WITCH CRAFTS

WITCH CRAFTS

Thursday, January 21, 2021

GOTHIC BEAUTY

 Hi All,

Well, it's been a while since I've posted. It's almost the end of January, and that means starting on the Halloween dolls for Roger's Garden.

Here's a candlestick doll, titled "Gothic Beauty".




She's about 24 inches tall. She wears a magnificent bat wing headdress in sequins and crystals, highlighted by a small bird skull in the center (a real pigeon skull).


I dressed her all in black with silver/crystal accents, with spots of red.



This was my inspiration-- she's an Edward Gorey character from the opening credits of "Masterpiece Mystery" on PBS. 

I start off with a basic torso, arms, & head in a cream-colored deer suede fabric. The pattern is straight and symmetrical, so after it's stuffed, I twist, pinch, and bend the body, neck, arms, & wrists in a pose I like. I stitch little darts to hold the pose.


Starting with the torso, I chose a black velvet and sequin fabric, with black beaded trim for a belt. That stitch at the top of the neck is holding the wire armature "spine" that's inside the torso.


The arms and hands are almost finished, including beaded bracelets, rings, & painted fingernails; before I attach them to the torso. I put chenille stems (pipe cleaners) in the fingers to pose the hands.


The almost finished torso, complete with a dramatic cut-velvet stole ending in beaded tassels, with some necklaces and a rhinestone choker.


I needle-sculpt the head and color it before I stitch it to the neck. (I haven't added the false eyelashes yet.) I use colored pencils, pastel chalk, gel pens, and acrylic paint to color the face.


Adding rhinestone trim to the sequin "wings". The headdress is made of thin cardboard, with wire glued to the top edges. After all the trim is stitched on, I cover the back with felt. When it's all finished, I stitch & glue it to the head.


Adding sequins to the lace & ribbon collar that has been gathered to fit around the neck.



I hope everyone had a good New Years. I hope 2021 will be a better year for all!

-Arley