NOTEworthy

This is my latest muse: a silk medley of stamping, beading, and a dash of meaning.

Her name is NOTEworthy.  NOTEworthy is the result of a need for an original gift for a musician who also loves the icon of the sun. I haphazardly cut out a pattern and sewed it up- and let the doll take its own form. 

To make the doll, I covered a fabric button with silk stamped with the image of the sun.  That button is the doll’s face.  Behind it are scraps that are scrunched up neatly to mimic rays.  I beaded around the button and around the entire doll, and added a small dangling charm to the bottom.

I brought the doll to the rubber stamp shop when I was done- I figured I should show off a little! They let me know that they were not aware that you could stamp on fabric.  I did notice that most fabric I tried tended to bleed, so I guess I should tell my secret- I used Tsukineko’s VersaColor ink on very fine silk. The silk was pre-dyed with Dynaflow by Jacquard. This silk seems to take the ink very well. After I stamped, I sprayed it with Krylon sealer.

NOTEworthy has a musical symbol over her heart. That was done with the rubber stamp. Lift the music and this is what is underneath: The heart was made from silk that was ironed onto inkjet printer fabric sheets.  After printing the words “You are my sunshine,” I lifted the silk and made a little applique with quilter’s batting between the layers.  I beaded around it and sewed it onto the doll.

I made the hands with polymer clay, and just made a hole in the middle so they are little “charms.” I rubbed it with pearl ex pigment powder for a bit of sparkle and attached them with a small bead.

NOTEworthy is a free spirit. She sings and radiates her love, like beautiful music and a sunny day after a long, cold winter. This was my NOTEworthy attempt at telling someone that I love and appreciate her.

Next time you feel the glorious symphony of the springtime sun- think of someone special. Look in the trees- is it a bird? Or is it your inner creativity beckoning you?

I hope you will give these techniques a try.  It was fun making this little doll.   It was relaxing and completely freestyle.  Random projects like this sometimes come out the best of all, because I don’t think too much, I don’t plan, and I allow my creativity to wander.  When that happens, I am sometimes amazed at what evolves.

Thanks for reading, and have a dollightful day!