The witch I made before Doris.

Before I made Doris, I made a much smaller witch. I was playing around with tassels and I wondered if I could make a doll using just a wrapped tassel. This is the doll I made. She was made from a hank of knitting yarn. All her clothes come off. She is able to stand on her own on a flat surface, because she is so small and her legs are so tightly wrapped and she has cardboard soles in her boots. Here she is propped up for her photo-session.



This is how I made her:
Dolls made from wrapped tassels.
Wrapped tassel .
Clothes.
Here's how I made her face.

I drew the outline of the features and then traced it, plus a mirror image, on to calico. I embroidered it in split stitch in crewel wool and added warts and eyebrows.
Then I cut out the two faces with a seam allowance and stitched them together down the front and around the chin, hemmed in the rest of the seam allowance and stitched to the tassell head and added a wool wig.
Here's how I made the clothes.


On the left, scraps of fabric applied to fine black muslin. On the right fabric heavily free machined with additional hand stitching. Burnt in a candle flame. I made two pieces of this fabric. (Sorry for the poor
quality, photo of a scan, but I hope you get the idea).

I used one piece of the fabric to make the vest, adding 'eyes' and a ribbon for lacing. I used the other to decorate the bottom of the velvet skirt.


Here's the witch wearing her chemise and wig.

The wig is just a bundle of fluffy yarn. The chemise is made from black muslin with dyed nylon lace trim, has a gathered skirt and fastens at the back with press studs. The boots are made from stretch velvet and are just a simple darted sock with pointed toes. I put a cardboard insole in each boot and they gather up round the top with a 'lace'.


I made this doll in response to an assignment set by our City & Guilds tutor to design and make an item on the theme of 'Flight'. A witch was one of the 'flying things' I thought of and it was coming up to halloween!

As part of the design work, I made these sketches of repeat patterns using the outline of a cat, the witches most usual familiar.

(Click on photos for bigger image)