I am that merry wanderer of the night..."
Often Times...
...it takes a lot for dreams to come to realization.
It begins with a concept.
You put down on paper your idea. You sketch. You scratch. You try again. You draw some lines. You erase. You add some marks. You take away others. You keep on repeating this pattern until you're satisfied with transferring what was in your head onto a space that makes it more concrete, more visible.
And even then, somehow, in the dreams it was always more beautiful, more elegant, more fantastical. Such are dreams...they are never perfect in realization. You know this.
But, still, it's worth striving for.
Once the floating thoughts are put into concrete lines in a place where you can see and adjust things, you get to put on paper ALL the visions that you had. There are no limits...in ideology, that is.
Drafts are fun because you get to see what you want...
and then you get to make decisions about some things...how to incorporate structural support where needed, how to sew more creatively, how to change proportions so that things look the way you envisioned, how to attach parts...essentially the beginnings of a puzzle piecing.
Sketches are also so much fun because you get to color. How often do YOU color? If your answer is never...I encourage you to give it a try some time. It's really quite relaxing and meditative. No wonder Tibetan buddhist monks spend countless hours laboring with infinite detail over sand mandalas.
When you color a sketch, it helps give an idea whether the colors and prints you wanted to use will work or not. In some cases, what you had in mind may come out looking better than you thought and sometimes it may come out looking all wrong.
Sometimes, you dwell on the ideas for so long that you're just ready to go...grab the jacket and hat and just head out the door and jump with a leap of faith.
And even then, patience holds fast and you just have to sit on the idea and dwell a little longer...maybe the stash of fabric you had in mind is not the right dash of colors, maybe you need to give more thought on that structural support, maybe you need to work out some more details, maybe you need to spend more time learning a sewing skill that you don't have so that you can make certain parts of your idea come to life...maybe, maybe, maybe, what if, what if, what if....it can go on forever.
At some point you must decide that it's time to jump the plane, free fall and let the adventure begin.
So, here's to bringing this dream to realization.....A Boy and His Gypsy Moth....COMING SOON!
Wired Armature
Here is the beginning of my adventures into wired armature. For the upcoming creation, it would be ideal to bring to life a doll that has, at the very least, legs that are bendable at will. This means the doll can be posed to sit with bent knees and then stand again with straight legs. The only way to do this is by constructing the doll with armatures.
I am new at this, as I am new with pretty much everything that I've created, since I make it a point to learn something absolutely new to me with each creation. So, I won't get into the details of telling you about wired armatures because I'm no expert at it. I've done my research to learn about the different types of armatures and how to construct and piece together the armatures. Here I've decided to start my adventures with armatures by using cotton pipe cleaners. In this blog, I just wanted to share a few photos of the beginning constructions of the wired armature in order to preview the upcoming doll and show a bit of what the doll is composed of.
The challenge here is the process of inserting the wired armature inside the cloth, intact and well secured with wool stuffing generously and evenly wrapped all around the wired armature without the aid of glue or any other type of synthetic materials. AND to do this while navigating the angle met at the ankles of the doll's leg. In addition, the challenge will also lie in sewing the legs to the body through the wired armature. These, my friends, are the challenges. I'll let you know how we come through at the end. Wish this doll luck that he/she will come to life with legs that can bend, sit and stand.
Update
Hi Everyone -
There's been lots happening around here. I apologize for the bombardment of posts and updates. There are a few other bits of news coming in the next couple of days. So, instead of constantly feeding to the social media posts, I'm just going to give a brief summary here and if you're interested, you can simply come back to the blog to check in on things.
First news bit:
Second bit of news:
Third news bite:
And lastly, enjoy these fun photos of the girls saying good-bye to one another. Ooohhh! So cute! I'm envious of all the mamas who have these sweeties coming your way. I want to keep the whole brood. Ha.
There's An Old Scottish Saying....
"A pretty face suits the dish-cloot." (Would you like a translation?...A pretty face suits the dish cloth.)
If Peigi fusses over what to wear, this is what mama always responded with. It basically means "if you've got a pretty face, it doesn't matter what you're wearing." Often, this didn't help Peigi's immediate needs. But, nonetheless, it always worked to quieten her.
Peigi is of Scottish descent, adorned with long dark brown hair and bright blue eyes.
She has a brother (yes...remember this little cutie...Mr. Ivor?) whom she loves. He loves cars and she loves unicorns. Peigi may be a fussy character when it comes to outfits, but when it comes to hanging out with her brother, she'll do anything with him. In fact, she's the only one he can count on to sit with him for hours on end, playing cars, pushing them back and forth, rolling them here and there...only Peigi....because Peigi adores her brother.
When she's not tagging along with her brother, Peigi likes to ride her unicorn. She has big fantasies about living in their world, riding in the skies and being amongst hundreds and thousands of their kind...all of them pink! Yes, it would be lovely to live in a world where everything is pink because she loves pink.
Peigi is a Wee-Bee Mini Elfcup doll. She stands less than 6" (15 cm) tall. She is made with all natural materials. Her doll skin is made with premium quality cotton interlock imported from Europe. She is firmly stuffed with bio-wool. Her seams are sewn twice for reinforcement. Her locks are made of mohair yarn tied into two sweet braided pigtails. She has embroidered facial features. Her facial structure is sculpted giving her a sweet little face with an itty-bitty chin, round chubby cheeks and deeper set eyes. Her cheeks, nose and various body parts are blushed with red beeswax. She is a sitting doll with sewn joints that are made flexible for easy movement and changing of clothes. But, with some posing, she is also able to stand. She also has a belly button and a bum.
Peigi comes wearing a sweet floral top made of cotton and a mohair-silk blended yarn. Her shorts are made of 100% cotton. Her beanie is made from pre-washed, clean, repurposed 100% cashmere. Her shoes are hand knit with a 100% alpaca yarn.
Peigi comes galloping in the winds with her unicorn hobby horse. The unicorn is needle felted with 100% wool roving and the hobby stick is made of wood. The unicorn is for decorative purposes only and should not be used as a toy. Peigi is recommended for ages 5+.
Peigi.....a little girl of Scottish descent who adores her brother and loves unicorns and the color pink.
Here Are Two Little Dollies....
(....well, actually.....it's one little dolly and one big dolly)....waiting their turn.
Spring Sisters
Spring is here and Skye and Poppy are out to play. These two sisters are out exploring in their very own backyard. When one is so tiny the world is big and the discoveries are endless. There are hidden worlds of life all around them...
....nests that lay empty, waiting to be filled
....nests that lay filled, babies waiting to hatch
Flowers are in bloom and Skye and Poppy love to pick them and climb them.
It is a delight to hear tiny wee voices laughing and giggling amongst the bushes and little pitter patter feet rustling the leaves and plants. Spring is here indeed.
Two Spring Sisters, Poppy and Skye, best of friends...out to play.
Meet Poppy, named after the California state flower, the California poppy (Eschscholzia Californica). Poppy is a spring child, happy go-lucky, innocent and free. She loves her sister Skye.
Here's Skye. Skye is named for the beautiful blue heavens granted to us in the Spring when the Winter greys have gone and the cold is overshadowed by fresh scents and new blooms. Skye is a sweet delight...ever present, ever curious, ever happy....much like her sister, Poppy. Skye, too, loves her sister.
Poppy is a Wee-Bee Mini Elfcup doll. She stands less than 6" (15 cm) tall. She is made with all natural materials. Her doll skin is made with premium quality cotton interlock imported from Europe. She is firmly stuffed with bio-wool made in Oregon. Her seams are sewn twice for reinforcement. Her locks are made of mohair yarn tied into two sweet braided pigtails. She has embroidered facial features. Her facial structure is sculpted giving her a sweet little face with an itty-bitty chin, round chubby cheeks and deeper set eyes. Her cheeks, nose and various body parts are blushed with red beeswax. She is a sitting doll with sewn joints that are made flexible for easy movement and changing of clothes. But, with some posing, she is also able to stand. She also has a belly button and a bum.
Poppy comes wearing a sweet floral Easter dress made of cotton and a mohair-silk blended yarn. Her bunny cap is made from pre-washed, clean, repurposed 100% cashmere. Her shoes are hand knit with a 100% alpaca yarn.
Skye is a Wee-Bee Mini Elfcup doll. She stands less than 6" (15 cm) tall. She is made with all natural materials. Her doll skin is made with premium quality cotton interlock imported from Europe. She is firmly stuffed with bio-wool made in Oregon. Her seams are sewn twice for reinforcement. Her locks are made of an ultra soft suri alpaca. She has embroidered facial features. Her facial structure is sculpted giving her a sweet little face with an itty-bitty chin, round chubby cheeks and deeper set eyes. Her cheeks, nose and various body parts are blushed with red beeswax. She is a sitting doll with sewn joints that are made flexible for easy movement and changing of clothes. But, with some posing, she is also able to stand. She also has a belly button and a bum.
Skye comes wearing clothes fit for springtime play. Her top is hand knit with a cashmere-silk blended yarn. Her sweet itty-bitty floral shorts are made of 100% cotton. Her bunny cap is made from pre-washed, clean, repurposed 100% cashmere and decorated with tiny buttons and an embroidered bunny nose. Her shoes are hand knit with a 100% alpaca yarn.
Poppy and Skye, two lovely Spring sisters. If you are interested in giving these little girls a home to go to for Easter this year, they are FREE! Yes, friends....you read that right....FREEEEEEE!!! This is my token of appreciation for all the support you have given Scarlet Elfcup in her first year. It has been an incredible journey and I can't wait to share more of it with all of you.
Now, for the important bit. Tee-hee! Poppy will be given away as Thursday's gift from Scarlet Elfcup. If you are interested, please go to Scarlet Elfcup's Facebook page and be a fan of Scarlet Elfcup, "like" the post on Poppy and Skye and share the post.....just spread the love is all that's asked. The entries will close and a drawing will be made on Saturday, March 21 at 9:00 PM (PST). (The closing date has been extended.)
Skye will be left for Friday's gift. So stay tuned. Thank you and have a wonderful night.