11 Bodies Found in Dumpster (Designing a Doll – Part 2)
Bodies in a Dumpster
Three weeks ago I began working on the torso for the High Priestess (Drawing Down the Moon). I sculpted the pieces, marked the seaming, and began to drape, make slopers, cut, stitch and stuff. Number 12 finally works!
This is not too bad, since it took over a year to get a final pattern for Prince Charming who became David’s Nude… I ended up with about five dolls that were almost good enough, and one that I was happy with. I also had a giant plastic trash bag filled with body parts that didn’t work! I used that bag of body parts to give a program to my UFDC doll club in NYC. I called it “Designing a Cloth Doll, The Creative Process… At least I got some use out of them.
Body 12
As you know, muslin stretches. To get the stuffed muslin form to be the same shape and size as the clay one is a challenge. I can’t tell you how many rejects went into the “bone yard” because I have problems with inside, outside, left, right upside and down side…
Now I start the legs and feet. Hopefully that won’t take another three weeks.
About
Gloria J. “Mimi” Winer has been an original cloth doll artist since 1983. Her work as a doll artist represents the leading edge of what can be done with her medium. She is constantly seeking out and testing new materials, has developed many new techniques and invented some exclusive tools. Gloria shares her information with the doll and craft world through this blog: “Diary of a Mad Dollmaker”, through columns and frequent articles in many Doll, Art and Craft magazines, through her web site at Mimidolls.com, and through the books and patterns she writes with her husband and partner for more than 30 years.
Gloria’s doll patterns include lengthy step-by-step instructions so that even beginning dollmakers can successfully complete a doll. Effectively they are instructional books that allow many variations over and above the specific doll. They typify her outstanding ability as a teacher. She loves sharing her techniques and it shows in all her work. Gloria is in constant demand throughout the U.S.A, Canada and Australia to teach at conferences, seminars, and doll clubs.
