Toby, the cat

It’s always an honor when I’m asked to create something another person dreams of, or envisions. I was asked if I could create a felt cat, working from photographs, in honor of a beloved cat lost in a tragic accident.  The tray below holds some of the shapes I cut from a vintage Pendleton wool blanket (you’ve seen that show up before in the sister’s doll hair) and a little roll of 1950’s era cotton bunting. Once upon a time that cotton bunting was a baby blanket belonging to me or one of my sisters.

He has quite a bit of personality with his cashmere ear tufts and a wired tail that can be repositioned. His eyebrows aren’t  always easy to see, so here he’s bowing to show them to you.

Toby was presented in an archival box with a tag describing the unique elements he is created from, and a note for his new owner.

Starting at the beginning

I’m creating another pussycat and little girl Best Friend doll.  The Paperclay masks have been cast from my original sculpted moulds, partially dried and removed from the moulds to finish drying.  I like to sand and refine them one or two times, sometime more to perfect the surface and details. Next, I’ll stretch the organic cotton jersey skin over the mask and prime it with acrylic medium and marble dust.  The really fun part comes next - tinting the skin with my polychromos and painting on the features with watercolors and colored pencils.  This pussycat is going to be modeled after my beautiful Norwegian Forest cat, Princesse Marthalouise, seen here in her summer coat.

The doll’s 100% linen skin has been sewn and is ready for stuffing.

I’ve chosen fabrics for her skirts and aprons, including a vintage cross stitched guest towel and a tatted lace oval I gathered in the middle to a satin ribbon. I’ll select wool or cashmere for fur and hair after the faces have been painted and personalities revealed.

A Bespoke Doll

Anwyn and eKaterina are best friends.  This was a bespoke doll commissioned by a collector in northwest Ohio.  It was a great joy to imagine who this doll would become, and choose from my treasure trove of textiles and fibers to bring her to life. I am especially grateful for this friend and her trust in me, and support of my art, in commissioning this doll.

A few of the unique elements in her costume include an antique tatted lace student’s sampler round gathered to make a delicate lace cap on Anwyn’s auburn felted cashmere hair.  The solid beige linen skirt is fashioned from a small length of hand loomed linen, and eKaterine wears a striped linen and cotton skirt.  Each doll has an apron hand stitched from antique tissue linen handkerchiefs.  You can see a tiny bunny tucked into Anwyn’s canvas and leather tote bag and an Eastern Bluebird perched on  her wrist, while eKaterina has a teeny little mouse in her apron pocket.  These tiny friends, as well as the flowers on Anwyn’s infinity shawl, are stitched from bits of felted wool.  A girl need bling, and you can see that on the collar encircling eKaterina’s ruff.  The rhinestones came from the shoulder straps of a 1940’s evening dress and were stitched one at a time onto the black collar.

I present my bespoke dolls in archival boxes made by Gaylord Archival, with a Sweet Violet Dolls label  and a bit of violet ribbon fastening the doll securely to a backing in the box and on the lid, and a note for the doll’s new owner.