Steampunk Babe & A Sleepy Pixie

I had two days vacation left & was determined to spend them finishing up sewing & craft projects. Forget housework! What holiday? Tomorrow's Thanksgiving? Well, I guess the turkey can bake while I sew :) And what have I done? Behold my finished (well, 98%) Steampunk doll from the October workshop with Barbara Schoenoff!

The unfinished 2% is what you're not seeing here....her boots. Having a bit of trouble with that part.

 I just love the steampunk style. Think Jules Vernes movies, or Wild, Wild West. That 1890s, Victorian style mixed with the dawning industrial age.

Steampunk characters carry an array of gears, wheels, metal, any component they might need to quickly invent something to help them in their work or get them out of a jam.

The hair is Tibetan lamb's wool. It's so soft. The white hair makes an interesting contrast with her young face. I really love the "Imagine" token. It's from Tim Holtz' line of industrial embellishments for scrapbooks, cards, etc.

This gal is really packin'. I used some old jewelry, a vest clasp, some tiny bottles & wire and bought the other embellishments at craft stores. The gauntlets are fingers cut from an old leather glove.

Here's one of the fun things of dollmaking. You start out with a plan, but it evolves & goes another direction. For instance, I was going to make the bustle from the pink&black check, like the ruffle on her corset. But it was just too much, especially with the socks. I sure didn't want to give those socks up, but wanting to get this finished, I rummaged thru my stash and found the sheer black piece I was going to use on our Diane Little doll (a previous workshop). When I made that doll, I had the black outfit all envisioned, but it just didn't work on that doll. I ended going with a red velour. Apparently, the black was meant for the Steampunk doll; which tells me the pink/black silk has a future purpose!

This is a "Bloom" pattern, also by Barbara S. It's easy & versatile. I think Barbara was imagining flowers but I went with a winter motif, since, you know, Christmas is next month.

Everything that makes up this doll, I already had. Some fabric scraps, ribbon, trims I picked up at last year's after-Christmas sales. In fact, the silver body fabric is "vintage." It's from a dressy top I made for a special night-out right after my son was born......31 years ago! Haha, I knew I would re-purpose that top some day!!