| Creativity and multiple projects: I have read, with great interest, the different comments about the number of unfinished projects that live in many of your lives. This very issue has been a source of contention between my mother and me for many years. She doesn't understand nor have any compassion for the fuel needed to feed the fires in an artistic spirit. I have contended that multiple projects are mandatory to maintain the greatest level of creativity. I believe it is necessary for an artist to surround themselves with varied challenges - complex to simple, inspired to mundane, new endeavors and old faithfuls and a few wild experiments just to spice up life and keep the creative juices flowing freely. This variety allows the creative soul to chose the task he/she feels is best suited for the moment - rather like choosing a chocolate from an assorted gift box. Some days we need to crunch nuts and others days we need a soft cream. My parent has snorted (a sound I have never mastered) and told me chocolate makes you fat and a collection of unfinished tasks only proves how little self discipline you have. What can I say? She is a troglodyte with no imagination. It has often taken me many years to collect and/or create and assemble the items required to complete a project. There are box's in my studio labeled,Firehouse;Sheriff's Office, Oriental Garden, etc. When I have enough material to move a given topic into a large shadow box or room box, I transfer it. I have special box's designed for this purpose. They are a holding house for a completed project yet to come. This has proved a satisfactory way to build an idea. I can enjoy the dream as the vision unfolds. This method of collecting has also saved me many costly mistakes in my purchasing. I seldom start with a structure. I manufacture the structure to fit the items I have gathered. Becky Holliday |
Wigs: Regarding where to find wigs for dolls how about Joy Parker's site? http://swallowhilldolls.com/hatswigs.htm Another place for wigs is Pat Boldt's site: http://www.patboldtdolls.com/wigs.html Nursemini |
| Work surfaces/areas: Presently I am using 5ft by 2.5 ft work table---its actually a larger version of a card table so it does have the folding legs. My actual project, a doll house, is on a table of its own so that the area isn't cluttered with the tools, pieces I am working with. My various tools are in two plastic 5-drawer containers. So the items are very moveable. I've used the larger table many times for family gatherings. I use news paper or large paper bags in my work space to protect the table. If I need to cut something, that is done on another surface--this is where your piece of plywood might come in handy. Nursemini |
Dolls "By Terri": To the person who is looking for the artisan who operates under the name "By Terri" it is Ellen McAdams, Dolls By Terri, (208) 683-2949, Athol, Idaho www.dollsbyterri.evisionsite.com , e-mail ssjsook@aol.com. Rosemary in Cleveland |
Wigs: Darlene Mobley at darlene@slip.net makes wonderful wigs, (very reasonable price.) Took a class from her last Saturday and made a wonderful Regency (1880-1890) doll. Learned wigging, and dressing. A great class. Thanks Darlene. I know she does the wigs separately as I have purchased them from her. Diane in SFBA |
| Portable Work Surface: A simple piece of 1 inch thick Styrofoam makes a serviceable work caddie. I have corsage pins, toothpicks, paintbrushes, x-acto knife, tweezers, cuticle scissors, hair clippies (for clamps) and other items stuck in a single small brick. I also have the lid from an old glue bottle wedged in the corner. This is a perfect size for a small quantity of glue and the dried out glue will lift out with a flick of my corsage pin. I use golf tees for pedestals to hold the item I am working on. They stick well in the Styrofoam brick and provide a handle that I can hold as I work on a tiny item. My Styrofoam studio rests on a small tray with handles (damaged sale item at T J Max). This item is light weight, easy to move to various locations (the kitchen stove as I boil grapevine, the dining table as I assemble a kit, the arm of the love seat in the family room as I watch a movie while I work, the bathtub while I seek inspiration, the car as we travel, etc.) To be candid, I use this small portable workstation, more than my large, well designed studio. Becky Holliday |
Stitching: I am pretty seasoned at cross stitch and other needle arts, but do mostly full-size stitching (although I'm partial to 1 over 1 on 22ct hardanger). I've done several projects in that size, and find that two strands of cotton thread is too much, so I'd use only one strand on anything smaller. The stuff I've done that small has been almost exclusively cross stitch, so you might want to consider that technique. I did one tiny project on a 50+ count even-weave, and on that one, the crossed-stitches were too much; but it might be something to consider for the 40-50 count. By all means, use a smaller size needle if you can find it, but I've rarely (if ever) seen sizes 30 and above in a tapestry needle. You might want to go to a quilting sharp. (ball point if you can find it). What brand of thread are you using? I don't think you can go with a much smaller than size 28 tapestry needle using 1 strand of cotton embroidery floss; but other fibers might give you more flexibility. Check out some rayon. That might be what you're looking for. I have to admit I'm not as experienced with silk as I'd like to be. Something like DMC's Flower thread might give you more coverage. One ply of a very small woolen might also work better than cotton. But use relatively short lengths (probably not more than 6 or 8 inches), as they would otherwise tend to fall apart due to the friction of pulling through the gauze. Joanne in MD |
Stitching: A couple of useful places with tips on sewing on silk gauze are Theresa Rae Venette's site, which has loads of info, articles, kits, charts, links, etc that you may find interesting, especially a page on working on silk gauze: http://www.shakespearespeddler.com/silkgauze.html. Another nice site belongs to 'CameoRoze', or Margaret Davaz. She has a complete page on the subject: http://www.cameoroze.com/welcome/tips/silk.htm. We can tell you that sewing on 32 count silk gauze is really easy with a single strand of Anchor stranded cotton, using a size 26 needle - that's the combination Janet chose for her new bellpull kits. You may also like to know (in answer to a recent question on SS) that we now stock pieces of 32 count silk gauze in handy sizes, so it's easy to get that type, at least! Janet and Chris Granger |
Blind Stitch: This is a technique that is done to make a seam "invisible", i.e. the thread joining the pieces can not be seen. What is basically done is to have the thread travel mostly behind the fold of the fabric, bringing the needle up every so often and burying it again on the other side straight across from where you brought the needle out, catching as little fabric as possible on each pass. It is difficult to describe clearly (though if you imagine a Greek key design, that is a good image), but the end result is an invisible seam line like one would get if they had sewn the piece right sides together and then turned it out. We were taught it was called a "blind stitch", but of course it may have other names as well. Kim From Canada |
Miniature Socks: http://www.socknitters.com/PATTERNS/minisock.htm The above link is for knitting miniature socks, you gotta see these little things if you are into mini knitting. I have a feeling that with our small needles and the flower thread or something close to that, you might get a decent looking adult-sized mini sock. I for one am going to try it! Joy in Pointe Claire |
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