What To Do When Your Roadrunner Needs To Lose Weight: Altering the Body Size of A Cloth Figure

When making bodies for my cloth figures, I prefer using wool. There are many reasons for this; it has visual weight, is easy to sew by hand and provides wonderful texture. All fabrics have been prewashed and I purposefully try to felt wool to increase its density. Most fabrics are stable, but sometimes they behave in an unexpected manner.

This pair of roadrunners provides an example of a fabric surprise. Both birds are made from a variety of wools. The plaid used for the body of the right-hand bird is quite firm, with zero movement, but the brown herringbone on the left-hand bird stretched quite a bit during stuffing. As a result, the body and the neck are wider than they should be (see arrows at left)  I could live with the body, but the neck needs to be altered. The head looks out of proportion on top of the thick neck. The heads are only pinned on at this point, so a fix is still an option.

What to do? I have already strung the joints and don't want to take the body apart or start over. Thankfully, the solution is simple - sew an afterthought dart directly into the stuffed body. The first step is to determine where to place the dart. In this case, I decided to run it up the back and neck, but it could go anywhere. I could have placed a few on either side of the neck and down the shoulders, which wouldn't be visible, but I decided to take in the body and neck at the same time.

The dart can be sewn at this point, but it is much easier to pin the dart in place first. You need strong pins and I prefer to use glass-headed pins, not T-pins, because they won't tangle in my thread. With your pin, take a tiny bite of fabric along one side of the dart. Reach across with the point of the pin and dig into the other side of the dart. Pivot the point down into the stuffing. This action will catch the fabric and pin the fold of fabric down.

Continue on with the pinning until the entire dart is in place. In this case, I took out about an inch of fabric. Slip stitch the seam with a strong thread. I use button thread. The dart slimmed the body a small amount but made a considerable difference in the appearance of the neck.

The head is pinned onto the neck again and the proportions look much better. Although the afterthought dart can solve many body shape problems, it is used to best affect when the body parts are made of firm fabrics.

Stay tuned...

The Basics of Embroidery for Doll Clothes

Occasionally I will create an embroidered garment for one of my figures. Because the process takes some time, I don't do it very often. I'm currently working on a hummingbird figure and I always create lush floral garments for these dolls, so you get to see the basics from start to finish. The jacket will be sewn using my usual technique, but the stitching is completed before the clothing sections are sewn together. I'm not going to bore you with lengthy descriptions, but point out the features that might be helpful.

 I'm using a green silk scrap and although it is quite sturdy, it is on the bias, so I decided to back it with a lightweight cotton. The added layer also adds a bit of padding and prevents the outlines of threads in the back from showing on the front. I chalk an outline of the garment sections onto the backing, then baste the layers together.

 The basting stitches are barely visible from the front. This gives me an idea of the edges of the garment when I'm placing motifs - I don't want to get too close and sew through something later. Chalk marks indicate stems and leaves to be stitched in perle cotton. I do not use a hoop, I just hold the cloth in my hands and don't pull the thread too tight. This takes practice, but is easier and faster for me.

I decided to add some blue french knots for interest. You can see that the chalk comes off easily. In fact, I have a hard time keeping it on through the stitching process.






Flowers look best when randomly placed throughout a design. It is important to point out the randomness is not the same as evenness. Most people want to distribute flowers evenly, but this never looks natural. To simulate randomness, I get a handful of buttons, close my eyes, and toss them onto the fabric.


I mark the position of each button in chalk. Some flowers will be placed over greenery I've already stitched, but that's fine.






After stitching the tubular flowers, I repeat the button toss for placement of some daisy-type flowers. Again, some of these flowers might be placed on top of previous stitching.

The daisys have beaded centers and I decided to complete most of that beadwork now, before the garment is completed. I avoid beadwork in flowers that lie close to seamlines because the beads may interfere with my sewing machine presser foot. These flowers will be completed after the garment is sewn.



I lined the garment sections in blue silk. Shown here is a front section sewn and turned, but not yet pressed. The back section has been sewn, but not yet turned. You can see the usual meshwork of threads and knots, but this will never be visible and will be kept safe from wear by the blue silk lining.

 Next up, continuing the beadwork on this garment. Stay tuned...

Technique Tuesday: Turn Of The Cloth, Why Does It Matter?

This post is here to remind you (and me) of two things: 1) pay attention to the lessons of experienced sewers and 2) just pay attention! In two previous posts, I described the basic process by which I make clothing for my dolls (Part 1 and Part 2). It is fairly straightforward and is easy as long as I am using lightweight cloth. The weight is important because of an issue called turn of the cloth. The concept used to be taught (and I thought I learned it...) to impress upon the sewer than cloth in a seam takes up space. This becomes very important when you are sewing close seams, turning components right side out, and pressing items flat. Think about sewing a collar - denim is going to be more difficult than shirting fabric.

So, what can go wrong? When you are working with tiny garments, a lot can go wrong. I ran into all possible problems a while back when making a set of 10 small figures. I was in robo-sew mode, went into the studio, chose a bunch of fabrics and sewed everything together to make clothes.

I didn't discover my mistake until I started turning the garments right side out. I had chosen corduroy and wool as exterior fabrics and a loosely woven silk to line it. A deadly combo: thick plus delicate = disaster. I couldn't turn the garments and I was ripping the lining fabric. I was ticked, but didn't want to give up on all 10 garments. After wrestling with the tiny coats, I gave up and cut through everything at the shoulder. The next problem to solve was how to seam the shoulder area quickly and cleanly.

All the fabrics were fraying, so I was losing length. The pattern was not designed for overlap or a seam at the this place, so if I added a seam, the armholes would be too small.  I decided to butt the joins and whipstitch them front and back.

I couldn't leave the shoulder seam looking like that, so I decided to glue an epaulet-like segment over the seam, top and bottom. Well, that didn't look so great (raw edges) so I whipstitched the edges to the garment and added a seed bead with each stitch. Stronger and more attractive.You can see the final result at the top of he post.

BUT, if I had been paying attention to what I was doing and remembered my sewing lessons from years ago, I wouldn't have to have gone through the whole process with 10 little coats. Lesson to remember: when sewing tiny things, use lightweight fabrics. Maybe medium weight. Corduroy? Not a good idea...

Technique Tuesday: Making and Attaching Antlers

Mule deer, elk, pronhorn and bighorn sheep are icons of the American West.  When I make cloth figures of these species, they are always popular.  For many viewers, character of these figures is derived from the antlers as well as the details of the face.  Years ago, I experimented with different materials to make antlers and horns and settled on a variation of the technique I use to make hands.  I've developed patterns for each species, use t-shirt fabric as a base material, and sew them onto heads.  Making antlers is easier than hands and fingers because of the larger size, although occasionally I have problems with elk antlers (see this post for my fix).

Shown at right are examples of deer, pronghorn and bighorn sheep antlers/horns, before and after stuffing. The process is straightforward.  Unlike fingers which are not filled with anything (but are wired), antlers must be stuffed very firmly.  This takes time because the fabric tube has a small diameter and must be stuffed a small amount at a time.  Some artists use wires, but I don't.  What you see is just cloth and stuffing.
 

 
The antlers are sewn on, not glued. I complete everything else on the head before attaching antlers. It is a good idea to have pictures of your model to assist with placement of ears and antlers because your mental image of a deer head is likely to be pretty different from the real thing.  The first step is tucking the ends of the fabric tube under and making sure the antlers are about the same size.  I don't try to match too much because in nature it is very common for an individual to have different sized or shaped antlers. Use two or three pins to audition positions easily.

On this pronghorn, I've placed the final pins.  The image is a bit misleading, because it looks like the horns are just sitting there, happy, waiting to be sewn.  Not true, they are straining against the pins with a great deal of force.  If you jump back to my previous post about attaching heads onto dolls, you can see images of my pinning technique.  The horns (like the doll necks) are extremely firm and stuffing is on the verge of popping out.  This firmness is what keeps everything sturdy and upright over time.  I'll be honest, pinning the antlers is difficult and you need very strong pins.  Usually I use T-pins, but for clarity I've shown glass-headed pins here. Use as many pins as you need to keep things in place while sewing.


As with heads, I use a slip stitch and upholstery or button thread to sew everything together.  I go around each antler or horn twice, digging deep into the head to catch the underlying wool as as well as the exterior fabric. The completed antlers or horns are firm, but flexible and will hold their shape and position if moved around a bit.

 



The final result looks pretty good.  Quite a handsome fellow! 

Stay tuned for more topics... 

Custom Crocheted Coats, Faster Than Sewing For Dolls

Recently I made a design decision:  I would make all my rabbits and possibly, jackrabbits with crocheted coats.  Why you ask?  Because it's faster than sewing a coat.  And I make a lot of rabbits (they are quite popular).  Shown at left is a new Desert Cottontail wearing his custom-made linen coat and knit wool scarf - spiffy, no?

Although it sounds like a lot of work, it's not.  The coat is based on a simple rectangle, with crocheted-in openings for the arms.  There are only three things to consider: 1) the size of the body, 2) the yarn and, 3) the stitch used.  Unlike crochet or knitting for a human body, I don't use a lot of fitting for my dolls.  I measure only two parts of the body, the circumference of the hips and the width of the shoulders.  If the coat can close at the hips without gaps and hangs properly at the shoulders, everything else looks right. Actually, that's good advice for human garments, too!

As with fabric, I prefer natural fibers for yarn.  Linen, wool and silk always look appropriate for my figures and they are easy for me to overdye if I need a particular color.   I usually try a few different stitches to find a yarn/stitch combo that has some texture, but isn't too overwhelming at doll scale.  I don't use a foundation chain when crocheting, but instead use a variation of foundation single crochet that looks like picot edging - a nice touch for the hems.  I am a very rapid crocheter, so swatching only takes a few minutes.  After picking a nice stitch - in this case a shell stitch - it only took 30 minutes or so to complete the coat.  Much faster than knitting.  Buttons are easy to add because crochet is so open that buttonholes are unnecessary.  This coat has one button and a leather belt to hold it closed.  The belt is made from an old watchband and has a beaded thistle dangle - visit the website link above for a look. 

In this case I'm using a hook on the small side, but it isn't smaller than what the yarn requires.  I think chunky sweaters look bad on everyone - dolls included, but that doesn't mean you need to go miniature in every case.  If you are using a tiny crochet hook just to obtain a scale correct garment for a doll, you may end up with a lot of hand fatigue and a garment that is difficult to finish. 

This type of coat is easy to complete and doesn't require additional embellishments.  Most of my sewn garments require a similar amount of time to comple, but embellishments add to the total; in some cases a few hours more.  So for the rabbits, this really is faster.  I can meet the demand for richly textured, unique garments for each figure, without spending a lot of time completing them.

Stay tuned!

The Art of Repairing Antlers

I just finished a set of figures and the last thing I do is check for any odd holes or tears in the garments or figures themselves.  Sometimes the tiny rips occur when I'm making the parts and sometimes I'll be careless with scissors.  Everyone was damage free, except for the Rocky Mountain Elk shown here.  Elk have very large antlers and I make mine using the same materials and process as for fingers (see my YouTube video, or previous post).  The difference is that an elk antler is a five inch long, 1/4 inch diameter finger - very difficult to turn right side out.  I nearly always blow out a seam, and this guy's antlers were typical.

Unlike fingers, I don't wire the antlers, again very difficult to do.  They are stuffed very tightly with fiberfill, which surprisingly allows them to be flexible and hold their shape.  The downside is that any holes are stretched open and fiberfill puffs out.  There is no clean way to sew the holes shut.  Instead of trying to be neat, I sew the seams with a strong overhand stitch which would be visible if left alone.



Years ago, I was watching New Yankee Workshop with Norm Abrams and he described something that has stuck with me for years.  He was constructing a piece of furniture that required many boards be joined 'just so.'  Instead of trying to be perfect and hide the joins, he said, "Celebrate the joint" and called attention to the joins by carving grooves along them.  They became a design feature.  So, instead of worrying about tiny repairs, I "celebrate the seam!"  In this case, I add beads on top.

I attached some 11/0 seed beads in a ivory color similar to the fabric used in the antlers.  The additional stitching helps to strengthen the area around the rips and adds interesting texture.  There were 5 tiny rips, so now the antlers have 5 clusters of beads on them - two in front, three in back. In these photos the beads stand out, but the rest of the figure has a lot going on visually, and the eye is not drawn to them right away. 

Thankfully, I don't make antlers very often, so I don't have to use this technique very much.  Mule deer have much shorter antlers and they rarely blow out when turned.  I make Desert Bighorn sheep horns using the finger technique, but they are so wide at the base there are never problems.  Could you use this repair technique for cloth fingers?  Sure, but I never do.  I prefer to have clean hands, so I always make extras in case something bad happens.

See you next week!

Technique Tuesday: Italian Knotted Tassels

A tiny tassel that looks like berries.

Recently, I did a Pinterest search on Italian knotted tassels (my favorite) and sadly, found few pins.  (Visit my Embellishments board for a few historical examples.).  Ahhh, you've never heard of Italian knotted tassels?  What makes them so special?  First, they have a complex visual texture that draws the eye.  Depending on the yarn used, the knots can look like beads, pom poms or embroidery.  Second, knotted tassels have more volume than the usual kind.  A few strands of knots can make a tassel as large as a 100 strand normal variety. Third, these tassels don't swing and swish, they bounce!  They have an enormous amount of movement that is amazing to see; truly, they are an underutilized embellishment.

Pairs of knots to be strung

Making a knotted tassel is pretty straight-forward.  You take a doubled length of yarn, make a series of knots, cut out pairs of them, then string them onto another length of yarn with more knots.  For the basics, and pictures, jump to my previous post describing the process.

The look of these tassels can change dramatically with the yarn used.  Silks and wool yarns can have lot of sheen and make the knots look like beads - a very complex look for little effort.  Usually my tassels are a single color, but multicolored tassels are super-easy.  Make knots in the yarn colors of choice, then string the pairs of knots randomly or in a pattern.  Tiny multicolored tassels and fringe made of these tassels are shown in multiple examples in Fashion In Detail by Avril Hart and Susan North (see my list of reference books for  more info).  If you leave longer tails on your pairs of knots, that also changes the look. 

If you are looking for a simple, classy and inexpensive gift, what about a knotted tassel?  Make one from yarns in your stash, or go out and buy some inexpensive cotton in a pretty color.  Knot up a tassel and attach it to a keychain ring - you are done!  Trust me, it will look great.

Another Set of Hands

As you seen from previous posts, I'm in the process of creating large figures.  With bigger bodies, one can create more detail and expression.  Two body parts are important for creating expression (or at least, there are two areas the human eye dwells upon); heads and hands.  This post details the construction of more detailed hands for the larger figures.

My small hands are made with fabric and chenille stems - works great but the joints are too rounded (if you bend a finger, your joint forms a point at the bend).  To provide a more realistic joint, I need to create bones or stiff areas.  This would only allow fingers to bend where they should.  After trying various beads and tubes, I realized that paper beads would be the perfect solution - stiff, lightweight, and free.  To create the beads, I rolled strips of glue-covered paper around fine knitting needles.

The chenile stems were threaded onto the tubes with space between the paper bones to allow for bending.  As you can see at the right, the fingers bend in a realistic manner.

Before making the fingers, I spent some time making a correctly sized template. This hand is about 50% the size of an adult hand.  If you try this yourself, don't be tempted to use a child's hand, the scale is different and won't look right.  Each finger and bone is mapped out (fingers are different sizes!) and the bones placed correctly on the chenille stems.

The fingers are sewn onto a palm of stiff interfacing (the type used for baseball caps) and the knuckles are padded with bits of felt. There is no stuffing in these hands (or any other type of hand I make) because stuffing nearly always creates a bizarre, swollen, snake-bitten affect. Look at your own hands; usually they are pretty flat.

The palms are padded with more felt near the fingers and the base of the thumb.  If you look at your own hand, you can see that these areas are a bit thicker than the rest of the palm. The finger chenille extends all the way to the wrist so that the entire hand can be inserted into the arm and the wrist bent if necessary.  Even though the hand/palm is stiffened, it is still movable and can assume any normal shape from a fist to fingers fully spread.

The outer covering is made from felted wool.  The usual method of inserting wire or chenille won't work here, so a layer of wool is pinned to the hand, edges turned under, and very carefully sewn by hand.  This was the most difficult and time consuming part of the process because the seam allowances were so tiny.  Thank goodness for felted wool.  I elected to use blue thread, so the stitches are visible.  

Stay tuned for more detail on this figure - he's quite the handsome fellow!

That's one big beetle!

I've been working on my large beetle and have some photos to share.  A previous post described the beetle and some of the technical issues that needed to be addressed.  Here, you'll see a bit of the progress I've made.  Some real beetles from NM are acting as my models (thanks guys!) and I've spent a lot of time measuring and photographing them. 

The basic body of the sculpture is made of felted sweaters, my favorite medium.  The core is roughly shaped with some yarn wrapping, then final shaping is done with extra layers of felt.  The body will then be covered with black wool and, finally, black leather.

The key to this sculpture is the legs.  I'm using a stiff wire core, bent into a rough narrow hairpin shape.  The open, rounded ends allow screws to attach two leg segments together to form a joint.  Each segment is covered with yarn, so that I can attach wool padding.

When you take a close look at these beetles, you notice that the leg segments are not round, nor flat, as most people might think.  Each segment has a particular 3-D shape and is replicated by wrapping and stitching wool to the yarn.  Each segment is then covered with black leather, stitched in place by hand.  I've taken a bit of artistic license and stitched with blue thread instead of black.

Each segment is attached to another with small screws, washers, and stopnuts.  The assembly will allow the joints to move freely, but still have some stiffness to hold a pose.

A future post will show the completion of the exterior and close-ups of the head.  It's been fun working on this beetle, but I have to admit, playing with real thing is even more fun.  Perhaps I'll post some videos of my guests at work.