New Fairy Doll.

Last week saw me working on a new doll, Fayliin the Fairy. I decided I wanted to make her with button jointed elbows and knees as well as her hips and shoulders. It is a bit more sewing but it does give a bit more movement without adding wire armature. I also embellished her bodice and wrists with seed beads which I sewed on individually. 

She was originally going to have bare feet but it just didn't look right so I designed a pair of curly toed pixie boots instead. I also wanted to try out a technique that would make her nails look polished, I used a glaze that is for paper crafting and that gave her nails a shiny surface, It worked really well I will certainly try it again. She turned out well despite my usual worries while making her and she is now on ETSY 

Now I'm in the middle of making two mini dolls and I have some plans for a few more bigger dolls including a mermaid, woodland elf and a Gothic style doll amongst others. 

Until next time 

Vic xx

Tutorial - Sewing Jar

I thought I would write up a tutorial on how I transformed the kilner jar in the photo into one with a pincushion lid. There are a few of these tutorials on Pinterest but I found they didn't work with the Kilner Jar I was using hence this tutorial. 

You will need a screw topped Kilner jar or similar type of preserving jar, Fabric, stuffing / fibre fill, glue, cardboard, scissors. 

• Unscrew the lid and separated the inner metal lid from the ring. Draw around the inner lid on cardboard and cut it out. Next cut the fabric about 1- 2 cm bigger than the cardboard circle.

• Make small cuts around the edge of the fabric circle, glue the tabs to the cardboard and before finishing stuff with the stuffing / fibre fill. Glue shut and glue to the top of the metal inner lid, place into the screw part and screw the jars shut. Swear a lot as the lid won't go on, get a partner or a strong person to try to screw on lid and watch them swear. 

• Take apart and try the next step.

• Glue some stuffing / fibre fill to the top of the inner metal lid, cover with the fabric circle and glue to the bottom the lid. Cut a new circle of card and glue on to cover the fabric edges. 

• Insert into screw part of the lid and screw on to the jar, cheer loudly as its worked. 

I filled my jar with some sewing bits and I made a quick needle / pin case with some pieces of felt sewn together.

The jar is now sat on a shelf where my family can see it and stop stealing bits from sewing box. 

Until next time
Vic xx

Fae Inspiration

Many years ago when I was Cornish Fairies I made faerie cards and art inspired by the FAe or faerie folk. Recently I have felt more and more inspired by the Fae. Now these fae I'm inspired by are not the cute victorian or disney fairies I mean the ones from folklore and myth the ones that are not all good and have a dark side etc. 

Certain fae artists have been another inspiration, the biggest being Brian Froud. I remember when I was a child I desperately wanted to go and see the film Dark Crystal, I never got to see it, but my Mum gave me the paperback for christmas, the story was good but it was the film photos in the book I loved. Then along came Labyrinth starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie, this film is one of my all time favourite films, David Bowie is just brilliant as Jareth the Goblin King. The common thing of these two films apart from the brilliant Henson puppets is the concept artist for each film is Brian Froud. 

I was given the Good Faeries...Bad faeries book as a christmas gift one year and it is just full of Brian's amazing artwork. Brian's and his wife Wendy's work are just well fabulous and to me feel how the fae are like. Take a look at their website gallery as there is a selection of Brian's artwork and Wendy's dolls.

Commision Elf Doll

Making the fairy, pixie and troll Cloth Art Dolls may have influenced my interest in the Fae again or could it be the Fae influencing them, who knows but I'm enjoying it.

Until next time

Vic xx

Melkree the Troll

Aggie the Pixie

New Elves

Most of the week has been spent painting cornish pixie elves and I have really enjoyed it. The new elves are from ideas I had written down at the end of last year and one set was inspired by the fabric I used for my kindle cover. It was a beach or sea theme for all of the elves in the end. 

The first set I had actually painted the bodies last week in my favourite blue I just needed to paint a decoration and make the felt hats. The beach huts were fun to draw they were a bit fiddly to paint especially on the tiny elf. Originally they were going to have blue hats but it just didn't look right so I picked out one of the colours on the beach huts and found a matching felt. They look really cute. 

Next to be painted were a mermaid and two pirates, the pirates were lovely and quick to make and the mermaid took a little bit more time as I had to draw on her scales with a gold pen. She was going to have silver scales but one of my children had "borrowed" my silver pen and I couldn't find it. 

So my busy week is coming to an end and my weekend is going to be a relaxing one as I'll be curled up with my kindle and planning new elves and what to create next week.

Until next time

Vic xxx