A Custom Doll Katrina Work In Progress

This week I've been busy sticking. Glue and sticky fingers and over 1100 crystals all added to my doll Katrina's gown. She's a custom order doll for the lovely Ashley, and she's been a joy to make. I can hardly believe that she's almost done now. To come she has a black organza ruff that I'm hoping I'll be able to add tiny beads to, and a miniature version of one of Ashley's fantastic head pieces that's being made by my wonderful wire artist in America.

I contructed this gown from a stiff silk taffeta overlaid with a web of black lace. Underneath she wears drawers, a shift and a number of petticoats to help hold the gown's shape. Her sleeves are double layered with a lace ruff at the elbow on the overlayer. And I've decorated her with glass seed beads and crystals. Her hair is a mix of black and cream feathers.

The bodice of Katrina's gown sits just off her shoulders in a wide early Victorian neckline, and her skirt shape is both a Victorian style and Elizabethan and earlier. It's a shape that's been used many times and always looks very feminine. These big dresses I make are heavy on their own, but with all the added beads and crystals she's become quite heavy and feels lovely to hold. I used a random pattern to create a vine like trailing design on her bodice with the beads and added the crystals scattered around and concentrated around the beads.

 

I used the same design on the over-layer of skirts, which I made in two layers, with a concentration of beads and crystals twining down from the right side of her waist to the hem of the top layer. The bottom under-layer has a sprinkling of crystals to tie it all together. There are three sizes of beads, and both 3mm and 2mm crystals.

I really hope that Ashley loves her as much as I do. She's coming along just as I wanted her to, and I'm really looking forward to getting her finished. Hopefully we'll get a sunny day one weekend soon so I can catch all her sparkles in photographs.

I've also been working on another applique piece of Lilith sitting among the sunflowers, and I'll be back to adding the thousands of French knots to the centres of the sunflowers just as soon as I'm done here :) I have ideas I'm still working out for a fabric wall piece that looks like the paper doll books as I had as a child. And hopefully, if I can, I'd like to make some hangings in Victorian styles like William Morris and Macintosh, pre-Raphealite and the heavier rich decoration of the earlier period in applique and fabric that can be used as a backdrop to display my dolls. I think they'd make a good addition to my photos and will maybe add some interest. Maybe I'll start small lol :) Have a great week everyone :) xxx

PS - Here's some photos of the wonderful new addition to mt doll collection family. The beautiful Werepup Maelgwn (Welsh, meaning Prince, Hound and Wolf). I really love his grumpy little face a fat freckled belly. He really makes me smile. And he's sat here on the little miniature crochet blanket I made him to sit on. Please visit Asia on her Facebook page here and see all of her amazing work - https://www.facebook.com/Werepups?fref=ts As soon as I can save up I'll be ordering Maelgwn a big sister :) xxx