Saturday 17 October 2015

Doll Size Shoes

I've been working, on and off, for the last couple or weeks on some small footwear. Mary, my Izannah walker style doll can be made with bare feet, or painted boots, and the bare foot girl has been very patiently waiting for some shoes to add to her wardrobe.

Mary - Izannah Walker Inspired
Although many of the original Izannah Walker dolls have painted, laced ankle boots, I noticed that so many pictures of girls from the mid 19th Century showed them wearing ankle strap shoes, so I thought that Mary had best have both!



10357611_10152402917517126_1487112293570588973_n.jpg (360×480):

Ambrotype Little Girl with Her Large Doll CA 1860 | eBay:

Amazing 1860s 2 Little Girls Matching Check Dresses Cloth Doll Innsbruck Austria | eBay:


Izannah Walker Chronicles: Wonderful Izannah Walker Doll to Be at Auction:

You can see lots more pictures of all things Izannah Walker related, and inspired here in my Pinterest board.

First up were red ankle straps. Everyone needs some red shoes, right?

Doll Shoe Parts


Mary ready to try her new shoes

They fit like a glove!

A second pair were decorated with a buckle in a dark brown leather

Ready for the fastener

The lace up boots were tricky to fit, but I still made two pairs....

Fitting lace up boots

Once they were all finished, it was time to write up the pattern...

Inspiration and finished shoes

Reproduction Izannah Walker shoes

Doll Shoes & Pattern

One of the things that I love most about being a doll artist, is that I get to chop and change what skills I use all the time! Next week it's back to clay and doll faces :0)

Friday 9 October 2015

Out and About.....

One of my favourite events of the year is The Knitting and Stitching Show, at Alexandra Palace. I've been a regular visitor since the early 1990's, when it was a quick drive around the North Circular Road from home.

Now I'm in Colchester, it's a bit more of a trek to get there....... Last year's visit by car resulted in an almost 3 hour journey home, and the previous year's jaunt on the train was marred by a lost travel card. So this time I decided to give the coach a go.......it may take hours to get there, but at least I have a seat, and can read during the journey. (It's so blooming cheap too, which is an obvious bonus!)

After arriving at Victoria, I wandered down to Tate Britain to see the Barbara Hepworth Exhibition before it closes at the end of the month. As with most exhibitions these days, you can't take photographs, but here's the mini exhibit guide.....


The works on show ranged from early figurative carvings, to abstract wooden and bronze pieces. There are collages, drawings, sketches and a film showing her at work in her St Ives studio.

Hepworth's early carving work in the first room of the exhibition is shown in context, with carvings from artists such as Jacob Epstein and Eric Gill.

The exhibiton is on until the 24th of October, so if you want to see it, you haven't got long.

After a quick slice of cake, and an apple juice, it was onto the tube to Wood Green, then a quick ride on the courtesy bus to the beautiful Alexandra Palace for the main event. 
Luckily I had a  gorgeous sunny day, the trees in the park  are just starting to turn golden, and the view is spectacular, but I was on a tight schedule, so no time to enjoy the panoramic views for me.



I was dying to get inside to see  Kate Jenkins'  knitted fish counter which is a complete and utter joy, well worth the trip just to see the sardines, prawns, mussels, lobsters et al...

Kate's Plaice - Kate Jenkins
Sequined lobsters, crabs, red mullet, plaice, scallops and even squid and octopus are all there in their woolly glory. There were even some fab frenchie fishes complete with berets and breton tops!

Kate's Plaice - Kate Jenkins
Kate's Plaice - Kate Jenkins
Staying on the food theme, I love this quilt, in the SAQA food for thought exhibition

Vicki Bohnhoff - Pepitas 

Vicki Bohnhoff - Pepitas 

Another "edible" work that caught my eye was from Kate Barlow on the Royal School of Needlework stand

Kate Barlow


Back to the woolly theme, the Selvedge team were showcasing the work of Sophie Digard 

Sophie Digard

Sophie Digard

Sophie Digard

Sophie Digard
....and if woolly birds are more you're thing, how about these? From Toft Alpaca

Toft Alpaca - Bird Menagerie
If you're going over the weekend, make sure you check out the exhibition area, there's loads more to see.

I didn't plan to shop much, as my stash is full to the brim! A few Liberty fat quarters, some silk ribbons and wool felt managed to smuggle their way into my (eco) tote bag. I even splashed out on some alpaca wool, for my (postponed) knitting project.

Down the hall, the beautiful Italian coast is recreated in stitch, lots of visitors were getting pictures by the fabric cliffs.....

Cinque Terre - DAMSS Fibre Art


Then it was back to Victoria, for a quick spaghetti dinner, and the protracted coach journey home. If only coach drivers knew the streets of London like me...... Oh, well no day is perfect!!!

Thursday 1 October 2015