Petalum Doll Class

Sew the hemline section of the skirt first. The hemline is horizontal to the dolls waist. Fold in half and sew the vertical line. Press the seam open.

Place the lining inside the skirt. You have now hidden the seams in the lining. You should have enough of the lining to slide a border under the hemline if you wish. You can make that choice in class. If you just sew the big tube skirt in advance that will suffice.

It always baffles me when people over complicate how to make a pair of pants. It really is one the simplest thing to make. It is 3 seams. The crotch line seams and the inseam. That's it. This pair of pants has an unusually long crotch line. We will pull the pants up over the cleavage area. So do think about what you would like to have as a tube top as part of the costuming. So the weight of the fabric is key. Stay with light weight fabrics.

                                                      Sew the curved crotch areas first.

Separate the legs and fold in half. Sew the seam. Now you have two legs of the pants. Turn and press.
We will make a decision on whether you will want a ruffle at the knee or a clean finish. So don't worry about the raw edge. We will take care of that when we dress the doll in class. Just sew, turn and press the pants.

Petaluma Doll Class

After sewing and turning the torso, sew a line where indicate. We will open a seam at the side to stuff the torso.  If you want to wait until class to stuff the  torso that will be fine.

I can already hear you say....what the heck on these little "pegs" at the end of the torso. These “pegs” that are at the bottom of the torso will be used to slip the leg over and give us a nice clean and tidy method of attaching legs that could be flexible for the doll to sit. They serve as a kind of hinge.  

 

Petaluma Doll Class

Notch all the curves.  Open the seams and press flat. It is much easier to draw the curved toe shape of the foot if the seams are pressed flat.

Mark a curved shape that would look like how the shoe would look, not how the foot with toes would look. Sew on the line. Trim the excess.

                                                  Turn and stuff very firmly, halfway up.   

Petaluma Doll class

Welcome to my Class. I hope that this blog is helpful as you get your “homework” done for our class in August.

It must be obvious that you would not use black thread to sew your body parts.  I used the black thread because it is easier to see in the photograph. Sew directly on the drawn line. Cut away the excess fabric. Leave an opening at the top of the leg and the toe.

Alabama Chanin projects

 

Here is a close up of the cut work, stitching and beading of the Alabama Chanin skirt.

 

My friend Cindy asked me to finish her Alabama Chanin stitch work skirt. She realized that she just no longer had any time to work on the project. The skirt was taunting her every time she looked at it, and she had to get real and find an alternative way of getting the skirt done.

 

No lie......this took too many hours to count to accomplish. But it sure did turn out great. Cindy was thrilled.

 

I have 4 of the Alabama Chanin stitch work books. They are terrific books, and are available on Amazon.com. I would highly recommend adding these books to your studio library.

Carson Doll Show

Finishing touches are being completed so that I will be ready for the show that my UFDC Doll Club has been planning for Oct. 17th.  Plaza Event Center - 211 South Carson St. 10am to 3pm.  It is sold out on the booth space so it should be a great grouping.

Speak in Absence

 

This new piece is called....Who will speak in my absence.

 

 

 

On an individual basis the artist always hopes that their work will speak for them long after their absence.  On a global scale.....how many voices don't have anyone to speak for them in their absence. My dolls have always had the ingredient of merging cultures with familiar or contemporary aspects. Those elements go into the mixing bowl to create something that reflects a world view that is inclusive.

 

The black and red checkerboard in the skirt is pieced, as the diamonds in the blouse. Halfway through the piecing I began to realize I may have lost my mind. Hats off to all the quilters out there.

 

I made the tiny tassels for the necklace. I also added embellishment with coiled wire and beads to the sari border focal point in the skirt.