Northdixie Designs: December 2010

Doll Making Tutorials

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Several years ago I bought a lot of vintage children's books at an auction. This puzzle came with those books. I've held on to it for several years. It was made in 1964, and it is likely I used a similar puzzle in school. It speaks to a time when life was more straightforward. You went to school, you chose what you wanted to do in life, and then you did it. Although the milkman has somehow disappeared from this puzzle set and has probably gone off to Hollywood to be a Big Star.

Remember milkmen? I'm really showing my age here, but when I was a girl the milk companies delivered milk straight to people's houses. It came in glass bottles. There used to be insulated metal boxes like the one below, where the milkman put your milk when it was delivered.

Image from Luncheonettevintage

Yeah, I know. I'm not only getting older I'm waxing nostalgic. Life really was simpler. Back then you did something as a "career". I'm not sure if that even exists nowadays in the old-fashioned sense. There's nothing nowadays to stop you from being a milkman for a while, and then doing something else. Careers that span 40 years with the same employer are rare in our time.

Before I send this off to the recycling center for some other Baby Boomer to discover, I thought I'd share some of the graphics with you.

Ah, the simple life. ;-)

I Dwell in Possibility

Today, as I'm going through the house discussing with my husband how we might use our space, I see so many things that I keep because of what they might become. Like the dried gourds on top of my bookcase, or a 1962 "Occupations" puzzle with great graphics. Then the poem by Emily Dickinson comes to mind...

I Dwell in Possibility
I dwell in Possibility --
A fairer House than Prose --
More numerous of Windows --
Superior -- for Doors --

Of Chambers as the Cedars --
Impregnable of Eye --
And for an Everlasting Roof
The Gambrels of the Sky --

Of Visitors -- the fairest --
For Occupation -- This --
The spreading wide of narrow Hands
To gather Paradise --

I am still sitting here at 11 o'clock in my new jammies that have sheep on them. Here's what's in my mind right now...

I love the slowness of the day after Christmas.
I love the fun of seeing the kids enjoy their toys.
I love having an extra cup of coffee while the dishwasher runs.
I love getting an email from a dear friend hearing she and her loved one had a great Christmas.
I love that I don't have to search for Christmas presents till next year.
I love the anticipation of goals to accomplish in the next year.
I love my new book I Dwell in Possibility: Women Build a Nation 1600-1920
I love the feeling that I don't HAVE to go anywhere but if I want to brave the crowds I can.
I love deciding what I might use Christmas money for.
I love going through the pictures I took on Christmas Day.

A well chosen gift is a joy to give.

Above is the boy who used to hate opening gifts.
He has learned that sometimes surprises can be good things.

Shelby wants to know if she's going to get a ball, too.I hope you are enjoying your Merry Day After Christmas!

Joy to the World

Rembrandt, Adoration of the Shepherds

Isaiah 9: 1-7

¹ Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

² The people walking in darkness
   have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
   a light has dawned.
³ You have enlarged the nation
   and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
   as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
   when dividing the plunder.
⁴ For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
   you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
   the bar across their shoulders,
   the rod of their oppressor.
⁵ Every warrior’s boot used in battle
   and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
   will be fuel for the fire.
⁶ For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace
   there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
   and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
   with justice and righteousness
   from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
   will accomplish this.

I have a very hard time giving up on creations.

Here are three in process that I feel need help:

The doll on the left I wasn't happy with even though I had put stockinette over the sculpted head. So I decided to add another layer of clay and then painted her again. I like the sculpt much better, but I'm still not satisfied with the painting. The base coat I used for her skin was too dark and it was hard to glaze variations in. There are some bumps I can't sand out so will need to add more clay for smoothing around the shoulder plate and then will add stockinette on top of this sculpt and repaint. Burnt umber and burnt sienna and black in artist acrylics have a weird surface texture when they dry. I like paints to have a more matte appearance for folk art dolls.

The creation below was supposed to be for the Christmas Doll Shower we did in the Maida Dolls Group, but the paint was too thick and funky. I will either use this doll as a base for paperclay, over cloth or I will cover this head with stockinette and repaint.

This is what I'll be doing

after Christmas during winter break. :-)

For those of you who purchase my art,

now you know there may be

the spirit of two or three creations

inside the final result.

If you'd like to be added to know when I list art

email me to be added to my updates newsletter.

8 Things I Learned from Teaching the Izannah Walker Workshop Class

Dolls made by members of the current Izannah Walker Workshop.

Naming your project or goal is the first step toward completing it. Say it out loud. Write it down on paper. Type it many times. Talk about it with close friends, family and mentors.
Large goals can be accomplished by breaking the task into smaller chunks. "Design and Izannah Walker inspired pattern and class" was a daunting task. My husband was very helpful in helping me break the project into do-able steps such as "design hand, take photos of leg construction, convert pattern to PDF, etc."
Mentors and cheerleaders are very important in meeting a goal. State your goal and project aloud to people who are both honest and encouraging. Honest feedback will improve your project. I had several experienced doll makers test my pattern and their feedback was invaluable.
Project time-lines are crucial. If you don't set timelines you won't strive to meet them. This is why I talked about making this pattern for two years. When I set the project timeline goals, it only took me a few months to design the pattern. They were very, very intense months of work, though.
I enjoy seeing other people engage their creativity almost as much as I enjoy creating. I had an inkling of this since my other jobs in life have involved teaching in some way. I genuinely feel great when someone uses my pattern and makes a better Izannah Walker doll than I could. One member said she had never sculpted before and she is an amazing sculptor! It thrills me that she discovered a new skill.
It is important to follow where your creative passion leads. Most normal people would start with something easier to design, like a Dixie Pancake doll pattern. But I wasn't passionate about a Dixie pancake doll at the time, I was passionate about Izannah Walker Dolls. The passion will fuel the project.
If you're afraid to do something new, you should do it anyway. I was really nervous about putting a pattern "out there" for others to try. Sometimes people can be snarky. Especially since it was dealing with such an important icon for doll makers. But I'm glad I did, because the class has been enjoyable for many people.
Most of the time, people want you to succeed. And if they don't you should ignore them.

YES, you can still take the self-paced

Izannah Walker Workshop class.

I just went to a site that measures how effective your blog is and found out the following:

I should post more frequently.
I should add a Twitter "re-tweet" button
I should add a Facebook "Like" button to my blog.
I should increase the length of my posts
I should dumb my posts down a bit.
I should set up a Twitter subscription button here.

Guess what else I ought to do? This is totally my idea. I ought to make more art. That's why this site even exists. It seems to me that you can spend so much time optimizing your blog or website that you don't have time to make art.

Want to get your blog graded?
Click here and follow the yellow brick road.

Santa in a Simpler Time

An 1898 short movie depicting Santa Claus.

The doll above is my Maida Doll Shower doll in progress. I made her with the cloth head version of my Izannah Walker Workshop pattern. She will be finished this weekend for shipping out Tuesday with the group of dolls offered by members of the Maida Dolls Group. Before I ship them out I'll be taking a picture of all the doll sent to me by members. What is this about? Read about the Doll Shower on Maida Today.

Can you see the Babyland Rag inspiration in her?

But of course, she has Izzy hands.
I wrote a post on the Izannah Walker Chronicles today
about Black Izannah Walker dolls.

People who buy my art say that it makes them happy.

If you'd like to be added to know when I list art

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My house has been one of my works in progress. I'm trying to mend my ways and it is darn hard. But for the sake of domestic tranquility, I am trying to make it function better for all the people who live here.

My art is in process as well. Above is a picture of a work I submitted to a magazine. Below is an Izannah Walker inspired doll in progress. I have a hankering to do some paintings as well.

People who buy my art
say that it makes them happy.

If you'd like to know when I list art

email me to be added to my updates newsletter.

Inspiration: Original Antique Izannah Walker Doll

Last Thanksgiving, when my family was eating pizza on a nightly basis (not really, but close) I worked on my Izannah Walker doll pattern.

I was nervous about designing it and getting everything uploaded onto the class site. My husband really pulled me through, covering kids and household chores, sitting me down and helping me make a project management timeline, breaking what seemed like a huge task into do-able chunks. He's great!

In the past year, I have used my pattern to make a quite a few dolls (below). And I have had the joy of seeing the class members make some amazing dolls with that pattern. Go to the Izannah Walker Workshop blog and watch the slideshow of class dolls. They're amazing. My friend Edyth called them my "grand-dolls." I loved that perspective. :-)

I know some of you have wondered if I'm being held hostage by an organizational guru because of my recent blog posts, but no. I'm getting organized and ready for the next goal.