I have decided to experiment with some small pieces that have figurative elements instead of making a whole doll with arms and legs, clothing and so forth..  Along the way maybe a new idea will present itself. The piece pictured here is a small collage built on a 5" by 6.5" panel. Again, sewing pattern tissue, spools, lace and buttons are used. I love the illustration of stylish shoes. The 1.5" depth of this panel has interesting possibilities that could be developed more fully.

In the process of creating the doll, "Maybe", I made a second head on a small pillow form. I have started to work with this, hoping it could hang on the wall as a small sculpture. I discovered after I had cured the face the first time, I realized that I didn't like the eyes. In the meantime I had cut holes in the top of the head for the sticks and used plenty of paper mache to hold them in place. This morning I worked on the eyes again before I discovered that there is still a soggy place in the paper mache. So, this little project is on hold for now.

Always on the lookout for new ideas, I quite like the three little heads just on their own.  I'll be thinking about that.

This figure began to take shape early in the year, but was set aside due to other concerns. I had originally planned to make this a small version of a pedestal doll with the torso supported by a single dowel. She is about 18" tall. The skirt was to be made up of multiple strands of beads draped from torso to base. I didn't  have enough of the right beads on hand and the draping process was not working. She got sidelined.
I've been a bit at loose ends with my doll making after the push to get the La Veta Gallery show open, so it seemed like a good time to finish this up. I changed my plan to make use of some of my bountiful supply of antique lace. The lace skirt needed a bit of support so the pedestal dolls became a cage doll with the addition of 6 skewers glued on  to bridge the space between the torso and the base. The lace is glued and stitched on in tiers around the resulting skirt form. The in-progress photo below shows the skirt structure.

Beads at the top of the skirt and a tiny piece of tatting at the neck were the finishing touches. Speaking of loose ends, I tried to make a bird nest for her to hold in her hands. Paper mache, dryer lint, twine and thread came into play. 

I plan to continue this blog twice a month, writing about doll making topics and projects. I've thought for some time that I would also like to paint. Finding that the discipline of posting regularly helps me structure my ideas and work, I have started a new blog. Click here to see my new blog about my painting adventures.