Fluffy

Fluffy is a simple bunny who enjoys grooming her whiskers and playing with her doll.

She refuses to visit the dentist, because she's happy with her teeth just the way they are.

I love Fluffy!

One of my favorite details is her name-tag necklace, which is made from a piece of an old damaged quilt.

I used my Craftster user-name initials on the back (LHH stands for Leslieshappyheart).  Note the ironic cute bunny fabric that appears on both her front and back.

I made Fluffy for the Junker Jane Style Doll Swap on Craftster; she now lives with my partner,  WingsOfClay, who is an amazing artist--just look at the doll she made for me:

Our dolls are both similar in size and shape (the body is about 11" tall), but WingsOfClay and I went about constructing them in completely different ways.  She sewed the doll, then painted on all the details, while I used fabric and stitching for the details on mine.

Look at this face!  The eyes are polymer clay, but they look like metal.  This is such an amazing art doll!

If you haven't participated in a craft swap before, this is what you are missing!  I strongly encourage everyone to give it a try!  Craftster is just a click away!

Three Creepies...and a Cutie?

I needed to make a few more Junker Jane-inspired stuffies to really get a feel for her style before the craft swap starts on Craftster.  I noticed that she makes a bunch of ornaments every year about this time, so that's what I decided to try next.

The first three I made have a definite "creepy" feel to them.  Maybe too creepy.  I used bright Christmas fabrics, hoping that would make them look more cheerful...hmmm...

I decided to slightly enlarge one pattern and make one that was cuter--instead of black stitching, I used green, and I eliminated the extra lines on the mouth.  Here's how he came out:

 Yes, he is definitely cuter, but...is he still a bit creepy?  Would he scare a child?  (I don't want to scare children!)

I know that the Junker Jane style isn't for everyone, and for many (like me!) it is an acquired taste.  This experiment has shown me that the details make all the difference in the attitude of the stuffie.  Don't worry, I'll go back to my "regular" style after this!

Who is Junker Jane?

Junker Jane is a cool artist and crafter who makes one-of-a-kind dolls that are always a little more creepy than cute.  The picture below is an example of her work, and you can see more on her blog, Junker Jane.

Her dolls are shabby and stained and patched, but they are overflowing with personality, and they are always unique.

My friend Susan introduced me to Junker Jane's work, and I have grown to appreciate and love her style--so much so that Susan and I will soon be organizing a craft swap of Junker Jane-style dolls on Craftster. To prepare myself for the swap, I thought it might be a good idea to try making something Junker-Jane-style! Here's how I did it.

I started by googling "Junker Jane" and selecting "images".  That gave me about a million different pictures of her work.  I scrolled through them with a paper and pencil nearby, and sketched the details that I wanted to incorporate into my doll.  Then, using a standard 8.5 x 11" sheet of  paper, I drew an outline to use as a template for my doll.

I cut out the paper template and starting looking around my sewing room for fabrics in muted colors, when I noticed the cutter quilt to the side of my work table. Perfect!  The fabrics are already aged, AND  the patchwork section boarders a plain muslin section, which is exactly what I need for the head and body.

Here's the piece that will be the front of the doll:

I chose a few more fabrics to use for the details, and the arms and legs, and laid them out around the quilt section to see it they would work.  They will!

 For the arms and legs, I simply folded the edge of the fabric and sewed a tube with one rounded end.  One of the charming features of Junker Jane dolls is that their arms and legs are all random lengths; usually there are one or two very long limbs, and one or two very short limbs on the same doll.  Keeping that in mind, I just sewed each limb a different length!  Then I turned each tube right-side-out, and pushed a small ball of polyfill into the end.

I hand-sewed the face and body details before sewing the front to the back. The fabric on the left (below) will be the back of the doll.  I sewed front to back with the legs in place, stuffed it, and sewed the arms on by hand.  I added a bit of hair and a bow, and...

 ...Ta-da!!  Isabella is complete!

Here's the back:

I made a tiny friend for her...

...they make a happy pair.

 And I would be happy if you would join us in this craft swap!  Please consider it, if you are a member of Craftster.  If you aren't, sign up today so you will be ready when it's time for Round Two!