Detailed, illustrated instructions on making dolls, making monsters, bags, and more!

The Art Garfunkel Doll

As requested by Claire, as inspired by the family room shrine recently constructed (with an Art Garfunkel LP cover, votive candles, and some fruits that have since been removed), here it is.  Art Garfunkel The Doll.

I suspect Claire will subject him to voodoo procedures, but I do not endorse those.   He likes to read, I am going to move him from bookshelf to bookshelf and hope that keeps him spry + pleasant

The Sally Wiggin Doll

I know it’s probably (definitely) illegal for me to be using the image of Sally Wiggin for purposes of my own, but she is my favorite newscaster in Pittsburgh.  And this doll is a cartoon version of her, not an actual Sally Wiggin face, so WTAE, don’t sue me.

My Sally Wiggin doll, she’s a Pittsburgh sports fanatic — friends with all the Bobblehead Pirates of years past, and her favorite is Jack Wilson (pronounced, like the PNC Park announcer, as one word, i.e.,” JacKWILson”).  She enjoys the New Yorker, she’s held the Stanley Cup, and she has the nicest legs in the city.

The Masked Avenger Businessman Superhero

He was made in Belfast, a few years ago, but I’ve kept him around until last month — when I put a Masked Avenger superhero cape on him (red and black).  He was snapped up by Carrie at the Union Project sale — goodbye you little Gingham-Collared-Criminal!

Dada Dolls

Alice sent me a link to this new book, just published, on Recycled Art Dolls. Very disturbing and inventive, dolls made out of books, cans, garbage, a block of wood, the list goes on!  Some instructions included, I might have to try to put all kinds of non-fabric materials through my sewing machine.  It needs more challenges, I feel like pushing it to its limits anyways.

Burnt Offerings’ photo stream on Flickr shows a bunch of doll and creature experiments.  Excellent stuff!

Doll Factory: Sally Wiggin, John Waters, Art Garfunkel and Sophie Masloff

A new crop of dolls, this time all based on actual people, they are getting made!  I hope to finish them all today or tomorrow, with some more caffeine just maybe.  I hope they would all go well together in real life, maybe double dating?  John Waters + Sophie Masloff, Art Garfunkel + Sally Wiggin?  Or assemble as you like, I’ve never been a good matchmaker.

Dorkette Doll, Long Legs + Green Hair

One of my first dolls – long legs, a puff of green hair, and a felted pink-orange wool dress(that was my first knit/felted cap) — sold to Jenna, who works at the Union Project.  Here is her picture at the event, there are more photos from the Union Project here!

The Dad Doll

I made him to be a businessman, a golfer, a long legged white collar criminal.  But he was bought a week ago, and the new owners decreed him to be their Dad Doll, owing they said, to his remarkable similarities to their husband/father.  If only I knew such a man, imagine the dancing!

Dolls Take Paper Magazine!

I made a doll for Kim Hastreiter, the editor of the terrific Paper Magazine in New York City, after I listened to this New Yorker podcast about her during the summer.  Now, they featured the doll (full page, baby!) in the current issue of Paper, in the holiday gift guide.  See pages below.  I hope this leads to many bizarre requests, I can only dream of who people nominate for dollhood.  Nick Andopolis anyone?

The Dolls Go to the Union Project!

Yesterday was a great sale, maybe the best ever, at the Union Project in Highland Park, all day in the first snowy day of Pittsburgh this season.   The dolls, monsters, elephants, lp bags,  portrait mirrors, and even a Sarah Palin voodoo doll are released into the wild.  So long!