Coming November 1st!....a few of my favorite things....cute, cuddliness made of cashmere, wool, Liberty fabric and Japanese yarn.
....is one of my favorite parts of bringing a creation to life.
From the colors of a bird to the skin of a doll, each step is a conscious decision that determines what character will come into the world.
In doll skins, the choices range not only in tone but even within two similar tones, a decision can be made between the weave of knitted fabric. Doll skins commonly come in either a jersey knit or an interlock knit.
If you are a knitter, you are familiar with the right side and the wrong side of the garment. A jersey knit is characterized by this difference...the front (or right side) of the fabric is patterned with the knit stitch (the characteristic "V") and appears smooth while the back side (or wrong side) of the fabric is patterned with the purl stitch, giving the appearance of bumps on the surface.
Interlock knits reveal that both sides of the fabric are the same. Both sides show the knit stitch. Interlock is thicker and more stable than jersey, which means it doesn't stretch out of shape as easily and it doesn't curl at the edges, making it easier to manage.
The choice in doll skin fiber is really up to the maker's personal preference and up to the type of use for the fiber. Perhaps, on a doll, where firmness and structure must be held in the face or certain parts of the body, then an interlock knit may be used. If one needs more flexibility and give, such as that for stuffing pudgier bellies and bums, then perhaps a jersey knit may be used.
Next, we speak of hair fibers and colors. Here too, the options are endless...there is yarn (hand-spun, hand-dyed, natural), alpaca, mohair, Teeswater, Wenslydale, Tibetan lambskin, raw or processed, and on and on it goes. Since my intention here is not to give a lecture on hair fiber, but rather to explain the process in bringing a creation to life, I won't bore you too much with details about hair fiber. So, for practical purposes, I will simply mention a couple of options and speak here only in terms of the next doll to come to life.
For our upcoming darling, a 6" Wee-Bee Mini Elfcup, I am working with her mama to give her very long locks. In order to achieve this look, we will work with suri alpaca over mohair yarn or even mohair locks for suri alpaca is extra wispy and ultra soft and long. Then, there is the decision about raw vs. processed alpaca. Again, here it is left up to personal preference as you can see the aesthetic effects are different.
Next is the decision between shades of hair color....lighter vs. darker. Who is that you see coming into the world?
NOW, let's talk about fabric choices for a doll's clothing.....my most favorite bit of the process. Oh me! Oh my! When it comes to fabric selection for a doll's clothes, the options and choices are infinite. And as with all else, the end choices are really up to personal preference...do you love neutral, earth-toned colors...soft and quiet?
OR do you love deep, dark, rich and vibrant!?
But, it isn't always as simple as that. Knowing what you prefer is the easier part. Knowing how to balance is the tricky part (quite like life, don't you think?). Even if you have succeeded in choosing the colors of your liking, you now must balance the colors, textures and patterns.
Too many patterns involved and you make out with a very BUSY body.
Not quite enough of the boldness or the prints and you make out with something rather BORING.
In order to achieve balance, just the perfect touch of patterns, textures and colors are needed.
Then, even once you've achieved this part, there is the decision about which fiber to use...will you go with the mustard linen fabric (shown at the bottom of the stack) or the mustard corduroy fabric (shown at the top of the stack)?!! The one you choose will make the difference between a wintry look under warm corduroy and a summery look under cool linen. Or perhaps you are not trying to achieve either look but you just love one over the other.
You see, this can go on and on forever because after all that, there is now the business of picking out the pretty little things, such as trims....an entire beautiful beast of it's own.
And even after the final decisions are made, you may find that the doll or critter to come to life is really a result of one person's whimsy vs. another person's. And no matter how much logic we try to define in the process, it really boils down to individual preferences and as such logic makes no sense at all.
With that, I leave you to muse about the next doll and hummingbird to come to life.
"I wonder who will come for me this time. Someone will come. Someone always comes. Who will it be?"
"I don't care if anyone comes for me, " said Edward.
"But that's dreadful," said the old doll. "There's no point in going on if you feel that way. No point at all. You must be filled with expectancy. You must be awash in hope. You must wonder who will love you, whom you will love next."
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Kate DiCamillo
In her heart she always knew this....that someone will come for her. She was a firm believer, born an optimist. She was never worried. It was I who fretted for her. It was I who took a peek in the shop each day to see that she's ok, to see if anyone has come for her. It was I that worried for her, wondered if her spirits were worn down from the waiting. Yes, sure....there were always inquiries, interested persons....but, at the end of the day none ever came to fruition. But, SHE knew...in her heart she knew that there is one person meant for her and that for whom she was meant to be with. And she was right.
It is always sad when I have to say good-bye to a little one. But, it is particularly hard to say good-bye to the ones that have been around for a bit. For these are the ones that I get to know very well....their temperaments, their likes and dislikes, their idiosyncracies.....Emma, Tootles and Pinkerbell, Cosette.
This time, it is Liberty. For many reasons, Liberty is one of my personal favorites. (I know....those words ought never be spoken from the lips of a maker. Just like motherhood, there ought never to be favoritism. But, this isn't so much about favoritism as it is about relating differently.) Liberty is my first, and thus far my only jointed doll. And because she is jointed, she is a whole lot of fun to hold, coddle and dance with for she can bend every which way without the restrictions of a non-jointed doll. So carefree, you see? Liberty is also quite unique in that she's my only freckled creation and my how I love those freckles. Those are the freckles of youth and innocence. And best of all is her facial expression. I cannot quite describe what it is about her face that makes me feel so much love in my heart for her....perhaps it is the calm, yet knowing but vulnerable look found in the faces of my young children at times when things are not quite clear to them or at times when they are observing something new or something startling to them....it's the expressionless look of innocence. Or perhaps it is her eyes...the eyes that are so soulful, comforting, non-judging, unassuming and kind. I can't quite place my finger on it, but there is something in that face that brings forth so much love from my heart.
With that said, it is going to be a very hard good-bye for me. For her, she knows that she is going home, where she belongs....home, to a mama who was meant for her and for whom she was meant to be with. So, she is overjoyed, though she's not letting off at all that she is overjoyed. She doesn't want to hurt our feelings. She's a sensitive and considerate one, this doll. Nonetheless, today we spent the day with her as she comforted us and reassured us that our lives will continue on as usual. I told her that our lives will continue on, but perhaps not quite as usual.
....they are back!!!
It seems as if it was only a blink of an eye ago that we were soaking up the heat of the Summer and now it feels as if Fall is in full swing. Around here, leaves have begun to turn and fall, pumpkins readily greet visitors at the local markets, pomegranates are in season and skies are darker and cooler.
As such, I hear the call of some old friends from the woods. If you were around this time last year, you remember the story behind the creation of The Owl and the Pussycat. As it turned out, I loved these creatures oh so much that I went on to call upon more of them and that's when the critters came around to celebrate the coming of Fall. This year, I needn't call upon them for they came out all on their own.
Reader, meet the first of this year's Fall Critters, Mia and Winston, creations inspired by Scarlet Elfcup's The Owl and the Pussycat playset.
Meet Winston
(a wise-bitty owl who carries with him many words of wisdom)
Winston is an 8" (20 cm) doll, made with natural materials. His facial skin is made with premium quality swiss cotton jersey and his body/bodysuit is composed of clean, repurposed 100% cashmere (makes him ultra soft). He is softly stuffed with bio-wool and weighted with non-toxic, washable stuffing beads. His owl bodysuit is permanently sewn on, but his hat is remove-able to reveal a sweet head full of brown hair. His hair is made of mohair yarn. His owl hat has buttons for the eyes and a piece of printed fabric for the nose. He has an embroidered and simple, expressionless face. His cheeks and nose are blushed with red beeswax. His wings are embellished with pretty cuts of individually-shaped fabrics sewn and then stitched to the wing. His feet are lined on one side with a cotton fabric printed with beautiful words of wisdom.
Next, meet Mia
(a pensive and playful kitty)
Mia, like her pal Winston, is an 8" (20 cm) doll, made with natural materials. Her facial skin is made with premium quality swiss cotton jersey and her body/bodysuit is composed of clean, repurposed 100% cashmere, making her ultra soft to hold and cuddle. She is softly stuffed with bio-wool and weighted with non-toxic, washable stuffing beads. Her kitty bodysuit is permanently sewn on, but her hat is remove-able to reveal a head full of golden locks. Her hair is made of mohair yarn. Her kitty hat has buttons for the eyes, a nose that is embroidered and whiskers made of embroidery floss. She has an embroidered and simple, expressionless face. Her cheeks and nose are blushed with red beeswax. Her kitty hands and feet are lined on one side with a playful and colorfully printed fabric.
Winston and Mia each come carrying a cotton muslin sack filled with Fall harvest...a small batch of three needle felted pumpkins. One of my favorite parts about making the Fall Critters is the needle-felting of the pumpkins. There is an endless array of color combinations and types of squashes and pumpkins to be had for the fun, not to mention the variety of textures and shapes for the making. The pumpkins are made with 100% wool roving and clean carded wool. And they range in size from 1 inch to 2 inches wide and tall.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the delicate nature of their design and the small parts on them that pose as choking hazards for young children, Winston and Mia are recommended for ages 8+.
If you are interested in bringing Winston and/or Mia home to celebrate the start of a wonderful Fall season, they will be at Dollectable on October 1, 2015 at 7:00 PM (EST). This is a good opportunity to bring home these ultra soft and pudgey friends for a special value of $65 USD each. If they are still available after the Dollectable upload, they will be moved to the Scarlet Elfcup Etsy shop and will be available in the shop at retail value.
Hello friends! I am so thrilled that Fall is almost here! It is, for our family, the most favorite time of year...a time when the seasons change (yes, even here in California...even here, the leaves change colors and the air gets ever more blustery and there are pumpkins and falling leaves and acorns and the smell of spice all around). At our house, it is also a time to celebrate many things...birthdays, family visits, ethnic traditions, holidays. It is indeed the most hectic and fun time of year for us.
Now that Summer is coming to a close and Fall is rolling near, Scarlet Elfcup's workshop will once again come to life. Even with the passing weeks, one by one critters and dolls have begun to make a lot of noise, tugging and calling for attention, asking and begging to be brought to life. All summer long they have been sitting idle, quietly and patiently waiting in their heaps of fibers, doll skins, fabrics. Now, it's their time for play!
In a couple more weeks, some Fall critters will be showing their faces and one or two 6" Wee-Bee Mini Elfcups will be here for a special Ethnic celebration. So, stay tuned!
The end of Summer, for me, was marked with a mountain to climb. Things have been quiet around here as I've abandoned shop for a few days to summit the contiguous United States' highest peak, Mt. Whitney. Climbing and being in the mountain is an essential part of finding balance in my life, doing THE thing that makes me happiest and being in the place where I am most in my element.
If you're just the least bit adventurous or have a love for the outdoors, feel free to enjoy the photographic journey up Mt. Whitney. And after that, I hope you find the inspiration to go seek the thing that makes YOU happiest and do it.
As for the things to come....Fall is nearly here....just a blink of an eye, really. And I'm so excited to share with you some news.
The first very exciting bit of news is that Scarlet Elfcup is joining the collective group, Dollectable, and will be participating in Dollectable's monthly upload of handmade dolls and critters. Truly and honestly, I don't know how I landed myself amongst this amazingly talented group of makers. To say that I am humbled and grateful to no end to have the opportunity to produce work alongside these ladies is an understatement. If you are not familiar with Dollectable or it's members, please hop on over to the group's Facebook page and check out the makers and their incredible handmade dolls and critters. Dollectable's next upload to it's Hyena Cart shop will happen on October 1, 2015 and Scarlet Elfcup is excited to be participating in that upload. So, stay posted for more updates and information in the coming weeks.
Fall is near, which means it's time to bring out the sweaters.
If you were here last year about this time, you might remember the Fall Owls and Kitties. These ultra-soft and pudgey critters were inspired by the making of Scarlet Elfcup's The Owl and the Pussycat playset.
This year, I'm excited to bring these little fellows back along with a few new friends.
There we have it...the bit of catching up I had to do. For tonight, have peace and rest well. I'll be back for more news very soon in the coming days.
ALAS!....Sappho sparganurus.
I am 30 hours of handmade love.
Wood and fiber fill my heart and soul.
Nearly 1500 embroidery stitches cloak my being, head to tail, wingtip to wingtip.
Nature's beauty and magic is what I portray.
Pica is my name.
He has come to life and he is called Pica (short for picaflora cometa, the Spanish word for Red-tailed comet). The Red-tailed comet is one of nearly 300 species of hummingbirds left in existence. The males are known for their spectacularly long, iridescent, golden-reddish tails. They can be found mostly in South America and thrive in the woodland environment as well as around human habitation.
Pica is a custom creation inspired by Scout, Scarlet Elfcup's first hummingbird creation.
Pica's body is made from mud silk. Mud silk is created through an incredibly fascinating process and dates back hundreds of years. It is also a very eco-friendly and sustainable process. This article, "Dye for Two Tones: The Story of Sustainable Mud-coated Silk," provides a very good take on the history of mud silking and talks about it's sustainability and eco-friendliness. If you want to see beautiful photos of the process, this site has a small article and lots of pictures. I chose mud silk for it's tight knit and firmness but yet still thin and pliable qualities. I wanted to embroider the fabric without layering backing into the fabric, which would add too much bulk for such a tiny creation. So, mud silk was the best quality for embroidering tiny stitches on a tiny object. Pica is stuffed firmly with 100% carded wool.
On top of the mud silk, Pica's body is decorated with nearly 1000 stitches of embroidery thread. I wanted to mimic the true patterns on a hummingbird. Their feathers are patterned in neat rows of scallop shapes and each strand is painted with an iridescent glow that is ever changing and magnificently brilliant. So, in order to mimic as closely as possible (by human hands anyway) the pattern and colors, I used embroidery thread to produce the smallest stitches that my clumsy hands can muster up. Between nearly 25 different shades and colors of thread, I embroidered each scallop stitch for stitch and changed the color tones as I moved along, in order to give the illusion of iridescence. Unlike Scout's body, Pica's body has several different colors infused...red, green, and a dash of violet. In addition, Pica's body contains feathered details on the underside made with light/neutral toned embroidery thread.
I contemplated for a long time how to change up the wing design on Pica and make it different from that of Scout's wings. Scout's wings were made of a 100% iridescent silk. This time, I wanted to have a little bit more fun and get a little bit more creative. So, I played with several different ideas....all of which did not look quite right on Pica....until I finally decided on the one design that would take the most amount of time and detail....embroidered wings (a brilliant idea offered up by my better half, my husband). Pica's wings are hand embroidered with over 500 stitches that cover both wings, top and bottom.
Pica's tail is made from a 100% iridescent silk lined with two different sheer fabrics made of viscose rayon, machine and hand stitched and then carefully hand frayed.
Pica's beak is made from wood, colored with permanent black pen and attached with a tiny dab of industrial strength glue. Despite the industrial strength glue, his beak is still rather delicate because of it's miniscule scale and should be handled with the most gentle hands. In other words, Pica is not a toy and should not be handled by children. Rather, Pica will be happiest strung from a place where he is free to fly and buzz about in the air.
Pica measures approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long from beak to tail. And he stands about a half inch (1.2 cm) tall.
Pica can be hung as an ornament inside the home or on a Christmas tree.
Currently in the making is the amazing Red-tailed Comet, yet another of over 300 species of hummingbirds. This little buddy is inspired by his recent friend, Mr. Scout of the Piper and Scout creation.
Do you ever marvel at the infinite array of colors that are created by nature, particularly, the amazing vividness of those found in hummingbirds? It is incredible and awe-inspiring. For this particular little fellow, there will be a total of over 25 different colored embroidery threads infused into his body, stitch-by-stitch, approximately 1000 of them...all squeezed into an approximate one-square inch of bird.
And for his spectacularly long and elegant tail...the colors below.
As for his wings....the imagination spans!! More to come soon!
