DeriDolls and ocasional ramblings
Nov. 23rd, 2009
11:44 pm - Busy little bee
After a period of creative block and another of no time to do anything but collapse due to exhaustion, I'm back to a productive streak, baby! =)
Another Holy Family set. (I guess the Wise Kings will still have to wait another year...)
And my third Angel. Each feather individually cut and sewn because I'm a sucker for punishment. =) But be fair, the wings do look good with that extra work, don't they?
I'm sending these and a few more to a brick and mortar store for a try-out. =) Wish them luck!
(Thank you once again, ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
porsia!)
But, as usual, after a stroll down different lanes, I had to go back to my History passion.
This time I bring you Cardinal Richelieu.
Many see him as a villain but I tend to be somewhat lenient on the guy, despite having grown up associating him to his Dartacão's (Dogtanian's) character in the cartoon. Times were different then and things were done differently and--- Ok, ok, I'll confess: the guy was a notorious cat lover to the extreme. That scores HUGE points on my list. =P 
Quick and uncomplicated, just how I like them. =)
The cross is a mess because I only had long ones and it looked terrible like that, so I chopped a bit of it and ended up still looking bad. =( When will suppliers in Coimbra start catering for my smallish needs? =(
The only extra details you can't see are his sleeve cuffs, which also have lace on them, and french knots serving as buttons on his capelet-thingy. (I did no research for this; can you tell? =P)
I love his beard and mustache!
He has A LOT of personality, doesn't he?
Nov. 21st, 2009
10:52 am - Alvaro Bautista
This time I bring a real person doll, commissioned by the lovely sweetlilheart who is a die-hard fan of the motorcycle pilot Álvaro Bautista.
Meet the Álvaros. =)
Pretty straightforward, I used ribbon and pleather for the knee-pads, black cord for the horizontal lines and a real zipper.
And, just as a curiosity, the zipper does open all the way down and I gave him nipples, just in case. >=D
And the screen can open for him to peek out. =)
Nov. 7th, 2009
11:17 pm - A Mon Seul Désir
I no longer feel or look as Death warmed-over (already went to work today. Oh, joy...).
But, more importantly, I finally returned to my needles and dolls after almost a month of forced hiatus.
Once again, the Web Gallery of Art lured me in and I came across the picture of a beautiful french tapestry dating back to early 15th century.
It's refered to as "A Mon Seul Désir".
The photos do her no justice, trust me. She's adorable and gave me absolutely no headaches.
One minute she was a sketch, the other she was waltzing out of my hands. =) I love it when they do that.
The hat is a shameless adaptation of the one I made for this doll http://deriana.livejournal.com/45108.ht
Yes, I know they're a century or more apart, but, sizing and dating aside, they kind of look like they have the same shape and fit. The tapestry's also seems to have a long thin feather sticking out from it, but my feather stock is a bit depleted and I skipped that detail.
When I saw her partled I immediately thought of the Eleonora di Toledo doll (http://deriana.livejournal.com/52528.h
So, in this doll I skipped the grid sewing and went straight for the embroidering-on-the-body strategy. Took less than a minute, looks decent enough imo and there was no need to secure the organza ribbon any more than that. =) Hurray for cutting corners!
Oh, and whenever I needed to embroider something, like the partlet, the hem of the underdress or the organza ribbon on the sleeve? Crochet yarn. =) I still can't wrap my mind around the fact that it works sooooooooo much better then the "proper" threads for that effect!
I <3 you, crochet yarn! *swoons*
Nov. 5th, 2009
04:42 pm - Curse my luck!
I finally put my foot down and got myself a day off. A whole day just for me. =) Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Guess what?
I was awaken before 6am having been transformed into a fountain of snot.
My eyelids weigh a ton each, my feet are frozen solid and my forehead is molten lava.
I have a disgusting taste in my mouth, a sore nose and boneless arms.
My cats are doing what they always do when I'm sick: take advantage of the situation. I can hardly feel my legs or arse from being sat and slept on for hours with no energy to change position.
There isn't a single atom in me that isn't begging to be put out of its misery.
The Universe hates me.
(And yes, I'm wallowing in self-pity and paranoia. From where I'm sitting (due to not being able to stand without wobbling (SHUT THE HELL UP, SÓNIA!)), I'm bloody well entitled to it, thank you very much!)
![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/anksadg.gif){kind=small}
sickOct. 28th, 2009
03:55 pm - Mafaldinha
Off-topic. I just wanted to show her off to some people and I couldn't embed the video in the comments.
Oct. 27th, 2009
10:39 pm - Swap Angelism , or How I Love Felt!
Since the girl already received it, I guess it's safe to post about it here.
Some swap angels were required in the portuguese swap community I help moderating (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
trocas) and I volunteered to send an item.
The subject was Room Decoration, her colour choices were red and black and she favoured Rococo and brocade.
The first word that sprung into my mind after I read her specifications was «decadent» and I started imagining something that could be from a cabaret or posh brothel from the 1930ies (Rococo--->1930ies. I love my trails of thought. =D)
I didn't have time to go around shops looking for the perfect item, so I settled for a regular picture frame and bought some spray paint to get the basics covered.
It all went downhill after that. =)
I painted it. Left it to dry completely. Gave it a second coat to be on the safe side. Let it dry completely.
Feeling very proud of my patience, I took it to my "studio" and started fooling around with my ribbons to see what clicked.
I finally settled for some thin red satin ribbon for the first layer of decor and hot-glued it down. Big mistake.
The glue lumped under the ribbon. I carefully tried peeling it off, set on replacing it with a wider and darker ribbon that could hide the dry lumps. The ribbon came off fine. So did the paint...
Sand off everything. Paint again. Wait. Paint again. Wait. Return to studio.
Then I decided to embroider the said wider ribbon before applying it.
Embroider away. Find out the weave of the ribbon was so frail that the embroidery poked holes in some places. Not amused.
I next tried out embroidering some velvet ribbon, but it didn't look good.
Embroider a different satin ribbon. Red. Spend two evenings doing it.
Finally happy with it, I decide to use super glue instead of the hot glue. No point tempting fate again, right?
The paint reacted to the glue and sort of liquefied a bit, staining the ribbon like crazy.
That frame will never know how close it came to becoming a frisbee...
I sulked for a while, cursing everything I could think of.
then I looked at mt faithful felt stash. It wasn't as glamorous as satin or velvet, true, but it was reliable and I just about had it with ribbons!
Measured, sewed, embroidered/beaded and glued it down without a problem. =)
And here it is, the world's most complicated picture frame ever:
Oct. 22nd, 2009
09:45 pm - Off topic silliness
I'm lucky enough to actually like my jobs and the volunteer work I do is really important to me and my mental well-being, but, with all that, I have no weekends or days off... I'm knackered, drained and exhausted...
Anyone wants to take bets on how long it will take before I crack and start running around town in an orange tutu singing about the pretty little martians?
Oct. 5th, 2009
11:46 pm - Blackadder III
After my Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition set, it was only a matter of time before I went to another of my all time favorite series for inspiration: Blackadder.
Namely, the third season. =) (Surprisesurprise! My favourite isn't the Elizabethan one! =D Although I did have a bit of a crush on that Blackadder when I was a kid... I blame the earring. =P)
If you don't know what I'm talking about, take a peek:
George was the classic 18th century doll: a lot of lace and golden embroidery.
You can't see the whole vest, but it's peppered with french knots all over.
Edmund's vest is embroidered in silver and blue for a bit of a sparkle. I decided on felt ruffles instead of lace or ribbon because I wanted to mark the differences between his and George's rank.
Baldrick. =)
His clothes are as simple as that period would allow. I think the only real detail is the lacing on his shirt and his neckerchief (I had to resort to satin ribbon because all my other non-shiny ribbons clashed too much.).
I gave his hair a very irregular trim and glued that huge mole on his face for detail. 
This is the picture I worked from.
Oct. 4th, 2009
11:05 am - Lont time no post, hmm?
Another Marie doll for a swap I made. I hope her new owner likes her. =)
( If your alias is Serendipity, you better not click here! )
Sep. 5th, 2009
11:47 pm - Gainsborough
Suggested a loooong time ago by someone on my Friend's List (stand forth and be recognized, kind soul), I finally went to Thomas Gainsborough for inspiration.
Lady Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire
The dress is a simple chemise dress with a ruffled collar. Said style was introduced to the world of fashion by none other than Marie Antoinette (hence also being called dress a la reine, I suppose) and it caused quite an uproar at first.
Organza ribbon neckerchief with satin ribbon belt and neckerchief tie.
The hair has epic proportions, as you may see. I had to stitch over the hairline for stability.
The hat was, surprisingly, a no brainer.
The pics don't do her justice. =) She's exceedingly sweet.
Edit: I've just realized I forgot to sew on my label. *headdesks and reaches for the seam ripper*
![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/anksleepyg.gif){kind=small}
exhaustedAug. 25th, 2009
08:09 pm - Mary I
Does she need an introduction?
Mary, daughter of Henry VIII and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, married to one of those accursed Phillips (it's one of the few subjects I'm terribly patriotic about. Please bear with me. =)), fervent catholic and commonly known as the "Bloody Mary", she reigned over England from 1553 to 1558, year of her death.
Portrait by Antonio Mor, 1554.
I must confess I didn't expect to grow as fond of her as I did. Turned out cute, my Mary did. =)
I had to resort to Kitty Howard's coif (http://deriana.livejournal.com/41771.h
She has slightly ruffled organza ribbon to pass as a chemise and I embroidered the ribbon lining her flare collar with a rough criss-cross pattern.
I decided not to add beads to her belt. There is no reason for it except that I didn't like how it looked.
There was no way I'd find anything resembling her brocade underskirt in a small enough scale for my dolls, so I just embroidered a few lines.
The sleeves were where I had to cut on the details, as usual. =(
Slightly ruffled organza ribbon cuffs, embroidered black felt with beads and pearls and rust-colored felt trumpet sleeves over it all.
If you check the portrait, the black/gray brocade alternates with ivory brocade which has jewel buttons on it. I considered it, honest!, but so little of it would even show under the trumpet sleeves... =/
Now I'm morally obligated to make Edward... *sulks*
discontentAug. 24th, 2009
12:54 pm - Off topic
You can read my face like a book. =) It's a known fact.
I'm trying out for a new part-time job (within a 2min walk from my other one and with a free ride there almost everyday =D), but it's such a busy store and there's so much stuff to be taken care of all the time that I don't even know where to look! o_O
My (hopefully) future boss just laughs at my face of sheer terror and tells me I'll get used to it. Hope so...
But a nice thing happened when a former client of mine from my previous job came in, recognized me and mentioned to my (hopefully) future boss what a nice and charming girl I am and that both her daughter and herself thought more shops should have a sales-person like me. =D That went well, I think.
![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/ankhappyg.gif){kind=small}
hopefulAug. 22nd, 2009
08:22 pm - Breakfast at Tiffany's
I wish I could translate Audrey Hepburn's beautiful long neck onto my dolls. Alas, they have no necks. =(
Nevertheless, I did the best I could for Holly Golightly's doll.
Strass beads may be pretty to look at, but the tiara was no fun. =P
This photo is just horrid, but I wanted to show the dress' back.
The movie's has a lot more skin showing, but I was afraid that the felt might become too fragile if I tried to resemble it too much.
Today I have two questions in mind:
What should I do next?
and
Are fried carrots any good? *wonders*
![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/ankitteng.gif){kind=small}
blahAug. 16th, 2009
07:37 pm - Remains of the day
*hums along with the music*
You can guess what doll I made, can't you? =)
I revisited my Death doll for the skeleton. =) (http://deriana.livejournal.com/29625.h
The veil is roughly cut and unsealed organza ribbon.
I'm very displeased with the embroidery on the skirt. =( I guess I needed more space to make it work.
And, if you peek under her skirt, you'll see that her right leg is also "skeletal".
![[mood icon]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/niaha/kitty/ankangryg.gif){kind=small}
bitchyAug. 14th, 2009
03:35 pm - 4th safe crossing of the Atlantic! =D
First, the soundtrack that kept playing in my head while I was making him:
I'm happy to announce that Ziggy Stardust has safely arrived to his new home in the usa! =)
The lovely devissickness commissioned him as a birthday present for a friend and gave me this pic to work from: 
I'm still amazed that I didn't botch everything up with the glitter make-up. =D Trust me: straight lines are an amazing occurrence in my hands. =P
And he didn't go alone! =) With him traveled my beloved Freddie Mercury: http://deriana.livejournal.com/33841.ht
Make me proud, boys! <3
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