Anne's Poodle Fritzi Fitzpatrick

August is moving along at a nice pace this year.  It's actually been one of the most pleasant Augusts I can remember.  I've been super lucky in chancing upon some rare Tonner dolls I've had my eye on for years, which I've been able to add to my collection.  And a very rare Ruby Red Fashion Friend.  Their first Halloween doll, Elinda!  

While always in the spirit for Halloween, this year I'm starting early and completely skipping my birthday just to concentrate on costuming at least one doll and redoing my permanent Halloween doll shelf.  I've expanded it.  I moved it to a wider shelf to accommodate more dolls.  I'm hopeless!  

And in the midst of that, I received my first Anne Subscription box.  It's funny how it just didn't click that the prairie outfit shown in the paper dolls Diana drew, was the same dress in the box.  I never intended on making it, and was probably more focused on knowing that she illustrated the two dresses that the debut Anne

dolls came in.  The poodle didn't register either.  It's all in what interests me most I guess.  We're all like that.  

But I've been seeing lots of collectors showing their Anne dolls with dogs, and as I truly love having pets for my girls, as well as cool accessories, it finally dawned on me that the poodle in this image would be Anne's dog.  On one of the other paper doll pages there's a Toto dog to go with the blue and white checked romper that is "Dorothy cosplay".  And as I was skipping that one, too, I just didn't pay attention.  

Poor Remmie Lou is still Grace and Dolly's dog, but as things shift and refocus at the VDC, so has my creative thinking.  At least I'm working on it.  For so many years, with each new Grace outfit, I'd make Dolly something to coordinate with it, and dress or accessorize Remmie Lou for the display as well.

With all the new offerings, I'm not sure what to do or how to 

make it all work for the best displays.  I know one collector is sewing Grace dresses to match Anne's.  Not going there.  And she does a fantastic job of it and it's so entertaining to see!

But what I can do and did, was make Anne's poodle dog. Again, poodles have never been on the list of dogs I'd want, for me, but there he is with his blue bow and his tongue hanging out.  Had to make him.  I say "him" because of the blue bow.  Could be a girl dog!  Diana never gave the dog a name but did a great job drawing a cute little pet for Anne, so until I learn more, if there's more to learn, it's a "him" and his name is Fritzi. Fritzi to go with Fitzpatrick.  Fritzi Fitzpatrick.  Say that three times very fast!  

I am no whiz superstar at needle felting.  You really have to do this daily and for hours on end to be super good at it, but I enjoy it as well as the challenge in making things I cannot find on my own.  

Oh, I looked.  There are needle felted poodles for sale on Etsy.  Too big, way too expensive, and not the right scale in size for Anne.  So, I took out my wools, and pipe cleaners for the armature, and gave it a whirl.

I'd fail at human anatomy testing, so dog anatomy isn't any easier for me.  Sure, I could study by vision and rote, but why.  The availability to look things up is so much easier.  So, I looked for poodle dog skeletons to get an idea for the armature.  Toy poodles, not Standard poodles.  Goofy as this looks, it's a good skeleton to work from.

I show this as an example for anyone wishing to learn needle felting.  Some people are able to sculpt anything, like some artists can draw anything that comes to mind.  I am not skilled in this way and have to do research.  Find images to work from.  And as is often the case, finding images that can lead me in the direction from realism to fanciful imagery.

Here's Anne with her poodle dog, Fritzi.  I changed her into this dress to go along with the paper doll page Diana drew.  Anne's changing back into her Alice dress tomorrow for my display.  I like her in this wig, too!  Now I wish I'd bought two so Grace could have had her wig when she wanted it, but there you go.  I think it will stay with Anne.

If people make needle felting look easy, because their finished product is nice, this is the goal the felter wishes for.  But it's not easy.  And the more different, more difficult things you try to do, the harder it becomes.  I watch YouTubes often when I'm starting a new project.  

What you'll find is that everyone does it differently.  Everyone has a style with which they sculpt, and needle felt with wool.  There is no right or wrong way, but no one is going to show you how to make the exact thing you want to make.  And in this case, it was a cartoon paper doll illustration of a cute poodle.  The only examples of needle felted poodles I saw were serious poodles.  Miniature examples of real poodles.  That is not what I was after.  Not with Remmie Lou and not with Anne's dog, but a good likeness to Diana's drawings.

For what it's worth, I'll probably poke at the dog a bit more and definitely more over time.  Wool loosens almost like a living  

thing.  

This was my first attempt at using "curly locks" as they call them.  After purchasing some and working with it, I believe I can make them myself from the smooth, satiny wool they sell, curling it around knitting needles or smaller dowl shapes the way you would work with mohair for wigging mini porcelain dolls.  In fact, I'm positive that this is how it's made.  So, I learned something.  And the curly locks are kind of difficult to work with, too.  I never say no.  I never say I can't.  I just try and keep working on whatever I'm after until I figure it out.

The same goes for sewing!  Since I make my own patterns, it's a gamble for me each time I make an outfit.  And from what I've observed so far in what the VDC has offered for Anne, both the prairie outfit and the sailor collar dress, I'll bet all the paper doll outfits will be offered in the Subscription Boxes.  This is new.  It's a change from what has been offered before.

If I'd known this, I would never have sewn what I did.  Since outfits used to be a surprise, I would never have dreamed Diana's paper doll set would get made by the factory for the subscription boxes.  But I think it's great!  I have lots of other projects to work on, and although Anne's been fun to sew for and dress, if the outfits are getting made by someone else, hooray!  One of the reasons I sew is for the novelty - and when I can't purchase something I want.  If I can't find it, I make it.  This was just another reason I made Fritzi.  Of course, a poodle might come in one of the next boxes, but I sure learned a lot making him, and I have him now for Anne until further notice.

Below are two of the images I used for "how to make a poodle".  And some fun ones of Anne playing with her dog.  And now it's back to Halloween for me.  I have a new doll to dress and am trying to come up with something special for her.  And there might be a him to dress for Halloween if I win an auction!  Come October, I just might write a journal post on my Halloween doll collection!

(A day later I'm adding to this post.  I just learned that the poodle was the image Diana drew of Rachel's rescue dog, Murray.  Murray is no longer with us, but I'd like to think that Murray's special presence on this earth and the joy he brought to Rachel and others will live on through a little needle felted dog for our young miss, Anne.  Murray had his own Facebook page, Murray the Toothless Poodle, where you can read about Remmie Lou and Dolly as well, her two rescue bulldogs.)

Until next time!  Melissa

 

Anne Fitzpatrick as Alice

Tell me a story of Alice and you'll have my attention.  Wonderland.  What a place this must be!  With enough imagination we, each one of us, can create a Wonderland in our hearts.  Alice's surely was fraught with confusion, troubling situations and extreme solutions to ridiculous problems.  But there were also beautiful worlds one would never experience without Lewis Carroll taking her by the hand and leading her down the rabbit hole.  And it is just a story.  A timeless story of a dream beneath a tree on a summer's day.

Some of the greatest artists, since the book was published, have had more fun illustrating the story, than we can possibly imagine.  Each championing themselves to out illustrate those before them.  And it continues to this day.

Children, and adults, have dressed up as Alice for the pure adventure and fun of it.  And whether we've actually read the book(s), or even pretended to understand what we were 

reading, the charm and pure fantasy of such a place is eternal.

I know.  I'm a huge Alice fan.  Those of you who've followed me since maybe even before I began this journal, have no doubt in your minds that Alice reigns supreme in my books.  Little Red Riding Hood, too, but that's another story.  Literally!

Show me an illustration of Alice and I'll be on Pinterest for hours looking up more Alice illustrations.  Mention Alice to me and my insides tickle and glow with memories of all the Alice costumes I've made in the past for dolls.  I've even created outside that paper doll and illustration box I find myself in and created a costume with needled felted rabbit for both Chinese New Year's Year of the Rabbit, and last spring's Easter theming the White Rabbit as the Easter Bunny.  So much fun!

When I printed out Diana Vining's paper doll costume pages for Anne, and saw there was an Alice dress, I would wait for the perfect time to make it.  I'm always ready to make another Alice dress, but honestly there have been so many fabulous things coming out of the VDC lately, that one supersedes the next as new dolls and outfits are continually being offered.  Not complaining!  Bring it on!  But when I make an Alice costume, it's a little more personal. Like the artists that illustrate, I'm taken to the task of doing something so many others have done, but now I must put my own signature and energy into it.  It becomes a little meditation.  The next Alice.

Ah!  And Diana's had a pocket bunny.  A pocket bunny!  Two things stand out in her illustration.  The red bow pinned to an interesting collar, and the pocket bunny peeping out with his paws hooked over the edge.  The entire creation of 2D to 3D would center around the final task of creating the pocket bunny.

One more time I used the blue cotton sateen I purchased for Anne's Cinderella dress.  Why would I choose any other blues when the paper doll dresses used the same blue wash?  Its a pretty fabric with a bit of a sheen, and while a bit heavier than I would wish, it makes a pretty doll dress.

The blouse is a separate piece from the blue jumper.  I'll admit that I'm not the best blouse maker out there.  I've made tons of blouses for dolls, but I like lining the things I make, and facings aren't my forte.  Oh, I can make them, but a full lining is divine.  Blouses with a collar such as the one I devised for this blouse needed a facing.  This wasn't the challenge.  Figuring out what Diana drew was.  All you see is two white gathered points on each side of the red bow.  

So what did I do?  I made a gathered collar that was very Renaissance in design, such as the queen would have worn.  Something like that anyway.  Its quite pretty, but the red bow is the focus, and it is a pure silk bow. 

Here's a side view of the collar and the puffed sleeves.  And the pocket bunny in near profile.

Always show a little back.  Its closed with tiny silver snaps.

While we're looking at the back, where did I get the great Alice wig that fits Anne?  It was one of Grace's.  I was looking for a 5/6 wig in blonde with bangs and couldn't find one anywhere.  Darn Monique for closing their doors.  Everything is BJD head size now.  And leftover Moniques that no one wanted.  Somebody PLEASE start making wigs for our dolls again!

Rachel could make a small fortune if she could get Ruby Red Galleria to make some doll wigs for us on a regular basis.  Grace and Anne need wigs.  Sure, some can be big styles, but we need wigs we can play with.  Long with bangs and no bangs in all colors.  That's my plea and I'm sticking to it.

But anyway, I was thrilled to discover that I had this wig from my Grace stash.  Now I wish I had two, so my Grace could wear it as well.

The pocket bunny.  I knew what I wanted this toy to look like.  To me it's a toy and not a real rabbit.  I wanted to create something that looked similar to those animee rabbits you see in GIF files.  Not a whole lot of detail to the body, but sweet and charming, which is what Diana's pocket bunny looks like.  Sweet.

The first attempt was too rabbity, and too big.  Oh!  You may have noticed that the pocket is a little oversized, but the dress needed this size to accommodate a proper pocket bunny.

His body is wire armature so I could bend his paws to fit over the ends of the pocket.  He's 2" tall, top of head to toes.  The ears had to be just long enough to say "rabbit" but come to some degree below the waistline of the dress.  This isn't easy stuff.  It takes a lot of fiddling and redoing to get something like this right, and to me, the pocket bunny made the entire outfit.

And of course I had to get Anne the Zuru Disney Animator's Alice doll in the box.  She'd have a doll for every outfit if it was up to me.  She'll have a toy or something to hold, to tell the story, regardless, but I love dolls with dolls.

I did manage a black silk ribbon headband for her to top things off.

A couple of months ago a very dear and wonderful person who knows my passion for Alice, sold me the Grace Alice box.  It was complete.  Teacup cookie and everything.  I am so eternally grateful to this dear lady.  I'm still overwhelmed with gratitude, and I hope she reads this and understands.  

So, I dressed Grace in her blue dress to display with Anne in hers.  The bag is everything!!!  What's left?  Dolly Dingle.  Diana drew Dolly as one of the cards (see below) and the next time I need a special project dear to me, I'll dress Dolly Dingle in this costume.  I need both an aqua knit, and a red raspberry knit for this costume.  One thing at a time.  

While warming up to write this journal, I spent some time on Pinterest's Wonderland.  I always find new artists and new illustrations to save off and share.  Favorites?  Just interesting.  Some are gorgeous renderings, some are vintage, indicative of the time they were painted, while others are just pure fun.  I was particularly drawn to the contemporary one with Alice dressed as a barista.  Forever Alice!

Love, Melissa

 

"I Do Believe In Fairies! I Do! I Do!"

Sometimes it all begins with the most innocent and unexpected bit of inspiration!  And when it strikes, there's no stopping the process.  

Yes, I zipped through creating Anne's kite flying dress, but only because a very special idea, a costume, had sprinkled its pixie dust in my eyes.  Tinker Bell.

Having opened another small box of Zuru Disney animation dolls for Anne, one in particular caught my interest.  Dressed in a green strapless dress with her blonde hair formed in a bun was a tiny Tinker Bell.  My first thought was, "Oh my gosh!  That Cinderella wig would be perfect for this!"  And it really took off from there.

The story of Peter Pan has long been a favorite of mine.  I have the gorgeously illustrated book by Maraja, Wendy Lawton's Peter and Wendy from her Lifetime Achievement Award 

ceremony, and just a few years ago, found that Robert Tonner had made a Peter Pan from his Michael doll, and I didn't hesitate to hit the BIN.  I made him a tiny needle felt Tink to sit on his shoulder.  

Like all the fairytales, they've morphed over time to suit the temperature and climate of the day they are written or retold.  Walt Disney was the king of gentling every fairytale he put his animation to.  And in doing so, made the stories palatable and iconic for the youngest most innocent members of our society since their inception.

I bring this up because my mother hated Walt Disney.  She claimed he ruined every wonderful fairytale ever written and refused to take us to see the movies.  I would have to find them later as an adult, but as a reader and purveyor of beautifully illustrated children's books, I read the stories as they were originally intended, warts and all, as they say.  Still, there is a sweetness and charm that cannot be denied to these fabulously animated Disney tales.

The Zuru Tink.

(And while I'm thinking about it, I saw the musical with Sandy Duncan, in San Francisco, back in the 90's.  That was my old life.  Ballets and musicals and art museums.)

Anne as Tinker Bell with her little doll.

You cannot talk about the iconic Tinker Bell without a serious nod to Margaret Kerry.  A talented actress and dancer, Disney hired her to be his Tinker Bell for the animated film version.  

On a stage with huge sets, Kerry flitted about the stage simulating the famous pixie providing the animators the physical actions to bring Tinker Bell to life.

Kerry would exaggerate her facial expressions in every mood and spirit, to further inspire the talented animators.

It is said that upon viewing the first six seconds of the film, with tears in her eyes, she exclaimed, "That's me!"  And the Tinker Bell we know and love today was born.

Tricky little costume here.  How do you go about studying a costume like Tink's on Disney's pixie and bring it to life on a doll?  Imagination.  

I could have chosen a green knit and made a tight fitting all in one pattern dress.  But Anne is a child with no feminine curves, so it would have come out looking like a tube.  Hmmm...  

I really wanted to make this costume from a lovely thin, green velveteen that I have, but the points and lining them would have been impossible to achieve.  I tried.  If you've ever tried to line velveteen, you know how impossible this task would be.  So, I went to my trusty silk cabinet for the fabric and began drawing the pattern on paper towels,

I gave the hip area a slightly generous curve to give the impression of hips, or more importantly, the look of the animated costume.  

Lucky me that I've made many bustier bodices for Cissy gowns, so creating a small one for Anne's child figure wasn't too far a stretch,  

The skirted part is fully lined with the same silk, as is the bodice.  Points like this can be difficult to turn inside out, but I wasn't going to be too serious or picky with this little costume.  I wanted a look.  I was not creating a French Fashion costume for Louise Godey.  Just a cute little Tinker Bell costume for Anne.  I try not to take my sewing too seriously, and often have to force myself to simply play.

Two little hooks and thread loops close the bodice in the back at the top and waist.

While dressing Anne and posing her, I found she can kneel beautifully can create many Tinker Bell poses!

This doll's articulation is impressive.  Play with her!  

Here's a pose similar to the hand placement in one of the images below.

Her wings are made from thin cotton covered wire found in artificial flower making, and a light blue sparkle netting.  

Her shoes!  I couldn't wait to make her shoes.  Those huge pom poms would make the costume.  The slippers are lined silk with green leather bottoms.  The pom poms, to create the right size, were needle felted.

I don't know.  This was so very much fun to make.  I haven't felt this inspired in a long time.  It was the tiny Zuru doll.  The Cinderella wig!  And it all just came together as if Tink herself, came along and sprinkled her pixie dust on my table.

Anne has become one of my favorite dolls to dress.  I think this happens the more familiar you become with dressing the body of a new doll.

I'm thrilled to have been able to sign up for Anne's Clubhouse subscription, but I'm also a little hesitant now to sew for her.  Rachel posted a sneak preview of some of the outfits the boxes will feature, and the dress I just finished was among them!  Lucky for the people who don't sew, because this dress is adorable!  I'm so glad they did this.  But which other paper doll dresses will be represented?  

Well, guess what?  I'm going to sew for her anyway.  No two are alike in anything.  Similar, but we all have our own signature to what we do.  And everything I create is practical experience for the next project.

I love child dolls.  For me there's more gleeful play to them.  Fashion dolls, lady dolls take on the elegance and beauty of the

styles they wear.  A child doll allows for the imagination to wander further afield at times.  

Tinker Bell was Walt Disney's right-hand fairy, and she will continue to symbolize the magic and mystery that Disney universes hold.

Will Anne become a symbol of childhood joy for the Virtual Doll Convention?  Let's wait and see!

Here's a little pixie dust to sweeten your dreams!

Love, Melissa