Vine Beading For A Custom Lady

I spent my time last week when not stuck in work adding vine-like beading to my lovely Katrina.

Katrina is a special order doll for Ashley at Mystic Magic - http://www.mysticmagiconline.co.uk/
And so far she's coming alone just as I wanted her too:) (It doesn't always happen!) She has layers and layers of petticoats, a cream silk taffeta gown covered with a web of black lace, with a skirt in two layers.
Decorating the lace is a trace like vine-like pattern of beading around the higher layer hem, down the side of her skirt from her waist on one side, her sleeves and her bodice.

One of the requirements given to me by Ashley was to keep to a monochrome colour pallet. As white can look very harsh on a doll because of the size I went with an ivory silk for both her gown and shift that you can see ruffled at the top of her bust.

Her eyes are old grey buttons that have a fade to them from light grey in the centre to black at the edges. And they give her a lovely soft dreamy look in her kind face.

Katrina will have long hair, so I've only beaded the front of her bodice so that there isn't anything it can catch on at the back (and it won't be seen of course).
Using pearl and dark grey seed bead and tiny tiny silver lined clear beads I strung together different lengths to decorate her bodice, curling and twisting as I went to give it a more organic look. Between and around each tendril all over her gown I'll be adding tiny diamonte crystals to give her extra sparkle.

Around the cuff of her sleeves I've added a triple row of tint silver lined beads, and at the draping lace at her elbow I've repeated the same pattern I used on her bodice to make an edge.

I'm not used to beading, but I found it very relaxing once I had a pattern to work to. And at the end of the week I had only snapped one needle and left one other totally mangled and twisted. That's not bad going for me :)

On Katrina's skirts I included a larger silver lined bead so to add more sparkle and texture. And here you can see the vines trialling down on her right hand side and the shorter varied vines creeping up from the hem. The pictures don't really show how rich and glittery she looks as we've not seen the sun since November here :S
The dark grey days are merging together and becoming one long wet winter. And I really hope that it ends soon and the sun comes out. I won't even complain if it's cold. I promise x

While I plan out the next stage and talk to Ashley about what her hair should look like ad what accessories she needs I've started work on my Storyteller doll at long last.

My Donna Lilith has bright honey coloured eyes, and I'm using the influence from many of my favourite paintings to design her outfit and accessories. I really love Elizabethan portraits, the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites and Alfonse Mucha. It's all quite a mix but it'll all come together, I hope :) xxx