ANGELIC MAKEOVER

The before angel is below. You can see I've made her halo larger, added a butterfly hair ornament, a magic wand and lots more fibery stuff including tulle and hand dyed scrim.

PROSPERITY DOLL

As previously mentioned, January's project in Chaska Peacock's Creative Sparks group was to create a doll that would represent us and what prosperity meant to us individually. We were to make dolls from a technique Chaska taught us that involved wrapping a wire armature. She gave us two examples of her own, one with her picture for the face and the other with a mirror face. You can see other examples from the class on her website

I initially had major reservations about using my own likeness on this doll. I learned a tragic lesson in being careful what one prays for, and I've avoided petitioning for personal favors ever since. After some deliberation I decided I could make a doll that simply represented prosperity,

good fortune and things people usually wish for. If I clarified in my intent that none of my loved ones would suffer as a consequence of fulfillment, then generalized wishes would be okay. I was going to include names of those with whom I'd most want to share the luck inside a tubular fabric bead I would make. Wouldn't you know the doll exerted its own creative guidance and eliminated the dilemma altogether.

As the doll took shape I noticed masculine characteristics. Not only did my doll choose to be male, he chose to be magical, as in anything-is-possible magic. My doll morphed into a genie!

Unlimited wishes could be mine for the asking. Neverending stash came immediately to mind -- after world peace and abundance for all, of course. I could wish for the moon. Instead I opted for the world on a silver platter (that ought to cover about anything).

Here are the details. I painted my guy red and named him Red Genie. I wrapped his arms with size 8 perle cotton floss. I wanted him dressed in red, but I only had small pieces of silk from my CQ stash, so instead of one robe, he sports separates. The paisley fabric was only long enough to cover from high waist down, so I made a tube and gathered both ends. I deliberately put the seamline down the front and ruched it slightly to give the suggestion of harem pants. I made slippers with curlicue fronts from air dry clay and painted them gold. They just peek out at the bottom and purposely look off-balance because, hey!, he's tripped over Happy Cat, who facing front has his right hand raised to bring personal riches and facing back has left hand up to promote good business and many customers. I don't have a business or clients, just covering the bases. One never knows. An apron of claret hangs from the neck down and is bordered with a piece of woven ribbon that repeats around the neck. A leftover snippet of paisley made a sleeve and draws across the back to blouse over the gathered waistband. Two rectangles of red silk stitched together in the back with gold metallic make a shawl that covers the bare shoulder. The ends cross in front beneath the arms for an added detail. He has some wired beads around the neckline and a handmade Chinese knot with charms hangs as a pendant (found it at a local Chinese restaurant). I used French wired ribbon for a sash and simply twisted the ends at the side to make a fan shape. Red Genie's turban is a swirl of silk chiffon from one of my dye batches. Atop it is a miniature Christmas ornament that is "bejeweled" and shaped like a turban or oriental onion dome. My man's face is glued to a bottle cap glued to a flat filigree medaillon.

He is looking down in shock as his silver tray spills. The tray was cut from the foil vacuum seal from a coffee can; a piece of lace is the doily.

Since my fourth return from CA this past year I've been quietly working on a number of things, some catch-up, some new comittments. Although I haven't posted, I feel comfortable with the degree of accomplishment, even though these may not have been measurable as finished "things". So much of what you will not see is evidenced in the art journals I've kept puruant to the Joggles class I took from Sharon Boggan. My journals have become a playful means of capturing ideas that tend to swirl through my head until overshadowed or forgotten.


I had thought I might ease off my creative involvements in 2009, but as usual, enthusiasm got the upper hand, and I find my studio calendar full. Call me weak. I cannot resist the temptation to learn something new even though my pragmatic self knows there will always be similar opportunities.

So far this month I have continued with Chaska Peacock's Creative Spirit Group. Following the angels class, January's lesson in creating a Prosperity Doll which involves wrapping around a wire armature. Mine is ready to dress and embellish, so you will see a picture soon. I also signed on for Lynda Monk and Carol McFee's course at FiberInform on textural surfaces. I have admired their work for so long, and now I have the opportunity to learn how to use the multi media materials to achieve different effects in texture and color.

I can never resist anything offered by Sharon B. I've started a sampler to go along with her
Stitch Explorations 2009, and I'll be sharing my variations of chicken scratch soon. I purchased Maggie Grey's latest book, Textile Translations: Mixed Media ,which comes with online studies and a Yahoo support group. I've deferred these lessons until I complete the FiberInform course even though I understand the Yahoo group will have disbanded by then.


In February I will stay with Chaska to learn how to make a cigar box altar. I will also be participating in a group book study at Goldilocks and Friends . We will be performing the exercises in Susan Stein's Fabric Art Workshop .