Vol 5 No 2 Dec 2008-Mar 2009 - Bundaberg Regional Libraries

arts bundabergThe process of designing andmaking Fabric Dolls:“You can never predict how a doll willlook at the end of the process. As yourwork progresses they develop their owncharacter, which is the magical thingabout any type of doll making. I have abox full of skin tone fabric, so each dollhas a different skin tone like people. Ifit is a special order, I try to make theeyes and hair in similar shades to therecipient. The faces on my dolls are amixture of ideas I’ve seen in doll booksand face painting books. I use Prismacoloured pencils when doing the faces,as I find them slightly softer than otherbrands. Alsopigma pensbecause they don’t bleed on the fabric.It takes me about a week to make adoll, I use standard patterns but thenhave to then decide on what the doll isdoing - laying, standing or sitting. ThenI adapt the pattern according to myrequirements.In the past I’ve been asked to designa beach theme for a shop window. Thiswas very challenging, as I wanted toreflect the variety of beachgoers froma bikini-clad sunbaking beauty, to achubby lady in an inner tube. Because itwas Christmas, I even made a SurfingSanta. Another doll I made is a sewingdoll whose skirt folds back to reveal aminiature of my studio, right down tothe thread holders and also the books Ihave in my library.”Judith’s tips for doll making:• Cheap shops are excellent forresources, miniatures, hair pieces,eyelashes…the list goes on. The petsection also has its uses for props suchas small ladders to scale, swings andbells, just make the job much easier.• Add a pipe cleaner tofingers to makethem pliable forpositioning.LOCAL ARTIST 33