Collage Couture and Paper Dolls

Several years ago I happened across a book by Julie Nutting titled Collage Couture: Techniques for Creating Fashionable Art and was so struck by the cover, I just had to thumb through it.  Collage dresses! With book pages. Needless to say, it came home with me.

I love collage and book pages, and the idea of combining these into great looking paper dolls and doll clothes appealed to me.  A treasure trove of illustrations and instruction, Collage Couture covers every facet of creating contemporary paper gals  - from proportioning a figure to drawing hair and sketching clothing. How to combine colors and patterns in clothing, techniques for creating backgrounds on canvas to show off the gals, and ideas for using them on cards and gifts are all described in detail. You can see the book on Amazon HERE.

Published in 2010, but as I discovered it, Prima Marketing had released a Julie Nutting stencil for making paper dolls as well as some doll rubber stamps.  I ordered the 12x12 stencil right away, since it meant I didn't have to draw anything (I'm not much of a draw-er). And I started making some gals.

 Stencil and dolls from Prima Marketing website

After getting inspiration from Julie Nutting's videos on the Prima Marketing website and looking around at what other paper artists had made with Julie's stencil on Pinterest, the gal below was my first creation. Made to accompany a christening gift for my friend's granddaughter, I arrived at the party and realized I had forgotten to take a picture of it. With Jane's voice resonating in my head, I propped the orange dotty gal on the seat of my car and preserved her for posterity just few minutes before I gave her away.  I liked how she came out so  . . .

Avery's paper doll

So I made a few more . . . and a few more . . .  gave a few away . . . . a couple went in the garbage because I didn't like their hair or dress or had mucked it up somehow. Drawing hair is a challenge for me . . .

 

By then I had purchased many of the first release of  Julie Nutting doll stamps . . . well, actually, all of them . . .

I liked the jointed dolls so decided to stamp the heads on the script or text paper and then use the template to draw the body to fit the head. Here's two examples. Oops - the head on the gal in the black dotted dress is from a stamp in the next release (yes, I bought more).

 

I have a few jointed gals waiting for garments . . .

Julie Nutting likes to use text or script paper for her dolls and I have followed her example.  In one of her videos Julie mentions she had been a fashion illustrator so she was focused on the garments, rather than the faces. She says she never learned to draw faces to her satisfaction.  Prima Marketing has since released a set of face stamps, but they aren't my cup of tea (below). See what I mean? FYI, that's the Prima Marketing logo over the middle face.

Next time -  a look at the tags I made using stamps from the first release.  Fun!

Cheers!

Paper Dolls Part 1: A China Head Doll

In the days when I was still playing with dolls, I wanted a porcelain doll desperately.  A catalog of porcelain doll kits came in the mail every so often (addressed to Mom) and I would spend hours poring over the choices of heads, arms and legs, picking out the ones I wanted to order.  The dolls were different sizes with black or blonde hair in various painted on styles. Owning one of these dolls was my heart's desire at age 10. The answer was always no. And life went on.

Doll similar to my heart's desire

Fast forward half a century  . . .  in my meanderings through cyberspace, what should I find but an online purveyor of rubber stamps offering a clear stamp for a china head doll named Lottie. All of those longings for a porcelain doll came surging back. Without hesitation I placed the order. Immediately. As a bonus, a template for Lottie's body as well as a basic dress were available to download.

Lottie from Pink Persimmon

The padded envelope containing Lottie arrived, I printed the body and dress templates and broke out the ink, paper and scissors.

Three of my paper dolls are shown below. Lottie is 8" tall with movable arms and lower legs. Small brads attach the arms and legs to the body and also secure the dress to her at the shoulders.  In traditional paper doll fashion, the dresses could be made with the fold back paper tabs of long ago, but I didn't choose to do that.

I have tweaked the dress pattern a bit, digging out my paper doll dressmaking skills from long ago and have several additional outfits in the closet. Lottie's skin is colored with Prismacolor colored pencils in shades of peach with pink cheeks and red lips.  A bit of blue dots the eyes. These are artist quality colored pencils (available at Michael's) with a waxy lead that can be blended to achieve many effects. I also extended Lottie's boots  to her knees with a black Sharpie marker.

So there she is. My first foray into paper dolls fas an adult.  (yes, there are more).

If you would like to make your own Lottie, you can find the stamp set HERE on Etsy or I can be convinced to share!

Cheers!

  

The Mezzanine and a Table Transformation

There is a spot in our living room we call "the mezzanine" - actually it is a parsons console table placed behind the main couch that faces the TV.  Two upholstered dining chairs from Pier 1 make this an ideal spot to have a snack, surf the net, or work on a crafty project while whatever "gripping" drama plays out on TV.

This parsons table was custom made many years ago in (wait for it) pale lavender laminate during my "Southwestern phase."  It coordinated with a rose/lavender/khaki tweed sectional couch and a custom pieced carpet. There have been several couches and carpets since that time, but the table has lingered on in various places around the room. It's a perfect size and quite functional - the only drawback being the color.

When the most recent couch came to live in the house, the lavender laminate just did not work with the cinnamon colored leather. I searched for a replacement table without success - how could one improve on perfection?  It became very clear that it was time to "refresh" or refinish the parsons table. (Note: I've been looking for a photo of the table in its lavender skin, but haven't found one.  Apparently it has been successfully obliterated from the history of our furniture.)

With the man of the house voicing his skepticism, a roll of brown kraft paper and a jar of Mod Podge began the transformation.  The paper was ripped into pieces of varying sizes and applied to the entire surface of the table overlapping the uneven edges.  In some places, the paper rippled a bit, but I liked the texture it gave to the table. It took a few evenings of work to cover the whole table - the legs were time-consuming since they had to be covered on all four sides.

Below you can see the torn edges of the paper on the legs and some of the uneven overlaps that add texture and interest to the surface.

Table legs

Parsons table corner

Parsons Table Top

After all the lavender laminate had been covered, the table cured for about two weeks. I wanted a "top coat" of something  to seal the surface and after some looking around decided to apply several coats of Mod Podge Hard Coat. It was looking good.


Below is the parsons table in all its glory.  It is the perfect color to give the perfect table a perfect new look to complement the most recent (and final) perfect couch purchase. Success!

Cheers!

S.

Baby Quilt Update

The  flannel baby rag QUILT  I made last month was washed (several times, actually) and the snipped edges frayed quite nicely. Here it is draped over a chair.  It is about 40" x 48" and not exactly square but . . . a man on a galloping horse wouldn't notice. :-)

A closer look at each side:

   

Just before wrapping this baby, I could hear my friend Jane's voice in my ear saying "You have to sign it" so back I went to the sewing machine. This was the result, easily done with the built-in alphabets.

My niece seemed pleased with my initial foray into rag quilt making so the wayward threads and fuzz on the carpet were worth it!

I followed the tutorial HERE on Do It Yourself Divas for the Flannel Baby Rag Quilt.

Cheers!

S.

Freezer Paper and Felt, oh my!

If you make anything with felt and don't know about using freezer paper for cutting small bits and pieces, you are missing out on a technique that makes the task so easy. Freezer paper had been on my radar for a couple of craft techniques which I had read about on one blog or another, so I had bought a roll to have on hand when the spirit moved me. (You do that too, don't you?)

The "gal who has a thing for giraffes" (Miss B henceforth) was here for Valentine's weekend and had a project on her agenda. She had been planning a baby shower for her sister and needed to make eight double-sided felt owls to sit on the diaper centerpieces. Miss B was sitting at the mezzanine deciding which owl pattern to use, with her bag of felt and supplies at her side, when I noticed what she was doing. I asked a few questions, offered some unsolicited advice (actually butting in) and we were off.

Once the particular owl was chosen, the circles for the eyes could be die cut using the Sizzix, saving quite a bit of time. The large pieces were easily hand cut, but the feet and the nose . . . oh my. Drawing small shapes onto felt for cutting is not an easy task.

 I thought a bit and the freezer paper sitting on the shelf sailed into my head . . . so I took a junket into cyberspace to find instructions.  A very clear "how-to" can be found HERE on Betz White's blog.  Tracing the feet and noses onto the freezer paper and ironing the paper onto the felt made the felt more stable. Cutting around the paper was easy and more accurate than if drawn onto the felt.  Plus the same paper shape could be ironed on to the felt multiple times. It is magic!

Once the parts were all cut, the bodies were fused together using Heat'nBond Ultra Hold iron-on adhesive, which provided a bit of stiffness to the body so it wouldn't flop over. A channel was left between the layers (under the nose) for a stick so the owl would stand upright on top of the diapers.

Then the wings, eyes, nose and feet were glued on and they sat overnight to dry.

Cute, aren't they?

Here's one fellow I flew over to the dining room table for a closer look. 

Miss B sent a photo of the finished centerpieces on the shower day . . . very effective with the striped ribbons, don't you think?  Fabulous centerpieces for a little baby boy shower. :-)

Freezer paper and felt . . . don't forget!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I've been reminiscing a bit  - on this day in 1919, my mother, Ann, was born.  It's been 13 years that she has been gone  . . .  a few images from the vault . . .

Ann as a single gal in the 1940's . . . reminds me of a gangster moll . . .

Ann as a mom . . . Christmas 1955 

                           

Ann with Dad (mid-1980's)

The adventures of a paper quilt

Several years ago (in 2012, to be exact) a picture caught my eye in Country Living magazine. I became smitten with the idea of creating a quilt using paper.  Making a real fabric quilt, with all the fabric choices, precise cutting and sewing and whatnot, is just overwhelming to me  . . . but paper is doable. And less costly. And I have a lot of it. And it is only an 18" square.

Although the color palette wasn't one I would choose, it seemed fresh, crisp and summery.

With directions included, there was no holding me back.  Always intrigued by the process involved in the making, I embraced the challenge of trying to do this one. You can see the blog where this project is mentioned at  Linda & Harriet. While there do browse through their archived projects.

The Linda & Harriet blog has moved since this project was published in Country Living, so more recent projects can be seen HERE.

 When I came across my paper quilt recently and decided to share the project, I no longer had that particular issue of Country Living magazine (trashed in a fit of decluttering). Using my finely tuned L.L.S. (Lifelong Librarian Skills),  the details were located online in that amazing place we call  cyberspace. Below is the design diagram.
 

Rather than agonizing over colors to choose for this paper quilt, coincidentally a paper pad I had on hand contained a perfect grouping of  colors for this project. Bought to make dresses for paper dolls (more on that another time), I was able to closely replicate the colors shown in the original.

 I selected the papers and started cutting the number of  2 inch squares of each color as specified in the diagram. The piece of poster board had been cut to 20" x 20" to allow for a 1 inch border around the design. The center of the poster board was located and some placement lines had been faintly drawn in pencil. Out came the Mod Podge and assembly of the design began.

This was the final result. Not bad, but definitely not perfect. I wouldn't call it an epic fail, but . . . it's not hanging on my wall anywhere.  (You did notice I wrote "when I came across my paper quilt recently".)  Being somewhat of a perfectionist has its disadvantages. Sigh.

I learned quite a few lessons from my initial foray into paper quilting. 

Lesson #1: the squares must be exactly (and I mean exactly) 2 inches square - just like a fabric quilt. Some of mine weren't, so I fudged. At times a striped square would have white at its edge so it kind of merged with the white background and could be coaxed into looking the way it should.

Lesson #2: I would follow the directions and use the right materials. This means a glue stick rather than Mod Podge for adhering the paper to the base. I think rubber cement would also work well. The Mod Podge was a bit too wet, rippling the paper and making my fingers stick to the paper squares, raising a host of other issues. Since I has no glue sticks on hand and had planned to coat the quilt top with Mod Podge, I thought it would be OK.  It wasn't.

Also, the directions specified illustration board as the base, which is about the thickness of mat board, and considerably heftier than the poster board I had on hand. Foam core board would probably have been a good choice, too.

Lesson #3: I would use something other than pencil for the placement lines. They smudged and didn't erase well even though I used a very light touch. I will hunt around for something better before I make another.

For the future,  I think I would choose a stretched canvas for the base, thereby negating the need for framing. The quilt on canvas could be hung on the wall as is and look great. If the edges need something, they can be painted or trimmed with paper strips, washi tape, or ribbon.

If any of you are inspired to create this paper quilt (it actually is fairly uncomplicated), just remember to choose papers with the color value or intensity similar to those in the diagram.  And make use of my lessons!

I am planning to make another paper quilt one of these days . . . for myself using reds and taupes inspired by my French General sewing collage, or maybe someday for a little person.

Cheers!

Valentine, Oh Valentine

Valentine's Day passed me by a bit . . . the Man of the House and I exchanged cards and he included the requisite chocolate, so all was good. Snow in the forecast postponed the "going out to dinner"  but a crackling fireplace and a warm throw after a simple supper were just the ticket.

 
There was a Valentine feel around the homestead  . . .

Silhouettes of my boys hand cut by an artist at the Norwich Rose Arts craft show many years ago - I think they were 8 and 4 then (now 36 and 32 - how did that happen?)  They flank the mirror above the buffet with a framed heart greeting card and a computer-printed cupid.

On the buffet is the Christmas snowman updated for Valentine's day with a heart on his stick and surrounded with stuffed hearts stitched from fabric scraps.  On top of the vintage cupboard is a styrofoam cone wrapped with red Homespun yarn and accented with heart quilt pins.  The white bag is a merchant bag from Godiva - upcycled styrofoam block packaging holds some hearts on sticks and tissue fills the spaces.  The logo on the bag is covered with an embellishment from the craft stash and it's good to go. 

The first primitive-style doll I made as an adult brings some Valentine whimsy to the dining room corner. She stands with a vintage Christmas tree topped with a cross-stitched heart ornament made many years ago.

The top of the china cupboard was updated  from its Christmas look - still winter with red accents and pinecones.

And the view from the kitchen window hasn't changed much but there's more of that white stuff!

It's pretty chilly today - 11 degrees and more snow on the way tomorrow.  Keep warm!

Cheers!