Showing posts with label Primitive Folk Art Whimsy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Primitive Folk Art Whimsy. Show all posts

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Presbyterian Dolls

Presbyterian Rag Doll with Painted Face
This charming little rag doll with oil painted face dates from the 1930s-early 1940s. She is a one of a kind handmade rag doll who was originally created to raise money for the church in a bazaar or fund raising activity. This charming doll has an oilpainted face with lovely handpainted facial features. There is some wear to the pain finish on her head and a small area above one eyebrow. Oil painted hands, original cloth body in lovely condition. There is even a note hand written on her bottom which read Ranae from Grandma Lynn 1959, perhaps a gift to her granddaughter, from the original owner... Doll is dressed in her original clothes, underclothing and bonnet. She measures 16" tall and is a delight! Perfect for early American decor, she is an enchanting part of the nation's history.
I am creating two Presbyterian Dolls one is 12 inches ,The second is 17 inches.
for the
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VintageClothdollmakingg Challenge.

The challenge is about recreating a historic Presbyterian cloth doll using a pattern created by Lucinda Durbin. (Lucinda used her original Presbyterian cloth doll in creating the pattern!!)

I love learning about all the historical info that comes from searching the internet and very importantly.. in doll books.
If you want to learn and grow in doll making , it is important to have historical info- books..I highly suggest Amazon.com and I
99% of the time buy used books,which are like brand new.
I am a doll maker / doll artist, As I continue to make my dolls , I feel I'm beginning to under stand a bit more of the Why's.. How Comes,.They way yesteryear doll makers did things!
Several doll makers influence my work and online groups ,Doll Books
http://hardincountykeepsakes.blogspot.com//http://clothnclay.blogspot.com/
online group called Vintage ClothDoll Makers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VintageClothdollmaking/
Helen Pringle
http://www.heirlooms4tomorrow.com//Techniques written by: Linda Johnsonhttp://ddd-favoritter.blogspot.com/2009/01/presbyterian-doll.html
http://plain-n-simpleblog.blogspot.com/
http://atticbabys.blogspot.com/
http://edythoneill.blogspot.com/
http://maijaandme.blogspot.com/
http://theblackberrybriarwares.blogspot.com/
http://northdixiedesigns.blogspot.com/
http://www.picturetrail.com/clciampa
http://anniebeezfolkart.blogspot.com/
http://ladysrepositorymuseum.blogspot.com/
I'm so excited and and so thrilled to see a change in my doll making..I mean I can see it with my own eyes finally I will always created Prim , Folk Art , Whimsy..But I am walking into a new wonderland of "reminiscent dolls of Antiques/YesterYear Doll" How EXCITING is this!!."

Year: 1875 - 1900
Auction Note: The dolls in lots 329 to 337 were
individually crafted during the late 19th century, and
they share a folky charm with flat hand-painted faces,
homemade cloth bodies and period clothing. They
resemble the "Presbyterian" dolls made

Oil-painted cloth doll with painted head and chest has soft brown hair and eyes, gusseted one-piece head and torso and attached limbs. Wearing a tucked bodice black wool dress, a bonnet and painted boots. Cloth; Presbyterian-Type, Lady, Gusseted 1-Piece Head, Oil Painted Features & Hair, 31 inch., dolls, cloth
An oil-painted, Presbyterian-type cloth doll with painted head and chest, having soft brown hair and eyes, gusseted one-piece head and torso, and attached limbs.;
http://www.prices4antiques.com/dolls/cloth/Cloth-Presbyterian-Type-Lady-Gusseted-1-Piece-Head-Oil-Painted-Features-Hair-31-inch-D9821554.htm

According to Linda Edward, on page 28 of her book Cloth Dolls From ancient to Modern - "The First Presbyterian Church of Bucyrus, Ohio, started making rag dolls in 1885 as a fund raiser. These dolls measure about 17 inches (43 cm) and have hand painted faces. Their bodies are made of unbleached muslin which is stuffed with cotton and they are jointed at the hips and shoulders. The mitten shaped hands have fingers indicated by stitching. Their feet are stub shaped. The dolls and their original
clothing, consisting of an ankle length dress and prairie bonnet, are all hand sewn.

In 1956 the church again made these dolls using the original patterns, however, the differences in the finishing and fabrics make them readily discernible from the older version. The hands of these latter dolls do not have the fingers stitched and the oil paint
used for the face and hands is very heavily applied. The fabric used for the clothing is also easily identified as being from the 1950's."




The above picture is a rare doll called "Presbyterian Dolls"
According to Linda Edward:
(Cloth Dolls From Ancient to Modern A Collectors by Linda Edward)
According to Linda Edward: Description:
The First Presbyterian Church of Bucyrus, Ohio, started making rag dolls in 1885 as a fund raiser. These Dolls measure about 17 inches and have hand painted faces. Their bodies are made of unbleched muslin which is stuffed with cotton and they are jointed at the hips and shoulders. The mitten shaped hands have fingers indicated by stitching. Their feet are stub shaped. The dolsl and their original clothing, consisting of an ankle length dress and prarie bonnet, are all hand sewn
HOW THESE BEAUTIFUL RAG DOLLS JOURNEY
By: Sherrie Nordgren
The Bucyrus, Ohio, Presbyterian Church needed funds for a back in the 1880s - or maybe earlier, I can't be positive about the date, - Every one decided to make rag dolls for sale.

These church dolls are very similar to the Moravian dolls in
structure and technique,They came to be know as "Presbyterian Dolls," oh they have such sweet faces, and clothing!They were very popular, and the
Ladies Church Society of the First Presbyterian Church of Bucyrus, Ohio sold a lot of them.
But the church stopped making them for a very long time. But then, in the 1960's, the church needed funds again and they decided to bring back this wonderful rag doll, Today it is highly sought after by collectors, These dolls are part of the church's history. to
read even more indepth about them go to
http://www.firstpresbucyrus.org/history/dolls.html
Year: 1875 - 1900http://www.prices4antiques.com/dolls/cloth/Cloth-Presbyterian-Type-Boy-Gusseted-Head-Oil-Painted-Features-Hair-30-inch-D9821524.htm
Auction Note: The dolls in lots 329 to 337 were
individually crafted during the late 19th century, and
they share a folky charm with flat hand-painted faces,
homemade cloth bodies and period clothing. They
resemble the "Presbyterian" dolls made
Oil painted cloth boy doll. Nicely detailed face with ears peeking through his parted hair. One-piece cotton-stuffed gusseted head and torso. Neck supported by wooden rod. Antique black jacket and short pants cut down to fit. Painted feet.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Make a 19th-Century-Inspired Ornament

OoOo just in time for our Christmas holidays..I felling in love with the vintage look of these ornaments!! I found them at
http://www.bhg.com/holidays/christmas/ornaments/make-a-19th-century-inspired-ornament/
What You Need
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Celluclay instant papier-mache
White glue
3-inch-diameter green plastic-foam ball (body)
Resealable plastic bag
Thin palette knife
Thin wire
Acrylic paints: antique white, brown, black, pink, and silver
Brush-on water-base clear finish
Mica flakes
Crafts glue
Silver glass glitter
Pink tinsel garland

How to Make It
Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mix a few handfuls of instant papier-mache with warm water, following the manufacturer's
instructions. It's best to mix small batches of dry papier-mache and keep the mixture in a resealable plastic bag while you work. Knead the mixture with your hands until it's a smooth, workable consistency. Keep a small bowl of water handy to dip your fingers in as you form the snowman on the cookie sheet.

Apply a thin coat of white glue around the foam ball before coating it with the wet mixture. Note: The mixture adheres better if you use the glue.

Apply a generous layer of the mixture over the entire ball for the body, smoothing out bumps and ridges with your hands. The finished ball should be about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.

Place the wet ball on the parchment-lined cookie sheet. Gently press down on the body, creating a flat bottom so the snowman will sit upright.

Complete the paper-mache sculpting as follows: Roll a 1-3/4-inch ball of mixture for the head. Set the ball on the top of the body, gently smoothing the ball into the body at the neck area. Insert a toothpick through the center of the head to secure it to the body.

Roll tiny balls of the mixture for the nose and cheeks. Press the balls onto the face. Use a palette knife to smooth the features and a toothpick to shape the eyebrows, eyes, and mouth.

Shape a small column of the mixture for the hat and attach it to the top of the head. Smooth the edges into the ball. Cut a 3-inch length of wire and fold it in half to create a loop. Twist the ends together. Insert the twisted end into the top of the hat. Smooth the mixture around the base of the loop.

Place the cookie sheet with the snowman bauble in an oven set at a low temperature and bake for at least 2 hours or until hardened. Remove the snowman from the oven and let sit on the sheet until cool. Lightly sand the figure until the surface is smooth.

Paint the head antique white. Paint the cheeks and nose pink. Use antique white and pink to paint stripes around the body and to add words, dotted borders, and stars. Paint the hat and wire loop silver. Use black for the eyebrows, eyes, and mouth. When the paint is dry, create an aged patina by mixing a small amount of brown paint with water; apply this mixture to the figure.

When the paint is completely dry, brush clear finish on the areas that you want to sparkle. Immediately sprinkle mica flakes over the wet finish. Allow to dry and then brush off the excess mica flakes. Apply bands of glue around the snowman's body; immediately sprinkle glass glitter over the glue. Add glass glitter to the hat in the same way. Apply a band of glue around the neck and press a length of tinsel garland into the glue.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Ponderings from Prim and Proper Folks Give Away!

Ponderings from Prim and Proper Folks is having a Holiday Give Away...Look what Susan is giving away! Isn't he just the cutest! In her own words"This handsome fella is one of my early cloth and clay creations...He was featured in Create and Decorate Magazine and has such a sweet endearing face and message. He reminds us all to take time to chase the flakes".
Just stop by Susan Walker's wonderful blog and leave a comment!


Thursday, October 09, 2008

Yep I've been working!

I really got me rear in gear! I made templates for NINE different dolls, AND have ALL their bodys sewn and ready to stuff!!First one: is a pattern from Threadbare Primitives Lil Prim Folk Pumpkin Doll 11" Tall
This my interpretation of Lil Prim Folk Pumpkin Doll , She needs a bit of hair and she is all finished tada! She is a whopping 11 inches ,
I hand painted her face , Her eyes are a beautiful green, Couldn't get the camera to cooperate !! and I hand striped her legs..I really like how she turned out..

This is a new technique for me, I have been wanting to REALLY learn how to shadow a dolls face...This is in a beginning stage...lots more to be done to her,.. but I wanted to place her on my blog soI could get a third person view as I go along, I'm NOT liking what I''m seeing so far though...I'm using artist pencils and acrylics ..The pattern I'm using is by Designer: RK Creations, Karen Nieforth, It is called Emily




I LOVE FALL..Not just Halloween but FALL!
That makes Thanksgiving priority on my list

I have been wanting a pilgrim woman and man doll for a couple years..I adore Peddler Hill Primitives pattern,Their like taking a doll class.VERY detailed and their just wonderful. I copied the description and place her deatils and link below..
Prudence is approx 25" tall. The pumpkin and corn pattern are included. However, the corn is made from indian corn material that I purchased in Walmart. It is not painted or drawn. I have also included, in this pattern, vintage images that you can make Thanksgiving tags with. As always my patterns come with detailed instructions (including step by step written and photo instructions to aid in drawing the dolls face), some photo "how to's", basic doll making information and where some supplies can be obtained. http://www.patternmart.com/pattern/1798/Prudence+Merriweather+__num__11+PMT



Right after I finish my apron for my partner for the Hot Drinks for Hot Mamas Apron SwapI will start my Pilgrim Woman! Okay Now what have you been doing!