The Beauty of Doll Making.....

.....is this.....

Take a construction that is exactly the same, change the skin fabric, even just slightly and you will have either a slightly tighter constructed face or a slightly more expandable face. Change the eyes.....the decorative features of it, the shape of it, the size of it and you create two characters that hold completely different souls. Change the nose.....the location of it, closer to the eye line or a bit below, bigger or smaller and you have a brand new persona. Change the cheeks.....make them plumper, rounder, and change their placement relative to the rest of the facial features and you will place a face with an age. Change the mouth.....the placement of it higher or lower on the face, wider or narrower and you will have emotions attached.

Such is the beauty of bringing a doll to life. You only need to experiment and play and you will find that the possibilities are infinite.

In borrowed clothes....here is the next sweetheart to come to life.

She likes chic, shabby, pink and cream. And she's head over heals about what I plan to make her. We'll see if I can pull it off. (Giggles)

Sweet Dumpling Recipe

How to Make a Dumpling Doll

Ingredients

1. a few yards of fabric
2. several centimeters of thread
3. some skeins of yarn
4. a generous amount of wool (for stuffing)
5. beeswax crayon (for final decor)

Steps

Important Note: Make sure you set aside a generous amount of time to make your doll. Your doll will require copious amounts of time, love and chocolate feedings (for yourself that is) in between.

1. Preheat the hands to temperature by stretching the fingers and rubbing the hands together vigorously to warm them up for lots of work.

2. Make sure you have a clean, spacious table top available for rolling out the fabric.

3. Draw, cut, embroider and sew the doll with thread.

4. Fluff and split the wool stuffing. Gently but firmly stuff your doll from head to toe.

5. Warm up those knitting needles and crochet hooks. Then, crochet and knit away with some beautiful yarn to your hearts content.

6. Add a dash of color to your doll with beeswax crayon.

7. Wash, block and dry your doll's clothes. Dress your doll.

8. And voila!!!..a sweet little dumpling in your hands for savoring.

Oh so wonderful is the gratification of turning something from lifelessness to liveliness using your own two hands. If you like DIY and making things by hand, you know this feeling.

What's Coming

Hello, friends! It's been a while. I thought I'd pop my head in to say "hello" and to give you a quick update on the world of Scarlet Elfcup. Lots happening around here.

First, a bit of reflection. I'd like to show you this transformation of Scarlet Elfcup's 6" doll....from Gardien released in April 2014 when Scarlet Elfcup came to life....to the sculpted Wee-Bee Mini Elfcup today. Fun to see, isn't it?

Now, for the juicies....this past week was spent in the abyss of bliss...working away on some custom requests AND:

Wefting.

Cutting. Sewing.

Sculpting.

The world of crafting dolls has just changed for me with the ability to sculpt to my heart's content. Imagine a wide open door into a whole new world of creativity. So, this made me wonder to myself...will I leave the world of Waldorf where beauty and imagination lies in simple and expressionless? It gave me the pouts to think of that, so I have to say, "No." Scarlet Elfcup dolls will continue on with many creations made of the undecorated, un-ornamented and expressionless face that so defines the idea of simplicity and imagination. At the same time, I will also venture on further and deeper into different levels of creativity for my wandering and curious mind. Hence, taking on new and different ways to make dolls. Very exciting! It's all an adventure.

And now for the big news...a new pattern is in the works for an 8" doll.

Here's the 6" Wee-Bee Mini Elfcup. I love love love making the Wee-Bee Mini Elfcups. After making so many tiny ones in the past couple months, my hands are familiar with nothing more. It just feels so right to hold and handle the itty-bitties. I love making the 6" dolls for so many reasons...they are cute, tiny, sweet. And more so, they give me the chance to really fly into the world of imagination. To create the extras that go with the 6" doll is one of the most enjoyable parts of making a tiny doll. In other words, small things leave room for big imaginary worlds. If you haven't seen it already with past creations, you will see more of it for upcoming creations.

With all that said about my love for making the 6" Wee-Bee Mini Elfcups, I still want to explore the world of dolls on a pinch of an inch....or two more. Therefore, the coming of an 8" doll.

The 8" doll will give a tad bit more inches to work with the clothing design a bit more flexibly. At the same time, it's still small enough to leave room for big imaginings and creativity. And still small enough to fit in the cup of the hand. So, here you have it...the 6" Wee-Bee Mini Elfcup standing tall next to the upcoming 8" doll.

I have yet to work out some small kinks of the 8" proportion. But, the pattern is almost complete. Then, when the time is right, the official announcement will be made regarding the 8" doll.

For now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go fetch a small fairy from the forest. Wish me luck and hope that I will resurface next week from the other world with a fairy in my hand.

One last note before I leave....alongside a number of custom orders, I am working on a small batch of sweet little ones that I hope to have ready and placed in the shop by March 1....no promises, but, that's the hope. For now....off to fairyland.

The Making

Designing, by which I mean making up one's own patterns, is the most thrilling and challenging part of toymaking. Assembling patterns and sewing the parts together is an exercise in logic and craft. The problem of carving out from a dead piece of fabric a three-dimensional object with a life of its own, personally, gives me a tremendous sense of satisfaction and achievement. Needless to say, there are plenty of trials and tribulations, out-takes as you would call it. But, the end reward of breathing life into something that was once without character, shape or form is the magical part of the experience of designing. For those who desire true creativity, it is an experience that is part of the whole and should not be missed out on.