Whew! Hoffman Doll Completed

"Eleanor"
by
Coppermouse Dolls
14.5" in height
Cloth, paperclay, wood and brass.
Original pattern by Coppermouse Dolls.

Oh my gosh! I didn't think I'd ever finish this doll. I had no idea how much being pregnant can take the steam out of you. At any rate, she's completed. She's now on her way to Colorado for the Hoffman 2008 Fabric Challenge.

You may notice the jacket is a different fabric or rather the correct fabric for the challenge. You see, I had this hinky feeling that something wasn't right. So I asked my husband to re-read the rules for me. Sure enough, I had used the wrong fabric. Technically, it has the right name, but the wrong number. It was a tad confusing. Luckily, I was able to order some replacement fabric in the nick of time.

For me, the biggest challenge with this doll was the issue of not using a doll stand. I totally love those tacky things. I suppose one could say it is laziness on my part, but I can't help myself. My plan was to use brass rods inserted through the feet and up to the shoulders. Then I would drill holes in a wooden base and insert the rods into the stand. Oh brother, I was so scared I was going to ruin my doll. Then, amazingly, it worked. And I thought to myself, that was so easy. I was just being a big baby about it. That is the wonderful thing about entering challenges; it forces you to work outside of your comfort zone. Neat, huh?

Now for something totally cool. Deanna Hogan is kind enough to host pictures of Hoffman entries on her website. You may see them here. I am so blown away by all of the entries. I wish everyone the best.

Latest Hoffman Challenge WIP

Around Friday, I finished attaching the collar by hand. There's still a long way to go. Lots of little finishing touches and so forth. Sorry for the crummy presentation. When I dress a doll, I use my large doll stand. So the wrong doll stand is in this picture and her clothes are all crooked. That's because nothing is permanently attached yet. I'll post more pictures as I progress. Thanks for stopping by.

Thinking Outside the Box

Above is the picture I am using as inspiration for my doll's costume for the Hoffman Fabric challenge. My attempt at this dress has created opportunities for new styles of sewing which I have never attempted before in the past. Mainly, the pleated skirt is a brand new experience. Thankfully some clever person invented a pleating board and therefore makes it a lot easier to created tiny doll-sized pleated skirts. I purchased my pleater from Adele Sciortino's site at http://www.costumesandtrim.com/supplies/misc.html. Pleating boards come in handy when making tiny French costumes. Okay, enough about pleating boards.

The rest of the costume is falling into place. I've finished her bloomers, petticoat and skirt. Now, I need to work on her jacket, cuffs and collar. I don't know about you, but I detest collars. My tiny brain cannot wrap itself around the concept of attaching it to the bodice. Heck, I even watched videos with dressmakers attaching collars and I still don't get it. I suppose that is where just biting the bullet and just doing it comes into play. In the past, I have made a couple of shawl collars, but for some reason my brain just blocks out the experience as if I were traumatized. I suppose it's repressed collar syndrome or something. It seems there is always some stumbling block with which every artist goes through. Collars just happen to be mine.

The next big challenge for me is how in the heck am I going to display this doll. One of the rules of the Hoffman challenge is the use of purchased doll stands are prohibited unless they are integrated with the doll. Every single doll I've made in the past, with the exception of my Queen Anne doll, requires the use of a doll stand. The costume on my doll looks better when she is standing. I thought perhaps I could just have her sit on a block, but I don't like the way the skirt flares out. And to be honest, it wasn't until the 20th century that fashion actually was made to be comfortable. So when I look at a child in a picture wearing a French dress from the 19th century, I can only imagine how happy they were to take it off and put on comfy clothes and just be a kid.



What I mean to say is my doll looks better standing. So I've got to think outside the box and figure out a way to display her standing up. But in the meantime, I'll finish her jacket and go from there. I'll keep you updated.

On a side note, I am officially 18 weeks pregnant today. Getting close to being halfway there. Two days ago, I felt my little girl kick for the first time. It was such a pleasant surprise too. We are very excited to be parents. :)