll

needs to look like a doll

when it's held by the doll.

Follow me?

Good.

Here is the doll

for a doll.

She still needs her apron

but she's nearly done.

Does she look like a doll?

All right, then.

Here is the doll

(very unfinished)

holding her doll.

Excuse horrible flash photography.

Does she look happy

with her doll?

If she looks happy

with her doll

then

I'm happy

with her doll.

Rhissanna

Who am I?

2013-05-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

Well, who am I?

Does this help?

How about the striped stockings?

Got it yet?

How about if I add a little hair band?

Yes!

That's right!

Well done!

Now I just need some clothes!

Repaint

2013-04-25T23:46:00.001-07:00

The crucifix is all finished,

painted and varnished

and reassembled.

Here are the compare-and-contrast photos.

I was surprised at how useful

doll making was for this project.

After painting several coats of

acrylic paint,

I used powdered pastels

brushed into the hollows

to bring out the sculptural depth.

Painted detail on the face.

And I got it all finished before Sunday!

Help a fellow Artist!

I have a friend on

Deviant Art,

Rose Tursi

who makes amazing

steampunk paraphernalia

(I have one of her fab Steampunk rings)

and paints really charming and quirky images.

Like this anxious

Balloon Twisting Porcupine.

Or the gently humorous

Angler Fish with Reading Light

She's about to break out on her own,

making cards from her paintings

and I thought I'd

give her a leg up

and post her Indiegogo page.

Go and visit, every little helps.

Share, if you can.

In doll news,

Mistress Melinda is coming along.

But I think she'd like me to hurry it up.

Big project.

2013-04-22T13:33:00.001-07:00

After restoring the

Infant of Prague

I was asked to make some alterations

to a large wall crucifix

that hangs in a dark corner.

This is it hanging on my white wall.

It's a lovely piece

but with a dark oak cross

and a bronze finish figure

it's pretty much invisible

where it hangs in the church.

The figure itself is beautifully modelled

with a lovely faux bronze patina.

I know this because I've had to restore this figure before

when he lost a thumb and some fingers,

and I had to match the paint finish.

This time,

I'm going to try to make him look like

a traditional carved and painted figure

as I don't think St Mary's has one.

It's a modern-ish building and most of the

figures have a Mid-Century feel.

This is the first coat.

Sidestepping the loaded argument about

Christ's ethnicity

I've gone for a colour that's

light enough to be seen in a dark corner

and will provide a contrast to the dark hair

and not be pink.

I'm not painting Jesus Piano Baby pink!

He really is beautifully sculpted

and the lighter colour shows the detail.

I hope to have him finished

and back in place by

next Sunday.

I do feel privileged that

the church trusts me with its

valuable and sacred figures.

In other news,

Steampunk Rabbit

is finished!

Have some pictures!

Firstly, the

Top Hat.

Feathers and lace.

Steam GPS compass.

Fully functioning antennae.

The veil can either be tucked up,

or pulled under the chin for a riding hat effect.

Like this.

Here she is

sans hat,

reading her notes.

I hope Spring has finally come to wherever you are.

Unless you're Antipodean,

whereupon,

I hope you're having a wonderful Autumn.

Hugs,

Rhissanna

She knows if you've been bad or good

2013-04-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

Progress on my

wicked boudoir doll.

More of the boots,

now with faux stockings.

The heels have a

cocktail stick armature

with paperclay

and more paperclay for the sole.

I was worried about it cracking

or flexing away from the fabric

but it all seems pretty secure.

Now she has hair

(dirty blonde!)

and a face

and a name.

Melinda.

You'll address her as Mistress, however.

The stockings are made from tulle

with seams at the back.

They'll have suspenders

(Garter belt?)

and little garters.

I've finally worked out how to make the face

with no center seam over the mouth,

which does make the lips easier to paint.

And I'd better get back to work

or I'm going to be in trouble.

A rush job

2013-04-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

Just before Easter Sunday

like, about four days before

my Mother in Law calls me

and asks if I could do a rush job.

With the emphasis on 'rush'.

This Infant of Prague

had been knocked out of his niche.

He'd had a pretty efficient repair job

and hats off to whoever did it

because plaster is a cow to glue together.

The joins were strong and solid.

But some of the fragments didn't lie flat

and the cracks were horribly visible.

Could I pretty him up again

before

Easter Sunday?

So I did!

And, because this really was a rush job

non-stop painting and sanding,

painting and sanding,

there's no finished picture.

Which is a pity,

because he looked pretty spiffy

when he was done.

Back to Steampunk Rabbit

and the commission.

Here she is with her clothes finished.

Her fitted jacket turned out

better than I had hoped.

Corset laced at the front,

with a pocket for her

Time Piece.

Riding habit influence at the back,

with buttoned flaps and epaulettes.

She has a tiny key on a chain,

which could be worn as a bracelet

or anklet,

or discreetly tucked into her blouse.

The hat!

Finally, the hat.

It was going to be glued in place

but it actually sit nicely over her ears

so it's going to be separate.

I'm still adding bits.

Feathers and then some more lace

and ribbons

and the silver gears.

This is a gear on the back of her

Time Piece.

And this is the front.

It's not a watch,

she tells me.

It's a

Time Piece.

I'm not sure what it does.

Time Travel, maybe?

Here she is, posing.

Rule Buntannia!

Next, a sudden project

when Hubby asked me

how fast could I make a doll.

The last time he asked that

I made Marie, and she took a month!

But I had an idea I was flirting with.

This is part of it.

And here's two, together.

Painted and sanded and painted and sanded and painted etc.

And this rather disturbing photograph here.

More when I have more!

Eating Cake

2013-03-27T12:16:00.002-07:00

A flying visit.

just to say

Marie

has gone to a new home

across the sea.

I'm very happy for her,

although transatlantic journeys

make me nervous until I know

the parcel has arrived safely!

Cake for everyone!

Hoi! Don't eat that!

2013-03-16T20:07:00.000-07:00

This is Mr Butterbean

all grown up.

Nearly.

Just in time for

Easter, too.

So I shall expect

brightly coloured eggs

Easter morning.

I tried to sketch him.

It was remarkably unsuccessful.

Firstly,

because he won't keep still.

And secondly,

because my sketchbook is tasty.

This bunny will keep still!

This bunny is made by the wonderful

Cynthia Toy,

(yes, that's her real name)

who makes the loveliest

cloth fairy dolls.

I have wanted one of these bunnies

ever since I first saw one.

But there's only a few made

every Spring.

This year, I nabbed one!

Hubby bought it for me.

Here she is on

Steampunk Rabbit's lap.

For more on Cynthia's work

see her Etsy shop,

The Fairies Nest.

Cynthia is on

Deviant Art,

and she has a web page.

Facebook, too!

All caught up!

2013-03-12T17:07:00.004-07:00

Where was I?

Ok.

I was in hospital.

Just for a test.

And the test is done.

And I am fine

and have the photographs to prove it.

And, uh.

Yeah.

So, that took out a couple of days

but I'm caught up now.

Here is Steampunk Rabbit

She's sewn into her pin tucked shirt

and her lacy bloomers.

She has a tail.

And there are buttons down the back of her shirt.

Even though she is sewn into her clothes

they're all properly made.

French seamed, too!

The blouse is lined in the bodice,

front and back.

There's a button on her bloomers

over the tail

and

lace around the edges.

Her lace skirt is lined

and sewn into a waistband.

And see.

Now she has stockings!

Next is the hat

and the boots

and the little tailored jacket!

Pretty in Grey?

2013-03-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

Or Fifty Shades of Pink.

(Actually, 50 Shades of Pink

sounds like a

much kinkier book.

But I digress)

Steampunk Rabbit is going along nicely.

Here she is in her

pin tucked blouse.

I've left the front in simple pin tucks

as she'll have something Steampunky

around her neck

and I didn't want it to disappear

in a mass of frothy lace.

What I did have for her blouse

is some absolutely perfect

insertion lace

I won in a giveaway from Mina!

See more of the goodies here.

Since then, I''ve had to tread water for a bit.

Steampunk Rabbit

is to be dressed in

black and white and silver.

The monochrome palette

is ideal for different textures,

so I wanted to give her a lace skirt.

I ordered some

lovely black and white lace.

(Yes, this is their image

but under the circumstances...)

Isn't it pretty?

I was so excited when it arrived.

And it is lovely lace.

Black and PINK

lovely lace.

Bother!

I can't make the jacket

until I have the right lace

for the skirt.

So off I went on the hunt again.

And today I got my new lace.

It's perfect.

It's a very, very dark grey,

with simple embroidery in silvery grey

and satin-stitched roses

of white and grey.

All crunchy texture and subtle shades.

Are there fifty of them?

Let me get my riding crop

and you can count.

Alright, Mr De Mille,

I'm ready for my close-up

Shared with
Pink Saturday.

Reserved listing in my Etsy shop

The Return of the Calorie Free Chocolate Rabbit

2013-02-24T21:49:00.000-08:00

A no-calorie chocolate bunny.

Sugar free.

Fat free.

Cholesterol free

Yes, I know it's not

actually made of chocolate.

And, technically,

it does have a calorific value.

Maybe I should have said

'Inedible Chocolate Bunny'?

But that doesn't sound quite the same.

The bunnies are sporting the very popular

French chocolate graphic

from the wonderful Graphics Fairy.

These are made with

an enlarged version

of my free rabbit pattern.

So, you could make some too.

Or buy them on Etsy, which is easier.

I just made two, originally.

and now I have lots!

The rabbit graphic in the background is

to be found here.

Progress on the

Steampunk Rabbit

Sweet little drawers!

I have hoarded this fabric

with the bunny in a top hat.

Apparently it's discontinued

and I bought the last three yards

left in the shop.

I'm delighted to be able

to use it for

Steampunk Rabbit's knickers.

They need finishing.

Gathers around her legs

and some lace.

maybe a bow or two,

or a button.

Why embellished knickers?

because everyone,

EVERYONE,

looks up the skirt of a rag doll.

Might as well put something there

worth looking at.

Here she is, posing.

Her paintwork is all sealed

and she's ready for her clothes.

Firstly, a pintucked blouse.

Tiny pintucks, huh?

There's a trick to it.

First, make the pintucks,

as small as you can.

Then, wash the piece,

in hot water if it can take it.

Tumble dry.

The fabric shrinks

making tight and teeny little tucks!

This piece is for the front of the blouse.

It's easier to pintuck the fabric

and then cut out the pattern pieces,

than to cut first and then sew.

That's the most helpful hint

I have with dollmaking.

As far as possible,

Sew then cut.

Rabbit Spam

2013-02-21T16:54:00.000-08:00

Not that I'd eat rabbit spam.

Here is Steampunk Rabbit's progress so far,

in a spammage of photographs.
I've also updated the pictures
in my Etsy shop.

Beginning painting

Painted torso and limbs,

before first sanding.

Head and eyes painted black.

Cold, dead eyes in grey.

Now eyes with colour and light!

Posing by the curtains.

Close look at eye.

Sitting on the mantelpiece in the

Steampunk Study.

Glamour Shot.

So, now she is all made and just needs dressing!

I need to seal her paintwork and for that

I have to wait for drier weather

at the weekend.

Also, I'm very honoured to be chosen to give her a name.

I'm considering Miss Lettie Delaval.

I am, of course, open to

other ideas.

If you have a name for

Steampunk Rabbit

please feel free

to put it in the comments.

If I pick a name

I will hand out prizes!

Like Alice!

Teasers!

2013-02-19T17:56:00.001-08:00

Here is

Steampunk Rabbit

posing in

Hubby's Steampunk Study

Here is her

Moody Steampunk pose,

with watch.

It's a feature of BJD

that their faces show different expressions

depending on the light and the angle.

I tried for that with

Steampunk Rabbit.

Seen from the other side, with more light

she seems quite an optimistic little thing.

Optimistic about getting some clothes, maybe?

Get in Gear.

2013-02-17T22:16:00.001-08:00

First of all...

Mina, over at

Green Witch with Sprinkles

had her second Blogiversary

in January, with a giveaway!

I was really thrilled to be

one of the three winners,

and Mina sent me a parcel

full of all kinds of goodies.

Papery wonders!.

Stickers and postcards!

Laces and trims!

And gears!

Look!

There's a key in there, too.

And a tiny keyhole!

Thank you so much, Mina

for your wonderful selection.

of steampunky goodies!

Which leads me to

Steampunk Rabbit

This is a quick sketch done with a tablet

(Christmas present from Hubby!

Thank you Hubby!)

so I could try out

different ideas.

This is the working drawing

of Steampunk Rabbit.

I use this for all the design work,

adding to it as the doll develops.

It's drawn to scale,

more or less,

which is why there isn't room

for her boots.

Talking of scale,

I ordered some pretty things for

Steampunk Rabbit

and was so delighted

when they arrived

I just had to share.

See these keys?

Aren't they pretty?.

So ornate and Victorian.

Silvery and curly.

Pierced and delicate.

and really teeny weeny!

I bought a whole bag from EBay.

Now I just want to add them to everything!

I hope you all had a wonderful

Valentine's Day!.

(This is the rose I bought

Hubby.)

Sneak Peek!

2013-02-14T22:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

(Which is ending in about 5 minutes.)

Here is a sneak peek of

my first on-line commission.

It's for a

Steampunk Bunny!

I know!

I'm so excited!

The rabbit is based on

Miss R White,

found here.

And yes, rabbits look funny

when seen from the front.

Steampunk Bunny

has a body,

but she needs a bigger shoulder plate

and painting and then
the bunny part is done.

I'm waiting for silver gears and some lovely lace

to arrive and then I can start dressing her.

I can hardly wait!

Patches

2013-02-06T14:55:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone for

your input about the patches

You're absolutely right!

And, by a stroke of luck,

one of my favourite

historical costume blogs,

Isis' Wardrobe

had just written a whole feature

on the wearing of patches,

over at Madame Isis' Toilette .

It's a wonderful article

with lots of research and pictures.

Thank you, Isis!

So, now Marie has a patch.

A little, historically correct, dot of black

to emphasis her eye.

She also has a feather fan.

I gave her wired fingers

so I thought she'd better have

something to hold.

She's all done now.

Marie's story began here.

Oh! Oh!

I got a commission!

A commission I'm just thrilled about.

Pictures as soon as I have some.

And it's goodbye to

Miss Polly!

She's off to England.

She'll be missed!

Linkied with

Ivy and Elephants

and

No Minimalist Here.

An 18th Century Pin-up

2013-01-29T23:02:00.001-08:00

Marie!

She's all finished!

Here she is, posing

with her little feather fan.

All painted and pensive.

I'm seriously considering giving her a beauty spot.

Yes or no?

Her silly, frilly, little shoes

actually stay on her feet,

unlike some women I could mention.

See the flying shoe?

Everyone thinks this painting is sweet.

It's not. It's naughty!

The whole point of the painting

is that she's not wearing any knickers.

Look at the face of the man at the lower left.

See?

It's supposed to make you giggle!

Anyway...

More pin-up posing.

Tight lacing and bows

A bit of lounging

Shoes and a fan.

A girl can never have too many accessories.

Detail of the wig and corset.

As you can see,

Marie will sit happily

in all kinds of positions.

Marie is inspired by the

wonderful boudoir dolls

of the Flapper era.

I wish I had one.

The closest I have is the

Munzerlite doll lamp

I'm restoring

Boudoir or Bed Dolls were dressed in

exotic or designer clothes,

and were carried around as fashion accessories

as well as used to decorate a bedroom.

I love the idea of a doll for grown ups,

that could be taken places

or left to pretty up a bed or a chair.

Find Marie in

on Etsy.

Marie's story begins here.

Thank you, to all of you who came along

with Marie on her journey.

Your support and encouragement

really means a lot

and is much appreciated.

To see the final touches, go here

Shared with the wonderful

Pink Saturday

Graphic Heavy

2013-01-26T21:17:00.001-08:00

First of all,

meet Mr Butterbean!

Isn't he lovely?

It's been a while since we had a bunny,

and Hubby bought him for me

all of a sudden!

Yes, he's adorable!

So is the bunny!

Well, I've done a lot since I was last here.

Technically, Marie is finished.

I need to take some

pin-up style shots of her.

Meanwhile,

here is some more
work-in-progress.

Marie on my glass table.

This is early morning

(8.00am, is early, right?)

and she's waiting for her gloves and shoes.

These are the soles of the shoes

sculpted from paper clay

I looked at a lot of 18th century shoes

and darling little things they are!

Ribbons and roses and frills.

And the women's shoes were even fancier!

The best little 18th century shoes I know

are made by Anita Riviera, of

Castles Crowns and Cottages.

Aren't these divine?

A lot of the historical shoes

had decorated heels,

and I thought that was a lovely idea.

Here are the soles, painted

with flowers and leaves.

Then they are sealed,

and left to dry,

before covering with the fabric uppers.

Marie has her panniers,

and that complete the sum of her clothing.

She has bright coral pink garters

to hold up her white stockings.

There's a very good reason

she's wrapped in a plastic bag.

A very good reason indeed.

I'd piled up her bouffant coiffure

and it looked ok,

and it stayed in place.

But Marie had some real problems

with flyaway hair.

She was going to need some serious lacquer.

So, it was into the plastic bag,

and out with the Krylon matte seal.

Once I'd sprayed her

and the hair was set,

and her face paint was sealed

I could finish embellishing her wig.

This is the back.

Pearls!

Feathers!

Paper roses!

Satin leaves!

I added some roses to her brow,

to hold down a stray curl.

I made Marie some ringlets.

I'd twisted some of the white hair

around a chopstick.

Poured boiling water over it.

Dunked the chopstick into iced water

to cool and set.

Left to dry.

Once it was dry,

I sprayed it with more lacquer,

let that set and then slid it off the chopstick.

The ringlets were attached to the back of her hair

and brought over her shoulders.

More roses and plumes,

and a big pink satin bow.

And she's all finished.

I just need to take some pretty pictures.

Marie's adventures

started here.

Girl-shaped

2013-01-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

First of all, an exciting story!

Last week I went to the dentist

with Hubby ,

because I can't drive

and I'm a little nervous of dentists

(I used to be terrified,

I'm getting better.

He's a nice dentist)

When we left the dentist

it was snowing and

half an hour later

the roads were impassable,

the only route out of the city was closed

and we were stuck.

We walked three miles in the snow

(Look,

I know three miles isn't far,

and the snow wasn't thick.

but I wasn't dressed for this.

I was wearing battered, leaky tennis shoes)

to Hubby's church

where the very nice priest

opened the flat in the church hall

and let us stay overnight.

He's Indian.

(not Native American.

Indian, from India)

and fed us amazing chicken curry.

The End.

Yes, indeed.

If you're going to wear a corset,

you need something to put in a corset

I tried Marie without her

enhancements,

but she did look a little...unbalanced.

So I made her a couple of

pillows to stuff down the front.

So, now she has a corset

and something for the corset to squash.

Here is Marie sitting nicely

being fitted for her corset.

I won't be using bright green ribbon,

but this neon colour did give me a chance

to look at several different ways of lacing Marie.

The lacing at the bottom

looks nice, but

Marie will be wearing

panniers on her hips.

So she'll be laced from bottom

to top.

Now she has a corset,

with embellishments being added,

and her anachronous knickers

and her lacy stockings.

She still needs;

panniers,

gloves,

garters,

stuff in her wig

and shoes.

Marie's story starts here.

Bad Hair Day

2013-01-13T20:02:00.002-08:00

You can't be 18th Century, darling,

without the powdered hair.

Even if the shiny wig with ringlets

is a Hollywood invention,

we've come to expect

our Maries to be coiffured

in glossy, white hair.

I wasn't looking forward to this at all.

I don't think Marie was, either.

Still, before the wig

came the satin bloomers

and here they are!

They have elasticated legs

and they need some

lace and

ribbons and

bows and

roses and

pearls and

ruffles and

embroidery and

flowers and

furbelows and...

....because they are 18th century

and anything goes.

(What are furbelows ?)

After the bloomers

came the corset.

Now, I have made a boned doll's corset before

(once)

but I'd never put those fiddly eyelets in.

The trick, apparently,

is to keep the hole in the fabric

as small as possible.

Then, I made stockings,

Sorry about the horrible flash photography.

I'd really put it off as long as I could...

I had to do the wig.

I have a big hank of costume hair.

It's very bright white

and perfect for

Santa or Gandalf.

It's also loose and

I was really worried about using it.

(I was hoping to link a

hair wefting tutorial here,

by Antonette Cely

but I can't find it on-line any more.

Essentially, it involves sewing the hair

onto tissue paper

with a sewing machine.)

I sewed strips of the hair

onto used tumble dryer sheets.

They're white and soft

and pretty invisible behind the hair.

So, I sewed two strips

and I rolled some loose hair

into a ball.

Essentially there's a row of hair sewn at the front,

a row at the back,

and in between, a big pouf

sewn into a tulle bag

to provide the height.

It's all sewn,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

No glue.

The tips of the hair I gathered into a topknot

and tucked it into the crown and stitched it in place.

She still looks a little suspicious...

Tomorrow

I'm going to have fun,

embellishing her wig

and adding girly stuff to her clothes.

Marie's story starts here.

Progress so far.

2013-01-11T12:15:00.001-08:00

The story so far...

Marie is all assembled

and I've done all the soft sculpture

apart from her ears.

Her face is drawn

and she's mostly blushed.

I've cut out Marie's bloomers, but

I'm procrastinating about sewing them because

I chose to make them out of duchess satin.

Sometimes I don't make good choices.

The Story of Marie

starts here.