Connie's Umbrella Pindoll for Me

I should have posted this one long time ago. Connie was my pindoll swap partner for April and here is the cute pindoll she made for me. Isn't she cute? The umbrella almost opens. I love her and so does my 5 year old. When the package with the doll came home, Miss. N opened it for me and said "This is the most beautiful pindoll that I have never seen." She still has the doll and I think she talks to her from time to time.

Tuesday Class Pictures

I thank my friend Debbie for sending me the pictures again this week. She took the last week's pictures for me too. Looking at my work in a picture is a tough thing to do since I want to make so many changes but can't do right now. This waiting is tough too. I wish I could reduce the length of the right arm a bit. Also give more space between the body and the right arm. Trim the tummy a bit. Changes I made this week: I filled out the hair a bit since there were gaps in the strands. I also added a crown. I plan to add a starfish under the left arm or over it. I have 2 more weeks before the class is done. So I think I will hollow out the sculpture this week and then make the fine changes during the last class.

Update from Tuesdays' Sculpting classes

Last Tuesday I finished the face mask. I worked on it the entire morning mostly "picking" the nose!! Without knowing, I had used a different kind of clay to fill some of the spots on the mask including the nose, the eyes and the lips. That is a big no-no since the different clays dry at different rates and they shrink differently too. If there is any gap or air pocket in the piece it could chip the piece badly and even destroy the kiln when fired. So I picked the nose, and the whole section where I had carved the flower among other places and filled in with rodsbod (that is the name of the clay I am using). Anyway, the mask is done and is at the teacher's place waiting to dry and eventually to be fired. I took a camera last week. Next time I will take the batteries too so I can actually take some pictures.

Here are a couple of pictures which my friend Debbie took this week. I forgot to cover my mermaid with a wet cloth last week so she was very very dry on Tuesday. I learned another lesson- to not leave the sculpture without a wet cloth cover. I could scrape some of the clay and give her a better shape but could not add clay to her (can't apply wet clay to dry sculpture). There is still a lot of work to be done included the hollowing (which is pretty scary for a novice like me).

I've been tagged

I have been tagged by Kerry and the rules are to list 7 random facts about me. Here they are...

1. I like sweets and it is very tough for me to get off them.

2. I like burnt popcorn (ever so slightly burnt not very very burnt).

3. I plan to learn to swim before the end of this year.

4. I must have made more dolls as a child than as an adult since I started making them again about 4 years ago.

5. I love working with my hands but I think about my projects more than actually making them.

6 I can't sit in a spot for more than half an hour- I am not used to doing that.

7. I am The Queen of U turns. I don't remember ever driving to a new place and reaching there without taking a U- turn.

Here is another one about me- I am a great procrastinator. By the time I am done with the list, I don't think there will be anybody left for me to tag. I have been to most of the people in my list and they all have been tagged! So if there is anybody left and is reading this post, consider yourself tagged.

Tuesday Mornings

Tuesdays have always been busy for me. I used to take one kid to school, volunteer in his classroom for an hour, attend a Weight Watchers meeting for about an hour and then go to Curves and workout for 1/2 an hour. Now I take a sculpting class instead! Now Life is so much better on Tuesdays. I love my new sculpting class where I can chat with 8 other women and create something fun. The mask is my first piece and is still work in progress. I have to hollow it out and decorate it some more before the teacher will take it home to fire it. I am told that clay takes a long time to dry so I will have to wait a long time. The second piece is a mermaid. I will play with her for a long time but I hope to finish her before this session ends in 4 weeks or so.

Umbrella Pindoll for April Swap

The challenge for April was Umbrellas. Here is the little pindoll I made and she lives with Connie now. The umbrella is made origami style. I turned the handle into legs and her arms are 2 triangles.

Kimono Doll

Here is my first Secret Pal doll for exchange at the doll club. My main objective was to keep my secret pal guessing my identity so I made this Kimono doll. This is my first Orient doll and so I thought Marge won't think it is me. I used Runo's pattern for her except the head. I love Runo's head pattern but I did not get it right and since I had very little time, I made a different head. I do not have a picture of her after I finished embellishing her hair but here she is. I just noticed that she does not have her foot wear here either. Anyways, I posed her so she looks like she is walking. I like the colors and the print, don't you?

Jiya

Name of the Doll: Jiya

Height: 14.5 inches

Pattern: By Arley Berryhill

Pattern Name: Le Femme

This is the doll which took up lot of my thinking time and some play time too. Kids helped me with the pose. My son took pictures of me posing and I used it for the doll. I reduced the pattern to 60% since I made her for my secret pal who wanted a 15 inches-or-less doll. Jiya lives with my friend Marge from the doll club.

Liz's Grandma's Linen Doll

My friend Liz visited me from Boise. We celebrated our birthdays together when she was here. It was really nice to spend an evening with her and her kids and go on two morning walks with her. It was like she never left the Bay area. We walked on two trails which we used to every weekend while she lived in the area. Here is something I made for her from her grandma's linen. Liz had given me some of her grandma's linen before she left for Boise 2 years ago. I have used a couple of them on my dolls. This little item was a project at my doll club and was taught by my friend Connie.

Pindolls from March Swap

I am back after a two week break. My son is much better after a bout of very high fever. I was also very busy thinking about and making my second secret pal doll. I finished the doll 2 days before the due date. This is the second time I finished something days (!!!!) before the due date. Now I have some free time until the next swap doll (which I plan to do in the next day or two) and the next class on April 20th. I hope to find more free time when kids go back to school on Monday after their spring break.

Last month my swap partners made these pin dolls for me. Aren't they just too cute? Cheshire cat was made for me by Patti and the March Hare by Kelly. I am so lucky to get such beautiful dolls in return. I made the Queen of Hearts for Patti and Alice for Kelly.