Tuxedo Mask, Mermaid + Other Cuties

This has been a week of announcements and other fun things.

Firstly, there is this finger puppet tutorial that I created for mypoppet.com.au. If you're a fan of Sailor Moon and making crafty things, then this project is for you.

My Poppet Project

In Handmade magazine, issue 37-3 you will find my Lambie doll design. Lambie is as soft as a pillow, if not, softer. You will want to make this fellow and tote him around for cuddles.

I was commissioned to make "Mirabella", a cloth mermaid doll. She was constructed using a variety of techniques:
- She is machine and hand stitched.
- Her facial and body details have been painted and drawn.
- Her hair is partially needle felted.
- Her body has internal armature.

In other things I have been constructing miniatures. Miniature food...

... and miniature sloths.

A Doll Painting Project

© Melissa Gaggiano

It's not easy being six years old. Just getting started in this world. Learning to understand social cues, school rules, spelling codes, being told how to do art, and... well, sometimes it can be a bit much for anyone. It can get to be a long day when you're six.

Little K had expressed her desire to make a 'daddy doll'. So yesterday, after school I surprised her with a cookie cutter shaped cloth doll for her to  paint. I was invited to join in with the painting, which I did, but only by adding a couple of details. I wanted this to be Little K's thing.

There were no rules to decorating the doll. There was no right or wrong technique. This was about letting one kid do something creative, thoughtful, with no worry about a finishing time. It was great! Watching Little K paint, she was relaxed, and the stress of the day had evaporated.

Mermaid for Mimosa

© Melissa Gaggiano

    This shimmery, shiny, pretty mermaid is ready to swim to her new home. Hooray for dolls finding homes.

Skirts for Cher & Miss Dionne

    The past few weeks have been an off period for me. Three head colds in a row! Not fun, at all. So now I look forward to spring, the mild warm air and gentle cool breezes it provides.

    Yesterday I threw myself back into the Clueless doll making, and produced two skirts for Cher and Miss Dionne.

    I get excited at every step of this doll making process. When I come up with a doll making project I am incredibly enthusiastic. Then, when I get started there is a flicker of doubt how it's going to turn out. The potential for a scrap- doodle disaster of epic sewing proportions is always there when I am constantly evolving my design and sewing techniques. Thankfully though I have learnt to let it go when a pattern piece doesn't work out - toss it, have a sandwich, return and design a new pattern piece. Bit by bit as a piece is added to the doll I see her coming to life.

    Keep on at it!

This Mermaid's New Groove

© Melissa Gaggiano

    This dry, sunny and eventually grey, wet saturday morning I was asked to make one of my mermaid dolls. I hadn't made one of these in a fair while. In fact quite a few new doll designs have come along since I first made the mermaid.

   I made the doll in a record half work day with a couple of tweaks, updating the old design.

© Melissa Gaggiano

Meet Torres and Gillian

    Each doll I have developed has been a continual evolution. I am not one to keep producing the same old design, each doll I make is always going to be unique and an improvement upon the last. I have gone from large floppy, cuddly cloth dolls and over time moved more toward articulated fashion doll concepts. This year I have been playing with armature [that's what makes a doll poseable], and now with no further ado may I present two new poseable fashion dolls, in store now -

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/MelissaGaggiano

{Instagram}

DIY Silly Critters

Silly Critters
© Melissa Gaggiano

    I created a doll that could be made by people who believe they can’t sew. There is no right or wrong way to make a silly critter. In fact the aim is to make each critter as unique as possible. Go ahead and change placement of facial features, cut out strange shapes to make the eyes and ears. Go wild with this one.

Materials
· Scrap fabric
· Scrap felt
· Needle & thread/sewing machine/ or craft glue
· Scissors
· Doll filler

Steps
1. Using scrap fabric, cut out two body pieces*.

2. Using scrap felt, cut out ears*, chest, eyes, pupils, mouth and bottom. Design your own mouth shape and use any eye shape you want.

3. Pin chest piece to lower half of one body piece [this will become front of the doll. Stitch the chest piece to front of body. At this point you can hand sew, use a machine or simply glue it on.

4. Sew on or glue the pupils to the eyes.

5. Consider placement of eyes and mouth to front of doll – go crazy, make it unique. Sew/glue these pieces to front of doll.

6. Now for the ears. Bring the two body pieces together – wrong sides together. Slip the two ears in between the body pieces – you choose the placement and pin into position.

7. Sew/glue along the edges of the doll, but keep the bottom open for filling.

8. Now you can stuff the doll with filling.

9. At this point you have two options. [i] Sew/glue straight along the bottom to close the silly critter. Or [ii] Pin the bottom piece into the remaining opening, lining up the edges and hand sewing the silly critter closed. This bottom that will allow the silly critter to stand upright by itself.

* You have two different body and ear options to choose from.

Small Critters pattern
© Melissa Gaggiano
Print to scale on A4 paper.

Silly Critters

© Melissa Gaggiano
Silly Critters

    This week I have been quietly working away on a new range of sillies. I call them Silly Critters and they are possibly the quirkiest doll designs that I have come up with. Each critter is totally and utterly unique. My aim was that I not duplicate the facial expression of each little critter and that the symmetry of their faces be a little bit off. You wouldn't get that from a toy factory mass production.

© Melissa Gaggiano
Silly Critter

Avril Meet World

© Melissa Gaggiano

    And now I finally get to present to you a new range of dolls. World meet the Avrils. Avrils meet world. I have produced 3 yellow haired beauties and one star doll with two colour hair. You will find these lovingly, handcrafted dolls in my online store.

© Melissa Gaggiano

A Box Troll called Fish

One very happy little kid put in a request for a box troll doll. I couldn't say no to this project, because I love the Box Trolls movie. So I designed and made the doll in just one afternoon. Yeah, I know I'm showing off.

A very naked box troll

A clothed box troll

Yay! It's a Competition

Siréne - mermaid cloth doll

    I can't remember the last time I've hosted a giveaway. Which means it's been waaaaaaaay too long. So the time is ripe for me to share something quite special.

    I have a range of super cute, eye candy mermaid dolls with removable fishtails, available in my online store - click here to view. And I need your help to get the word out there about my mermaid dolls. In return for your help you will go into the draw to win one of two unique cat dolls, designed and sewn by moi.

Cat #1

Cat #2

    To go into the draw, all you need to do is one or all of the following:

1. Share details of this giveaway on Facebook.*
2. Share details of this giveaway on Twitter.*
3. Share details of this giveaway on your blog.*
4. Additionally you can visit my store, inspect the mermaids, come back here, leave a comment telling me which one you thought the prettiest.

* When you have done this leave a comment below with a link to your social media share [so I can see it]. If you share details of this giveaway with all three social media methods, you will go into the draw three times.

Entries for this giveaway close Wednesday 24th September 2014, 5PM.

And why not visit my store, you find something special for a friend or yourself. To visit my Etsy store simply follow this link:

www.etsy.com/shop/MelissaGaggiano

Day 149

Melissa Gaggiano Photography

Pocket Doll

Melissa Gaggiano doll design

    This pocket size doll is something I whipped together on a whim. Initially I wanted to use a printed iron on transfer, but since I was on short supply of materials, I simply traced the lines and went over them with my sewing machine.

    This is a good project for people who want to make a doll but aren't confident sewers.

Materials

• Scrap fabric
• Iron on transfer paper

Steps

1. Print out the reverse illustration onto iron on transfer paper.
2. Set up iron, press paper illustration to fabric applying instructions that come with transfer paper.
3. Cut out front and back fabric pattern pieces along broken line. 
4. Pin the front and back pattern pieces together and sew around outline, with a 5 MM seam allowance. Keep an opening at top of the head.
5. Take your scissors and make little snips around the outer edge [curves and corners]. Careful not to cut the seam lines you have just sewn.
6. Turn the doll inside out [this is why we keep an opening in the head].
7. Stuff the doll with filler [you know the fluffy stuff].
8. Sew the head shut either with sewing machine or by hand.
9. Now play with your doll or put it in your pocket.

Melissa Gaggiano illustration

Melissa Gaggiano illustration
Back pattern piece

Melissa Gaggiano illustration
Front pattern piece
Use this reverse image if you are using a print iron on transfer

Mermaids Abound

    I am proud to announce my new line of mermaid dolls are now available in my Etsy store. Check it out and share the love with friends and family. 

www.etsy.com/au/shop/MelissaGaggiano

Melissa Gaggiano doll design

Melissa Gaggiano doll design

Leggy Lola For Sale

Leggy Lola by Melissa Gaggiano
Buy Leggy Lola

    As promised earlier in the week my latest doll creation is now available in my Etsy store.
    I am rather excited by the design developments of this doll. She has sewn in shoes and extremely long legs, giving her a cartoony look. Leggy Lola is a very sweet candy girl. I hope you like her as much as I do.

Click here to visit Leggy Lola in store.

Lola Complete

Lola doll design by Melissa Gaggiano

    I wasn't expecting that, but I got the Lola doll finished late last night. She'll go up for sale later this week at my Etsy store. Stay tuned...

Monocytes + Mademoiselle Meow

Mademoiselle Meow doll design by Melissa Gaggiano.

    Things around here have been on the careful + slow side. Monocytes are up so I've had to take it easy. No easy feat with two lil girls running around the house and a cat that has a habit of getting stuck between two fence walls. Somehow though I managed to finish making a new plush doll named Mademoiselle Meow. She is now available at my Etsy shop. Check her out... www.etsy.com/listing/174569864/mademoiselle-meow?

My Spanish Heart

    I am so pleased to present the latest doll to my design collection - My Spanish Heart doll. She is inspired by all the beautiful hispanic ladies in the world.

    She is made of broadcloth, sparkly felt and has embroidered facial details. And you can buy her at my Etsy shop -

www.etsy.com/listing/170068801/my-spanish-heart-doll

My Spanish Heart doll by Melissa Gaggiano.

My Spanish Heart doll by Melissa Gaggiano.

My Spanish Heart doll by Melissa Gaggiano.

The Latest Three

    I have been snuffling and shuffling my way through this week. I hate being sick. Thankfully though I appear to be coming clear before the weekend arrives. Who wants to be sick on the weekend, really?
    Anyway, my main project for the week had been to finish making these three Sirene dolls and sure enough I got it done yesterday. Very soon these dolls will be available for sale. So stay tuned for further details.

Sirene dolls by Melissa Gaggiano.

Sirene Three

    Today I completed a near epic sewing project. Making three mermaid dolls for three little girls. I can see my doll designs are coming a long way.

Sirene dolls by Melissa Gaggiano.

Sirene dolls by Melissa Gaggiano.