Monday 13 July 2009

Eliza the birthday doll


This doll was commissionned by my French friend Sonia for her birthday: I asked her to give me a theme: the woods, the sea, birds, the color purple ect and she came up with...fairytales!

I did some research and first thought of making a doll after a fairytale called "Donkey's skin", especially after seeing the pictures of the 60s Jacques Demy movie with Catherine Deneuve, totally kitsh and surreal...





But time was limited and I doubted I'd managed to do a donkey's head for the cape so quickly (2 days), having never attempted an animal's head before! So I settled for a doll inspired not by just one tale but several and used the stereotype of girl going from rags to riches: hiding in the woods in tattered clothes under a cloak and then turned into a princess after meeting her prince.

The doll hides a velvet and satin dress under her cloak where I embroidered "il etait une fois'': once upon a time... I made velvet doll slippers for the first time.



My next commission has the theme of birds and flowers in pink and green. I will experiment with dying fabrics dipped in water for a watercolor effect. Next projects include a sea themed doll for my shop and lots of embroidered cloaks and dresses. I am also going to make a pattern for smaller walls dolls, then I can make lots of them quickly as my new big themed dolls take quite a while to make ...and I am a very impatient crafter!

3 comments:

  1. J'aime la poupée et l'histoire qui va avec! super de lire ton inspiration aussi!

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  2. very lovely and beautifull dolls!!!!!!l enjoy myself wtching themmmmm!!!!!!
    hasta pronto!
    ale

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