Mary in my Etsy Shop....

The first two sample Mary's were snapped up by one of my students, and life has really got in the way of my completing the third - but at last - she's now finished, and available in my Etsy shop.

 

Mary - Izannah Walker Inspired Doll

 

She has a cloth body, flumo head and hands, and is dressed in a reproduction civil war cotton fabric. I hand knotted the coral beads around her neck, and embroidered her 3 piece underwear set.

 

Mary - Izannah Walker Inspired Doll



Underwear, and dress



Hair, and hands detail



Mary - Izannah Walker Inspired Doll

 

The rest of the shop is looking very sparse, but I hope to upload some brooches and charms really soon!!!

 



Izannah Walker Inspired...

Since the beginning of this year I have spent most of my time working on an Izannah Walker inspired doll, for a class that I will be teaching at the end of the month.

 

My days have been filled with sculpting, mould making, casting, pattern making, painting, sewing and stuffing. It has been all consuming, overwhelming and a great pleasure.

 

I've been working pretty much 7 days a week, and into the evenings, designing, creating and falling in love with "Mary" my 11" doll, inspired by Izannah's gentle old dolls from the mid 1800's. She is named after my Great, Great Grandmother Mary Falvey, who was born in Colchester barracks in 1863, a mere stones throw from where I live now.

 

 I still have lots of work to do, preparing casts, patterns and worksheets for my students, but I thought it was about time I shared my progress here.......







My Sculpture in Paperclay

 

Making the Plaster Mould





Casting Flumo Greenware





Casting Flumo Greenware



The Casts Are Cleaned And Gessoed





Designing The Body Pattern

 

Photos Of Antique Dolls Inspired The Painting



Paint Is "Antiqued"

Crackle Glaze Gives An "Old" Look

Alternate Hairstyles & Eyebrows

 

 

Paperclay Sculpt, Flumo Cast, Painted Arm

Painted Booties and Striped Stockings

Bare Toes, And Clothing Patterns In The Making

 

First "Mary" is complete

My aim with this doll is not to make an exact reproduction of Izannah's work, but to capture the "feel" and style of her dolls, with an English twist.





You can see more of my inspiration for these dolls, on my Pinterest board which is full of original dolls, paintings, clothing and children from the mid 19th Century.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Wordless Wednesday



Wordless Wednesday



Busman's Holiday

When you are self-employed it's hard to have a "real" holiday, even at Christmas!

 

This year I've spent most of my break having a busman's holiday, assembling, painting and dressing a reproduction Izannah Walker doll.

 

I'm running a workshop next year, to create one of my Izannah Walker inspired dolls. My sculpt has been created in Paperclay, using pictures of original antique dolls as reference material. Whilst photos are "OK", you can't beat using a real life model to sculpt from. As these dolls are so rare, I doubt I'll ever be able to see (let alone handle) one here in England.

 

So when I heard from Dixie Redmond that Little Hamptons were selling a cast head and pattern from original antique Izannah walker dolls, it seemed like my dream come true.

 

Hannah arrived on Christmas Eve, since then, at every spare moment.....

 

I've stitched.....

 

Attaching cloth thumbs

I've painted.....

 

Painting curls

Building thin layers of paint

 

I've distressed & assembled,

 

Body assembled

 

And finally, I've costumed....

 

Heavily distressed Izannah Walker Reproduction

Profile of finished doll
 

.....and what's  more, I've really enjoyed myself.

 

If you fancy making a copy of an original Izannah Walker doll yourself, I highly recommend Lynda's kit, she's a great seller, and you have 3 different antique dolls to choose from too. I think I will probably add another to my collection later in the year as well.

 

Despite being almost twice the size of my own Izannah dolls, this gal is going to be a great reference for my sculpting.



EU VAT on Digital Sales

Thanks to new EU VAT legislation, and the fact that Etsy cannot cope with it, I have had to close my download shop. Hopefully, ‪#‎HMRC‬ & ‪#‎EtsyUK‬ will sort something out, so that small businesses can continue to trade without having to master 75 different VAT rates across 28 member countries. ‪#‎vatmoss‬

 

 

If you are based in a non-EU country and would like to purchase any of my digital content, please PM me.

 

Silver for Secret Vintage

After running around in town this morning, I've spent the afternoon sorting some great silver jewellery ready for The Secret Vintage Fair tomorrow in Colchester High Street. Here's a sneak preview.....

 

Puffy Horse Head

Opening Owl with Red Crystal Eyes

Nuvo Crystal Peacock

Nuvo Yacht

Articulated Fish & Pearl Pendant
 

Filigree Handbag with 1932 Thrupenny Bit

1930'2 Style Racing Car

Nuvo Crystal Market Stall


See you there!