Summer Showers

I'm so excited to be able to introduce you all to Summer Showers. This was the first time I had a name in my head for the doll before it was even made. Usually I have to wait to see that face and get that feeling, but with her, I just knew.

I loved being able to share my process with everyone.(Her "Making Of" Post) I really liked being able to carry the motif of a fresh summer shower both in her accessories and in her colors. This was the second time I worked with gradients, and I really wanted to show many different gradients in her body (like an ever changing sky). You can especially see it on her back, where there are 3 areas where the color is allowed to fade as well as a surprise splash of blue on her head for a bit of whimsy.

Look at all those gradients!

Such a chubby little body & her magnetic little hair clip

I kept her face softer and rounder than all the other ones I have done before because I really wanted all of her to reflect that softness and warmth that I associate with summer. I instead of just rounding her eyes this time, I did pull down the top eyelid for a more feminine expression.

Close up side view of her face

Well that's it for mohair for now. I need to get my tuckus back on the commission track. Next up a Foosa. This should be quite an adventure for me. Can't wait to share it with all of you.

<3 Laine

The Making of "Summer"

I had the thought for Summer a two weeks ago walking home from the doctor. My appointments usually finish around 4.30 pm, and the sun was just starting to go from blue to orange. I had just finished Chester, so I didn't have the intention of making another piece before finishing my commissions. I was still feeling very lost and frustrated with my life and the lack of progress I was making in discovering myself.

When I finally worked for a good day, I started working on her. I hadn't realized it's been 9 months since I last made a rabbit, so I felt it was due time.

I actually want to be able to share Summer herself with you this weekend, I had a bout of ill health that set me back an entire day. It was the kind of bad day where you couldn't even watch tv in bed. I literally had to sleep or at least attempt to, and my head felt like bruised fruit, and my eyes hurt and it was all miserable.

I wanted to share with you all I have done so far and in a more comprehensive manner than when I did Chester's WIPs. She's almost complete, I just need to needle felt her face and tail and finish off her accessories.

Color Palette For Summer

Inspired by the setting sun, I loved the orange and blues, so I wanted something that reminded me of the summer showers that happen so often where I live, where it's warm one moment and stormy the next. Flashes of rain and warmth inspired this piece.

Summer's Dye Job

Summer's mohair was dyed in an array of gradients. It was not done in a very exact manner and was meant to have a more natural and gradual transition from the daytime to night sky.

All pieces sewn together

In her head, I've added a small magnet to hold up her little cloud hair piece.

Stuffed but not yet assembled

Assembled with variable gradients visible

Face prepped for needle felting & with glass eyes

Now for some Spring cleaning and school work before I find some time to finish her up.

Edit: She's complete

Face felted, ears pinned

Finished little lady

Chubby Animal Line Mohair Kit Giveaway

To celebrate the opening of 

MY STORENVY SHOP

 & the release of the patterns of my fox and giraffe, I'd like to give everyone a chance to make their own adorable chubby animal. You'll receive a CUSTOM mohair kit that contains the following:

An example of what you could win!

♥(10.5 in x 13.5 in) 5 mm sparse hand dyed mohair (color of your choice)

♥6 in square of cotton fabric (only enough for ears and foot pads)

♥7 mm black glass eyes 

♥5 cotter pin joints - 3x half inch joints, 2x 5/8 joints (for legs)

♥1 yard of ribbon/trim

♥Random Charm (Pick: Key, Crown, or Owl)

♥38 gauge triangular felting needle

♥0.1 oz of USA domestic top wool roving

♥Pinch of chocolate corriedale wool

To enter:
(Free Worldwide Shipping)
♥Must be willing to give me a shipping address)

♥Subscribe to my blog via email (top right hand corner)

♥Comment: what would you make with your new mohair kit

For an extra chance to win:

Purchase any of my patterns from storenvy

Each pattern = 1 extra chance to win

Bonus item:

If the winner of the kit also has made a purchase in my storenvy shop,

 I will include a free CUSTOM needle felted bunny pastry

Purchase must've been made before the drawing

Winner will be drawn from the email subscriber list on

March 21st

7 PM EST

Good luck everyone!

Tools of My Trade

I've been meaning to make this post for a while now but for one reason or another haven't. It's mostly because usually at the end of a project my desk looks like this:

 The level of chaos here is quite...remarkable. I have patterns sticking out left and right, a mug, sewing machine stuff (bobbins & needles) sitting on top, rubbing alcohol (even though I'm not working with clay), and it's just quite..chaotic to say the least. So after looking at that for a while, I really needed to clean it for my sanity's sake. After a cleaning makeover it looks like this.

Cinderella Pop Up Paper Cut Out was a homemade VDay gift 

I am quite limited in elbow room once my sewing machine gets added to the desk. When I'm hand sewing though, I like to take it to my bed. One thing I pride myself of is being able to pack all my sewing supplies for a single project into a 1 quart zip lock bag, so I thought it was a time to show you what I use and give a brief description of how I use them.

1. Sewing Scissors, 2. Regular Scissors, 3. Embroidery Scissors, 4. Hemostat

1. A girl's best friend has to be these sewing scissors. I absolutely love them. When I originally started sewing I never used sewing scissors because they weren't worth the investment for me since I had a 3 dollar pair laying around, but the more fabric I worked with, the more stress my hands felt, and I simply needed them. I ONLY use these on fabric, ribbon, and thread and nothing else.
2. I use my regular scissors for pattern making, cutting cardboard, cutting plastic nubs off plastic eyes, and lots of other miscellaneous things. 
3. Curved embroidery scissors are useful for trimming threads in small tight spots as well as trimming the fly aways off my needle felting. The curve keeps the scissor from cutting more than it should. I pair all three of these scissors with a scissor sharpener which for 2-3 dollars saves you the cost of having to replace your scissors.
4. Last but not least is my smallest hemostat. I have these in 3 sizes and with different tips but I personally prefer the curved tips. They act as a combination of tweezers with the leverage of a scissor. Mine generally have teeth on them for added grip and they are great for turning small pieces of fabric and stuffing. Choose the size that best reflects your projects otherwise you'll end up with a hand cramp.

   

   5. Felting Needles 6. Darner Needles 7. Pastel Brush 8. Paint Brush 9. Permanent
   Pastels 10. Doll Needles 11. Pin Cushion & Pins

5.  Next up are my assortment of things I need to make the face of a doll. First off I start off with felting needles, and I have these in a variety of sizes for shaping and doing the detail work of my doll's faces. They have little barbs on them that catch the wool fibers to lock them into place in order to form a shape.
6. I use darner needles to put in eyes and also as a substitute for an awl. They come in a variety of sizes and I use thick or thin ones depending on the size of the hole I need. For example, when I joint a doll, I pick the darner needle that is the same size of the pin so I know the hole I am making will be sufficient.
7. This pastel brush has a sponge applicator that slides onto the pastel blade. I used this to add more concentrated amounts of color
8. Camel haired paintbrush that I use to apply pastels when I want a softer feel to the shading. 
9. Permanent pastels are chalk pastels that contain pigment with a binder. You can purchase these in sticks or already ground up (panpastels) I use these to blush my dolls and shade their faces, ears, and limbs.
10. When I do any type of needle sculpting, I use doll needles of an appropriate length for ease of sculpting. Used in conjunction with a strong thread, this will give you control to create more depth for the eyes on a doll
11. Most important thing for sewing and for marking. I like a flat bottomed pin cushion so the pins cannot disappear into the cushion. I use both quilting pins, normal pins, and the small tailor pins (the ones you see on men's formal shirts)

    

    12. Water soluble marker 13. Gel pen 14. Jewelry pliers 15. Fiberboard discs
    16. Tailor's Chalk 17. Sewing Gauge

12. Water soluble markers (comes in white and blue) are always useful for tracing on your pattern or making any markings. Simply spritz with water after you're done sewing, and the color should fade. (Might want to test this on a scrap piece just to be sure. It's harder to get it off some fabrics)
13. Gel pen for marking dark minky because nothing else will stick to minky
14. Jewelry pliers are used to joint dolls. I have a combination one that also has a wire cutter. The tip of the pliers is used to curl the cotter pin
15. These discs are half the team in a cotter pin joint. The pin itself is not shown. I use several sizes depending on the size of the doll
16. Tailor's chalk (comes in white and blue). I use this to mark fabric when I want nice straight lines. It's water soluble but it should also rub out, so I find it is best to use this when the marked fabric isn't being extensively handled. It would be annoying to have to constantly reapply
17. A sewing gauge can help check seam allowances, make small measurements, and just to double check markings. It has a slider to help mark the measurement

So those are all my essential tools. When I'm packing up my sewing to work somewhere other than my desk, I usually bring some combination of these 17 items in addition to fabric and thread. These are not all the things I use in my doll making, but I use these each time I make a doll.

Hope this mini guide can help you build your own tool set.

Until next time,

Laine

New Little Fox: Chester Plus Instructions & WIPs

Hi everyone, I wanted to introduce you to Chester. 

I made him when I was feeling frustrated and lost with my craft. I just had to create something for the sake of creating, so I made this little boy. I've been meaning to make a fox for over a year but just never got around to getting orange dye, so I just never made one. When I make a doll, I always keep a story in my mind because it helps me flesh out the character as I put him together. For him, I envisioned the story of the runt of the litter who was born with patches of him that were not an even color (his outer right leg & inner left leg and arm).  He's  the little fox that's doesn't play with the others but is still wanting to fit in. Perhaps someone to use the key around his neck to give him a forever home.

______________________________________

I really wanted to do a progress post, but I had gotten a little carried away in the middle so I actually do not have any photos during that time.

Step 1 (Brainstorm): For me, this is always to brainstorm and gather inspiration. I look at pictures of fox kits, other commercial fox plushes, fox dolls, and art. I then draft a pattern inspired these pieces. 

Step 2 (Gather materials):  I like to gather his materials for and determine a color palette if I'm making accessories. I had picked seafoam green and a soft blue violet for his palette, but decided that his character did not need those accessories so in the end I did not make them. For him I needed ecru mohair, orange dye, white & black minky.

Step 3 (Draft pattern & prototype): For him, I made a 3 piece head (two for the face, one for the back). I used two darts on his head to give it more of a 3 dimensional feel. From the face pieces, I cut out the sections I wanted white and the sections I wanted orange. I ended up with a 5 piece head. I drew his ears as inspired by the photos I looked at earlier. For his body, I make a 2 piece body and use darts to give it more dimension. As with the face, I cut out the parts of the chest I want white and the parts I want orange. I end up with 4 pieces. I then draw arms, legs, and tail and cut out the black and white pieces from the orange. Now I have a total of 37 pieces. 

If you are not sure about your pattern, you should prototype it first before using more expensive fabric. I prototype on muslin because it does not stretch. Choose your fabric according to the stretch of the fabric you are using.

Step 4 (Dyeing): I trace the pattern onto the mohair to determine how much mohair I need to dye. I usually use a very small seam allowance but because I know dyeing mohair will shrink the backing, I add extra to the seam allowance to accommodate shrinkage. Afterwards I let my mohair dry overnight. 

Step 5: All of Chester's pieces cut out. There are five piles: light orange, dark orange, ecru, white, and black

 Step 5 (Cut & Sew): Here is where I got a little swept away and forgot to take photos. After you cut your pieces, you sew them and turn them. Since I am jointing my doll, I mark on my doll where I am putting the joints, so when it comes time to joint, it will all be symmetrical. The tail and tag are placed in the seam of the body before the body is sewn. All pieces are then flipped.

Step 6 (Stuff & Joint): I start by stuffing the head and limbs and not closing them off. Then I insert the joints and sew it closed before attaching the head and limbs to the body. I then add weight to the tummy, stuff the neck firmly, and sew it closed with.

Step 6: Pins to mark eyes and nose. Body isn't stuff yet, but the ears are pinned to the head

Back of doll with tag, tail, and crumpled ribbon.

' Step 7 (Felt face): Prep the face by plucking out the mohair. Glass eyes are put in, secured with both thread and E6000 glue . Eyelids, waterlines, and the base of the face are felted on. Tear drop shaped pieces of felted wool were added, then blending into the base. A nose was then added.

Step 8 (Finishing Touches): Doll was blushed with pastels.  Inner ears were shaded with a taupe blend. 

For the ribbon around the neck, I took two pieces of seam binding ribbon, sprayed with water, crumpled, and left to dry overnight. I added a key and made a 6 loop bow.

Change of Digital Scenery

Thank you to all my supporters for all their kind words and comments,

I have chosen to make an active move here because I no longer felt that deviantart was the community for me. It was a great place to start, but not for me to stay. I will still keep my account open and update on a month to month basis, but it will mainly just be a gallery or a marketplace. As with all my other social media sites, I'll use it to link to here. For the most part though, it will just be like an etsy, storeenvy, or any other market place. I'll reply to professional inquires but nothing more. I have also left my email address on my profile page for those who would like to reach me quicker. Please respect that the email is for professional use only. I will not respond to personal correspondences through it.

As for the reasons for leaving: the first reason being it had allowed for too much distance between me and my followers and the second and more significant is that there is a lot of pressure on dA to produce. There is an underlying competitive nature for higher statistics and in order to constantly generate views etc you have to constantly produce, and you have to produce what  you think your followers would like to see. I really wanted to create dolls for creation's sake again.

Like many other social media sites, dA is a flood of images and thumbs, and many people just tab through them, deleting those that might not look appealing on a small scale. It's like thumbing through a magazine. You have a few seconds to catch someone's attention or they just move on. I no longer feel like competing with others for attention or feeling the need to compete. Even if competition isn't a concern, dA always finds a way to bring it out of you. It's a little voice in my head that's driving me towards the thoughts of 'be cheap, produce many, sell many, more more more for cheaper cheaper cheaper.'  None of it is my prerogative.

I would much rather find a more personal relationship for those who know me through a screen. I feel that a blog will allow you to take a peek at my thoughts as well as distinguish those who are tabbing through mountains of images from those who really want that connection with my craft. I definitely hope to share more here, answer sewing questions, do small tutorials, and just get back to the roots of my creation.

Thank you everyone for sticking with me,
Laine

In my own little corner

I had promised my followers a tour of my room if they wanted it. I've been meanig to compile the photos and post this but life has gotten in the way.

Anyways while my plate is incubating, I will show you a tour of my house. These are the main parts of it (except my bathroom , there's only a toilet and a shower there, not even a sink, & kitchen space) All you see here is within one room. I only have 1 window, so the light throughout these photos will be different depending on how far away from the one window they are

This is where I start every morning. By now, the two peas in a pod have been delivered and the star is waiting for its owner to claim it.  My bed is lofted 3 ft off the ground so I can store my dye pot, suitcase, pokemon cards, and a few books & bottled water under it.

Next we'll move to the second place I go with the start of my day. Usually I start my day by doing dishes. I only have this sink so I have to keep it clear of stuff. (Don't ask about the kitchen space, it's disgusting, which is why I never lived with 3 male housemates before) As you can see my dishes drying on a dishcloth, I keep all my kitchen stuff in my room because it's not sanitary outside of my room.

3rd important place is my closet. This is all my clothing for 4 seasons. I am photosensitive so I wear the same long sleeves 365 days a year. NO, I am not a sparkly vampire, I simple get hives in the sun. I have a large thing of white vinegar for washing my shower curtain, cleaning, and a little for dyeing mohair. Most of it gets used in cleaning.

The next place I spend most of my time here, whether sewing or working on hw. You see the ice cream machine on which I have a pad of scrapbooking paper? When you see me during LSes (me not my hands) my laptop is sitting ontop of that little space. There's really not that much room on my desk. One day I will have half a room for sewing. For now this little corner will do. (On my table you see Tovi before he was completed)

Whenever you see me disappear off screen this is where I go. My fabric is stored in the bottom bin with the top bin full of miscellaneous stuff. I keep my wool felt, business cards, and other miscellaneous stuff in this little corner.

For those who are interested in this colorful spectrum, my fabric collection has certainly grown this year. 6 months ago I barely had half these colors, now I've rearranged them so I could always pull out what I want without having to dig through all of them (I still need to take the big green carton) off first though)

So that's most of it. I didn't show you two of my drawers where I store dolls, textbooks, and toiletries or where I keep my vacuum and fan, but this is most of it. At least all the important parts. I hope you enjoyed my little corner of this earth! I certainly feel at home in my own space.