Here's my first finished figure - not varnished - this was just to get the hang of the process. Will try some acrylic paint and varnish on the next. My kit was missing the fabric for dress so I used a dyed muslin which wasn't ideal. I'm waiting for stockinette to come. I think this is like scrim and will hang well.

More drawings.

This academic term I have managed to attend a life drawing class back in Norwich AE - where I was at Art School in 1958!! My tutor is Diana - a friend of mine from our student days. Its very difficult to go back to drawing and I shall have to be working at it for some time to get any skills back. All very relevant for cloth/doll figures.

I recently finished another new doll and have a pattern for her. I think she will be appearing in a Magazine as a pattern in May. More of this later. She is 'Polly Patches' and is made with a wire armature wrapped with wadding strips and ponte strips. She is costumed using patterned socks and a lined patchwork skirt made from 2" squares of all your brightest scrap materials. She can be posed in all sorts of ways as she is made on an armature. I think this method of making lends itself to something one can do with children.

This is a photo of the original Rambling Rose who has blonde frizzy hair and a cigarette standing with the new version of Rose. The original was made for an exhibition during Somerset Arts Week in 2005 and I have just got around to remaking her with a pattern to follow shortly.

Here's a close up of Rose's face.

I can not believe it is almost 5 months since I last posted! That's what happens when moving house. I have just finished a new version of a doll I made about 4 years ago. She is called 'Rambling Rose' and is bigger than most of my dolls being about 22" tall. She stands on her own as long as she is not in a strong wind!! Rose has enjoys life a lot and is not always very focussed and 'rambles' around her life in a vague way. She always has a cheery smile and a joke for everyone.