I have named my first 6 dolls
Series 1: Bye Bye Birdie. This is a tribute to the movie with Ann Margret, especially when the ensemble danced in the soda shop to the tune of
"Lot of Livin'." Check out
YouTube for the clip. They wore tight outfits and sleeveless blouses! I love playing the musical number over and over.
I have about two motivations for giving it a title. First, is my "latest good news," which is that I now have 9 new dolls, with a different theme, and because of this, I finally saw my work in batches. I'm so amazed by myself. lol because I never thought that my styles can change in a really obvious manner. What I mean is that when I did this first group of six dolls, in order to be efficient in costuming them, I had to stick to the same approaches and techniques in making patterns, varying them only to a still efficient degree. I also stuck to the same materials, cotton fabric, and this also helped me sew fast. What resulted is the group of 6 dolls that all looked like they hung out!
The second group, which I just finished last week, around February 14, 2014, I started making fabric jackets made of upholstery fabric, because they presented a challenge, being that their textures varied. However, after finishing two, I felt confident enough to touch my faux fur fabrics, thinking that if I did this later, I would have fur coats that would be seen in the springtime! So I started making fur coats. Then it occurred to me that if I left the dolls naked, the porcelain would show more, and the fur coats would be a great complement to the naked bodies! The moment I dressed the 9 new dolls with fur coats, the style of the batch became obvious. I also varied the faceups (the painting of the facial features of the dolls), and this also made a difference.
Another important thing to mention is that I was used metal springs on the Series 1: Bye Bye Birdie group to keep the joints connected, and this time I used cloth covered elastic string, which is the traditional way of stringing the doll pieces. More differences.
So all this made me decide to name my groups. I know in the future that if I decide yo make dolls individually, naming them in a series might change.
Midway between finishing 9 coats, I felt confident that I have enough dolls to sell on ebay. However, it seemed to me that I would have a better ebay store and ebay visitors would perceive me as an artist better if I can show not only a good number of work but also a good variation in my styles. So I approached my collector and asked if I can also sell on ebay what he already owns, and he said okay!
So now, looking at both groups, I finally began to appreciate more the importance of naming each collection, especially for the convenience of the ebay visitors and potential buyers.
So the second motivation to start naming my groups of dolls is ebay! It is for the convenience of everyone!
Here is the third motivation for naming the dolls. While doing the fur coats, I told my friend Jaime what I had been up to, and he just suddenly commented, "Fur Naked Ladies!" which sounded like it was an offshoot of the familiar band, Bare Naked Ladies! It stuck to my head as I was cutting and sewing, that I had to use it.
So I'm naming the next group of 9 dolls, Series 2: Fur Naked Ladies!
Here are my ebay links:
I had to take a new set of pictures for ebay, following their guidelines, so I am posting the new pictures in the next two blog entries.
I'm very happy with what I have done and learned from this group.
