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Kitten, Bunny, Kitten

I have a mean headache today, but I managed to finish stuffing and assembling my bunny doll. So, now there are three dolls ready and I think I am about to start my sculpting “apprenticeship”:) Max has agreed to give me lessons, and has high hopes that I have the sculpting gene in me. I hope so. The first requirement was that I make my own doll patterns up and the second is that I don’t share any of Max’s sculpting secrets. I guess that means the next time you see these dolls, they will have sculpted faces. That, or they will have clothes, depending on which I take on first.

To answer Annie Oakleaves question in my comments section about which dollmaking book I would recommend to start with, it depends on what you are most interested in learning, but my personal favorite so far is Antonette Cely’s book, Cloth Dollmaking. Her instructions are great and she starts with a very simple doll. Then, in the following chapters, she explains how to make increasingly difficult dolls. There is a doll pattern for each section of the book, and so you really get hands-on experience of what she is teaching. I love Antonnette Cely’s book because you can keep progressing right up to her very advanced designs, and it’s loaded with clever, helpful tips.

P.S. Don’t my dolls look like they are at the drive-in or something in that second photo? 🙂
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Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max Bailey

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyThis is Isadora, a Siamese cat. Isadora is as slender and as elegant and as regal as the long-stemmed roses she loves.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyIsadora once heard that if you talk to your plants, they will flourish and grow to be hardy and strong, and so she talked to her roses, in her strange Siamese voice, for hours on end. She thought the roses seemed to lean toward her when she spoke.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max Bailey“Perhaps if I sing to them, they will become even more beautiful,” she thought.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyOut in her backyard rose garden, Isadora sang, loudly and frequently. Neighbors as far as a block away heard her, for her voice was impossible to ignore, and came to see what all the commotion was about. They peeked over the garden fence to see the lovely Isadora gliding through the garden, singing her heart out.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyNot one of them had the heart to tell Isadora that her voice might be less than inspiring for the roses, as they could plainly see how sincere and well-meaning she was. They feared the roses might wilt. But as they watched, the roses bent toward her, their buds opened, and fragrance filled the air.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max Bailey“Now that is truly amazing,” they whispered, in awe.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyWithin a short time, Isadora was invited to all the neighborhood gardens, where she shared her gift. The neighbors sometimes hid when she sang, so she wouldn’t see them covering their ears. They loved her dearly, and it is said that they had the most exquisite flowers ever to be seen anywhere!

Crybaby, Belinda and BoBo, Isadora, and Ginnie, Original One-of-a-kind Folk Art Ct Doll Figurines by Max BaileyIsadora’s old-fashioned dress is a beautiful shade of periwinkle blue that sets off her sapphire-blue eyes. It has a dramatic dark blue yoke with a wide ruffle that falls just below her shoulders, and matching dark blue lower sleeves. Both yoke and sleeves are trimmed with a band of gold. Ruffled gold petticoats can be seen below her dress, from which her long tapering Siamese tail emerges.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyI hand sculpted Isadora and her rose from paperclay, and she is a one-of-a-kind work of art. No molds are ever used in my work.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyShe is completely hand painted using acrylic paints, then signed and dated and sealed with matte varnish for protection and preservation. Her whiskers are made from stiffened cotton thread.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyIsadora rests firmly upon a turned wooden base that is stained and sealed in golden oak. She is 9 and 1/2 inches tall and she is meant for display only.

Isadora, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese Cat Folk Art Doll Figurine by Max BaileyUpdate: Isadora has already been adopted. Thank you!

Isadora and Ginnie, Original One-of-a-kind Siamese and Ginger Tabby Cat Folk Art Doll Figurines by Max BaileyIsadora’s ginger tabby cat friend is Ginnie.

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The kitty community is growing…

Now there are two kittens assembled. The first one has more of a baby body and this second one has more of a toddler body.

I’m going to give the toddler one some Mary Janes, and so she doesn’t have the toes sewn in. She also has bigger ears.

They both have metal button joints, and are of my own design. Since everyone’s own pattern designs are copyrighted, it’s important to learn about designing your own dolls, if you want to sell them. I thought I’d share some of the books that I’ve found helpful.

On the far right is Antonette (Noni) Cely’s Cloth Dollmaking. Not only is Antonette Cely an amazing doll artist, she is a wonderful instructor. I’ve learned so much from this book, and it includes patterns for a few of Noni’s dolls. She also has videos. There are a couple of clips from her dollmaking videos on YouTube too: Customizing Doll Patterns and Making Faces. Just see if you don’t learn something just from watching the excerpts!

In the center are some of Susanna Oroyan’s books, Fantasic Figures, Designing the Doll, and Anatomy of a Doll. Susanna’s books include lots of examples from a host of doll artists, along with how-to drawings that are really helpful. Both her and Antonette Cely’s books include some information on both designing cloth dolls and on sculpting doll faces. They are full of inspiration.

On the far left are two of Patti Medaris Culea’s books, Creative Cloth Doll Making, and Creative Cloth Doll Faces. They both explore various techniques for making cloth dolls and include other artists’ interpretations of the patterns included in the books. They both have very good basic instruction for sewing and assembling cloth dolls, and all kinds of ideas for embellishing them.
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Kitten doll…on her way

I got my first kitten doll body sewn, stuffed, and assembled. She is made from my own original design and pattern. I have a good feeling about this one. I think she is going to be really cute.

I think I’ll stuff and assemble the other kitten and the bunny dolls I have ready before I start my sculpting lessons. I think this is going to be fun.

I used tube turners to turn my doll parts right side out today, and they made it so much easier. I got mine at the Hancock Fabrics store (I can’t seem to find them on their site, but Joann’s has them on theirs).

My assistant thought they made great toys too.