Archive for dolls

More Convention Stuff!

June 12, 2012 comics, conventions, crafts, dolls, geekery No comments

Table assignments have been announced; come see me at table AA-125! (The 100 row is farthest from the entrance, then head toward the back of the convention hall. I’m pretty sure it’s the same spot as last year.)

I made a Heroes Con 2012 photo set on my Flickr page. In addition to my 18″ plush I plan to have several types of smaller and large plush, necklaces, hairbows, pillows, and possibly some prints. I’m so excited!

 

Heroes 2012

Fireball!

March 21, 2012 dolls, sewing No comments

Custom orders are done and it is finally time to throw myself head first into sewing dolls for conventions! I love custom orders for all the different and interesting requests, but I’m excited to take a break to work on some new designs and old favorites. Plus making multiples of things makes me feel super productive.

One of my goals for this year was to offer a wider selection and more original plush characters. I always have fun sketching new ideas and playing with designs, and I’m looking forward to offering some different things this year. Since this will be my first year selling at Dragon*Con, one of my first thoughts was obviously cuddly baby dragons! Since I happened to take some in process pictures while making the dragons, this is going to be a kind of behind the scenes look at my doll making process.
Any new character starts with a sketch, like the one above. I get the basic idea down and figure out what pattern pieces I need to create.
Since dragons are well known for their treasure hoarding, these little guys needed some sparkle. That meant one thing: sequins! One online order and lots of excited squeaking later a box of various colors was on the way.
I work from the same basic pattern for all the 18″ dolls; this pattern is modified or added to as needed for each character. The baby dragons needed a diffent head and a modification to the body pattern to get the cute little tail and dragony rump. They also made some little wings and two different options for ears. Once the new pattern pieces were drawn, I stitched up and stuffed a protoype.
This is the little dragon prototype, and he is super cute! Pleased with the look, it was time to move onto my favorite part: selecting colors and combinations. Lizardy greens and yellows were an obvious pick, along with fiery pinks and reds and some black and deep grey to recall the dark caves where dragons make their homes.
When making multiples, I usually sew and assemble the basic body first and add details later. I didn’t plan out which color got matched to each set of wings or ears; I like to fiddle and experiment with color combinations. Once the basic bodies were done, I just started putting pieces with them until I was happy. Playing with the sequins was definitely super fun, so sparkly! Each dragon got two different colors of sequins in several clusters of three or four.

Finally, here are some of the completed baby dragons! All the little eye decorations were cut freehand and each shape is unique. These little guys will be joining me at conventions and a few will be available at my Etsy shop. Time to move on to the next batch!

Tree Hugger

March 5, 2012 charlotte, dolls No comments
It’s just barely March and I’ve fulfilled two of my New Year’s resolutions, yay me! This weekend I checked off “get some of my stuff in local stores” when I dropped off some cuddly and eco-friendly Saplings at Eco-Licious in Charlotte, NC.

These little Saplings are 18″ tall with jointed arms and a head that can turn. They all have cute leaf hair and each doll features three leaves in a unique combination of fabrics. My favorite part is making their little “branch” noses from felt, so cute!
Ready for the enviornmentally friendly part? The body, stuffing, and felt are all made from recycled plastic water bottles! Plastic water bottles can be melted down, made into thread, and used to make fabrics that would otherwise be made from new plastics. How cool is that?

If you’re in the area and would like to grab one, Eco-Licious is located in the Plaza Midwood neighborhood at 1916 Commonwealth Ave. There’s additional information on their Facebook page. If you do stop in, I highly recommend the Raz-dillos (vegan twinkie-style treats covered in raspberry and shredded coconut).

Testing 1, 2, 3

March 4, 2009 dolls, testers 6 comments

Remember these guys?

I’d like to eventually sell the pattern, but I’d really like have some pattern testers first. If anyone is interested let me know and I’ll e-mail the pattern and instructions. These dolls are roughly 18″ tall (the boy is a little taller) and can be made from fleece or felt.

You’re a Dollface

January 19, 2009 crafts, dolls, handmade, pattern One comment

I started these waaaaaay back in October, dolls of Bats and I. Between lots of more pressing projects they got sort of pushed aside, languishing in their undies. But I finally got around to making them decent.

I’m so happy with the way they turned out (excuse the picture, the lighting was terrible but I was too excited to wait). Here is a picture of us for reference. Bats is about 19″ tall and I’m about 17″. I used lovely soft fleece and stuffed them loosely, so they’re kind of floppy and nice to cuddle. The arms are jointed and the legs are made so they can sit nicely. Bats has a wee little jersey of course, with numbers made from felt and attached with fusible webbing (I was worried glue would go through the mesh). He also has a little sweatshirt made from an actual sweatshirt that was ruined. His socks are made from the finger parts of a pair of mittens, although I need to find some white ones to get the proper color. We each have little felt shoes.

Our little glasses even have lenses of clear plastic. I need to figure out how to attach the glasses, I want them to be able to come off, and right now they’re just pinned onto our heads. Any ideas?
I like the simple embroidered faces, they don’t compete with the other things going on. Doll faces are always so hard to figure out, since they contribute so much to the personality of the doll. Realistic eyes or felt or embroidered? Nose or not? We do both have mouths, his is just a bit hard to see with the beard. Bats has the absolute softest hair too, cut from a big piece of fake fur I found at the thrift store ages ago.

I wanted these to be able to take along when I go to visit my family. All my family and friends are on the other side of the country, which means when I go see them I’m gone for about a week. Which leads to much pining for my favorite superhero, and some limited pining on his part I imagine. I’ve been taking my Ninja Ice Bat, which Bats got me on our first date, but it’s not quite the same. (He thinks I ought to get a little recordable voice box for the doll of me so he can have a doll that talks all the time for the true expeirence, the jerk.)

I was actually good with these and did my best not to fudge the pattern as a I went along. I’ll be posting the pattern with instructions for a limited time, as I’d like to sell it eventually and would love some feedback. Please let me know if you’re interested.