Wall Doll Done

Well, here it is, and I think he's done.  I kinda like the little guy, flat up against the wall.  I finished off his knickers with gesso, added a "belly button", affixed driftwood arms and a smooshed beer bottle cap that reads "Rogue."  He's working on that.  This shot shows the tuft of Morgan horse mane that is his topknot.

At the back, I rigged up some iron wire (rebar tie wire, great stuff) to hold his arms and catch his wall nail to hold him up without his having to bend over.  For the belly button, I backed it with a nice old Bakelite button and a bit of crochet, for a nice finish and to keep the button in the front from pulling through.

I think he's rather a "prim" but also hope he reads as a contemporary piece, as well.  And for the Alice fans, he has a bit of the Tweedledee, or is it Tweedledum, look to him.  I always thought those boys were really scary, and this little guy has a bit of the "haint" about him, too.

His cloth foundation began months ago with some coffee-dye experiments.  I found that if you dunk your muslin in coffee and squeeze out the extra liquid, and then bake in a moderate oven, you get those nice stains that look like a long career in an attic somewhere.

                                                              

For the hand-stitched detail, I used good, strong quilting thread in black , which relates nicely to both the wire and the horsehair details.  Later, I will introduce some rust to go with the coffee stains.

I am a big fan of rust, and along with the coffee stain trick and making newer metal components look older, it seems like magic that so many things can be altered to my satisfaction, and that makes me happy.