Wednesday, August 29, 2018

WIP - Mermaid

I've been quiet lately as I have been working on my mermaid doll for the Doll Street Club challenge. Things are moving along slowly.

It's a good thing I still have until September 15th. Doll makers will tell you that sometimes the doll you are making has very definite ideas about what it wants to look like. I know that sounds weird but it's true. I have changed her look so many times but I think I'm okay with what I have now......on the bottom bit anyway. Her very bodacious top part is giving me grief.

She is from a pattern by Patti Medaris Culea. Patti did a lot more complicated beading than I have done. I kept it simple by only doing an edging. It turned out that I was very limited in my bead selection as I wanted to use what I already had. I picked out six colours that sort of matched the fabric.

I had some issues with the 7 separate "scaled" pieces that you are supposed to wrap around the tail. Hmmm.
 
After attempting that a few times I gave up. I didn't like the look with all the closed end bits showing up on the front here and there. It was sort of unavoidable if you wanted to cover the tail with them??? I felt it looked unfinished.

I ended up unpicking each end of the 7 bits and sewing them altogether into one strip. Even then it wasn't quite long enough to cover the tail even spreading the strip out as much as possible. Annoying. I didn't have any more fabric to try something else so I decided to go with what I had.

Then I had a problem. I didn't want to use Patti's idea for covering the raw seam between the torso and the tail. She used synthetic organza chiffon. She sealed the edges using a candle. It's very pretty but I couldn't see myself doing that...OMG. A disaster waiting to happen...LOL 
 
To fill in the gap from the end of the strip to her body I decided to use what the pattern designer had already provided. The actual pattern piece for the tail had an edging but the directions told you not to use it. To cut the edge straight instead. Which I did. So I cut a scrap of the fabric using the pattern piece. Then I used "Wonder-Under Pellon transfer web to attach it to her torso. It was pretty old stuff but it still worked.


Still needs something though....sigh. Tried a jeweled belt sort of thing but not quite right.

Still a work in progress. 

Take care:)

12 comments:

  1. She's looking great! And I do know what you mean about dolls informing you (often in no uncertain terms!) of what they want.

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  2. i think she look FAB and I love the beads on her scales.
    xx, Carol

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  3. She is looking gorgeous! I would be tempted to give her a jewelled belly button! xx

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  4. maybe a few bits of 'seaweed' draped here and there? ..

    Yeh, I always ended up changing patterns... or if they were my own design... sometimes I went through several arms, legs, or heads just to get it to feel right to me.... dolls ain't easy.....

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  5. I think she wants to be a Las Vegas show girl. Lots of bling :)

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  6. The Mermaid looks stunning thus far and the beaded edge work is beautiful. Costuming can have it's problems especially if the pattern pieces don't fit. But you've done a remarkable job at problem solving. I can't even imagine all the time it took to unpick those fabric strips. Maybe one day I'll sew a mermaid, but not just yet.

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  7. Thank you Bethann. She's had a few transformations since that pic :)

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  8. A lovely mermaid, the colours are so pretty and what a lot of work on the beaded scales. beautiful.

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