WITCH CRAFTS

WITCH CRAFTS

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

A GYPSY/BOHO FIBER BOOK (not a doll)

Hi All,
I took a little break from doll making a few months ago, and made this GYPSY/BOHO FIBER BOOK.

I never made a book before. (I've altered books, but never made one from "scratch"). A lot of my friends make books, some fabric, some paper. So, I decided to give it a try.

I made this over a coarse of several months, just working a few hours on the weekend. It was nice working on a project just for me, with no deadline, and no plans for it when it was done. I just wanted to see if I could do it.

I have a LOT of scraps of sari fabrics & trim from India (mostly gotten from my buddy Pamela of "Treasures of the Gypsy") and I wanted to do something with them.

I stared with a base of black cotton over felt. I didn't finish any edges -- just left everything raw. I hand-stitched rectangles of dupioni silk in bright colors.

Over the silk, I stitched patches of trims, appliques, and embroidered pieces of textiles. It's a small book -- 5 x 6 inches and 2 1/2 inches thick.

Here's the front cover: (I did bind the edges of the cover with silk fabrics)

Here's the front & back cover:

This is a view from the top:

Enjoy & be safe! -AB

Friday, April 24, 2020

ANOTHER "HAG"

 Hi All,
I made another "hag" in my series. This one is a "Voodoo Queen" hag.


I'm still tweaking this pattern, trying to find the right proportions. I almost have it figured out.


I did research on voodoo and the people who practice it. There are a lot of "symbols" used in this practice: potions, bones, candles, skulls, rooster/bird claws, feathers, pentagrams, and voodoo dolls. I tried to put in as many of these "props of the practice" as I could, but it began to overpower the doll, so I took most of them off.

I base this character in the Caribbean area,  (Jamaica/Cuba), as they tend to have the most colorful costumes. And, I put her in an earlier period.

Also, I didn't want her mean and ugly. Just old, (and a little sweet).


I don't make many brown skin dolls, but I love coloring the face on the darker fabric, as I can do much more highlights. I didn't want to add too much extra color in her face, so I kept it in natural colors. I did put a little purple/lilac eyeshadow on her, but it doesn't really show much.


She is holding a staff I made from wire, crumpled paper, twine, and masking tape. The cross-piece is  cardboard covered in some paperclay. The skull is a plastic Halloween party favor I altered a little. I kept darkening the skull, as it was the brightest thing in the piece, and your eye went right to the skull first (not what I wanted). I still might darken it a bit more....


I used mostly cotton for her costume, and had to dye down most of the fabric, as everything I had was much too bright.

She will go to Roger's Garden for their annual Halloween event in Sept.

Stay safe, and wash your hands! -A