Beaded 2 Bless

 After trying to work on the arms a few times, I did not like what I saw. It was not the right texture and  I realized that the mixes needed to be refined a little. I can do that, and I can find the right texture too. But  I decided that I just need to focus on what is really driving this doll, the flames. The idea is to stitch the shaped memory wire onto the fabric, bead it then cut around the edges. After all of that is done I may decide to paint the backside instead of beading it. Then I will attach it to the doll--and shoot myself in the foot for adding another element that will make beading the rest of the doll a nightmare. Maybe not...I don't have a really good track record for taking the easy way out...so maybe. Here is a small mock up that set me to stitching. I learned how to do this (only she does it much better!) from  Susan Elliot . I am not even going to pretend that I know exactly how she did it, but I am making my attempt at doing it my...

Students and onlookers usually have two questions. The first one is, " How long did it take you to make that?" I am hoping you will have the diligence (or endurance) to follow these weekly posts to see just how long it really takes to make this particular doll. Second question is, "Where do you start?" This question always comes up in classes. The answer is still not an easy one becauset here is no wrong answer. Folks often let their dolls tell them where to begin and it can be a way for many to just jump in. I tend to be very stategic and analytical about where I start beading, sometimes to a fault.  Every thing I do must adhere to the visioin, either it must support it or make it better.  In this case, a focal bead gave us our beady beginnings. In my last post, I shared with you what turned out to be the  foundational focals for this doll. I even shared the strategy of using them to correct a short coming in the dollform. This doll had sloping shoulders until I ad...

Whenever a momma of any kind births, she begins to nest. She gathers things needed for a  time when little else gets done besides the nurturing of a new creature. Whenever we craft or create we do the same thing. We gather things close to us that we feel are necessary for some serious time spent on our project. On a grander scale, some may refer to it as "hoarding" but I prefer to call it nesting. It allows us to focus on the task at hand without interruption or distraction. It makes sense, doesn't it? My collecting usually starts with seed beads. I hunt down every possible color that I may want to include. For this doll I have put together 3 different mixes of flesh tones in different intensities.If you know me, you would think I am really crazy because I do NOT like my beads mixed. However, the idea is to see the glow of a flame reflecting off of a natural skin tone.  "Flesh to flames". When I gather my materials, I leave no bin untouched. I search every dr...

Whenever I start a large doll, I have a specific vision. I encourage my students to create this way too. What is a vision? A vision is something you see, it doens't have to really be there and it doesn't have to really be seen with your  physical eyes. It doesn't even have to be the whole thing- just a part. It can be a hope or a dream that you envision. It could be real or imagined, so long as you "see" it. My visions usually come from experiences that are unique to me. I may have shared events with others but the links to each event are my own. Hearing a band play a song, seeing the hawks floating on the wind, wanting to free that rooster of his beautiful neck feathers, even finding feathers on the driveway. Each of these events led to the vision of this doll. The song started it all. The lyrics say: Come be the fire inside of me, Come be the flame inside my heart, Until you and I are one. I see this part of the vision as a pose or a body position- which I have ...

Sometimes we all find ourselves in a creative funk. My funk began before I taught my class at Bead Fest. I had a difficult time getting it together to be productive. My preparations ahead of time really saved my keester. My class was successful, I had a lot of fun too. There was a lot of love in that room! But, it vanished almost as soon as I got into the car to go home. We all deal with this problem in different ways. When I am in a mild funk, I like to look at magazines, books or blogs for inspiration. I love to look at Etsy too. This funk was different, it couldn't be shaken so easily. I made myself create something- anything. I started with quick projects like ATCs. I have over a dozen new ones now. Then I fell back on the fun project and made a fish with some new beads I bought at Bead Fest. I even sewed  two new jackets, a skirt and a vest that is still half done....   The funk was still there. I knew it was something deep seated...  I needed to...