The faces of Oz

So, I have been deliberating on how to do the faces on Dorothy and her friends, and discovered something that might work! I was reluctant to paint straight on, in case I made a mistake, so glueing on the features would be the easiest way to go. But how???

I found a pic on Google where the eyes were painted on a linen or tight woven fabric, then cut out and attached to the face. I didn't want them to fray, so I tried painting on some heavily pressed vilene, and it worked great!! I drew the design on paper, then copied it onto some vilene, painted it, waited for it to dry, then simply cut it out!! 

The hole on the lip is where I put a pin while testing - probably should have put it closer to the line, but it worked really well, so I will just have to live with it ;)

Tin man also got a heart and an axe....

Scarecrow got a diploma (braaaiiiins... LOL!)

And Cowardly Lion got a bravery medal (that will most likely be replaced, but it's what I had)

I think they turned out pretty good? I will definitely be trying this technique again... In fact, Toto is waiting for his face to be done. I'm not totally happy with it, so will live with it for a while and see how I feel before it's attached permanently....

We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto...

I had to have a go at  makingToto! 

I has a plastic pill bottle that I saved for exactly this purpose. The fur could have been better, so it makes him look a bit scruffy, but he still worked! He still needs a collar and a better haircut....

And here is the whole gang, although still faceless.... Still need to work on that!! :)

Slow progress - too many distractions!

I wrote this post AGES ago, but never posted it! I have not been sewing or crafting for quite a few weeks :( It's my own fault, lack of motivation.... But I'm back in the swing, so saddle up!!

7/3/14

I finished up scarecrows limbs, and I'm quite pleased with the result!

I didn't count on, though, how thick it would become with the vinyl, or the fact the vinyl has a white edge! Major oversight, but fixed with a bit of paint... :)

Just his hat to go... And progress for Lion, too! Managed to find some felt to match, but may have to change the fabric for his head....

14/4/14

Scarecrow now has a hat! Really pleased with it. I put a little piece of elastic inside to "crumple" the crown. Oh, and I snipped around his hood so it's not so smooth...

Plus I put all the pieces for the lion onto the felt base. I wasn't happy with the paint colour, so the felt will have to do. He still needs a tail 'cause I ran out of the felt! Maybe next weekend he will be completed...

If I only had a brain... and some courage...

I have progressed with Scarecrow and Lion, but both need something - Lion needs some felt or a better colour paint for his limbs and Scarecrow needs arms, boots and a hat.

I tried to paint the limbs on Lion, but couldn't mix the right colour :(  I'm gonna try Spotlight tomorrow and see what options I have. I love the fur, though! 

For Scarecrow, I ended up using a fat quarter of brushed cotton on a felt base, gathered slightly at the top and "waist" and felt for his legs. I plan to use some brown vinyl for his boots and gloves, and some ravelled cotton for the straw. Should work (I hope!) just need to dig out the vinyl - I know it's here somewhere.... ;)

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto...

Dorothy us coming along quite well! My favourite part so far are her legs and ruby slippers. 

I painted all her limbs with gesso, then marked out the coloured areas and off I went! Then, with coloured pencils, added some detail to the sleeve, underthings and socks, plus added the same glitter glue from my witch over her red shoes. Too cute! It worked far better than I was expecting! I then gave the whole thing a coat of sealer, which was actually PVA glue ;). After a test run on some scrap, it worked out great. Gave it a glossy finish, and should protect it (for a while, at least..)

I tested her head with the nose the same as the Tin Man, but it just looked wrong, so I took it out. Much better!

On the down side, I did have issues making the dress meet up at the back! Had to "patch" it over with some bias binding, but apart from that, the Cowardly Lion is next on my list!!

Dorothy...

I've hit a wall with Tin Man, so I thought I would move on to Dorothy!

She has a dress, so far....

Fabric stitched onto a felt base. Sounds simple, right? Well, yes and no ;)

Firstly, note to self - make the felt slightly longer than normal, as the stitching tends to shrink the final size by a little bit. Just enough to make it not meet at the back without extreme stretching back into shape. Annoying!!

I plan on simply painting her arms and legs, rather than stick on fabric or felt, since the snowman was a big success. I will make the shape of her puffy sleeves in card and draw on the details. And if it doesn't work, I'll just glue fabric over it :)

She will also have the impression on underthings, with a similar style as the arms, but the plan is to add a little lace. And some ruby slippers, of course!!

If I only had a heart...

Tin Man update :

He now has a collar and buttons. I think I have found the perfect hat, too! Not sure how I'm gonna cover it, yet.... :)

Still mulling over how to do his face.... Some experimenting is required! I also shortened his nose, so it's more of an impression, rather than protruding so much. It's still visible, as you can see...

We're off to see the a Wizard...

I had a brainwave in the night, and have decided to tackle a theme - The Wizard of Oz - and first to be attempted is the Tin Man.

Good 'ol aluminium foil and cardboard....what could possibly go wrong?? :)

Well, firstly, alfoil is REALLY THIN!! Just cutting it is tricky, then you have to glue it without it wrinkling up! Yikes!!

Ok, so I started with the body by trying to stick it straight of - FAIL! So, I stuck a big piece onto some plain paper with spray adhesive, pushed all the wrinkles out with my fingers and waited for it to dry, then cut to fit - SUCCESS!! This may actually work! 

But what about his head? A quick trip to Spotlight, to get some silver Lycra that would do the job. I am also experimenting with a "nose" underneath the head sock. Not sure if I will keep it, but it's there for now. It's just a split pin with some spacers to give it depth... 

And he needs arms and legs! Once I decided on a style, the same issues would still arise - how to glue the foil without it wrinkling? But with the smaller pieces, it was less of a problem, although in hindsight, I would treat the foil with paper.... However, what I ended up with was a compromise. I also needed to differentiate between where legs/arms ended and feet/hands began, so they were done as separate pieces inserted into the two-pieces - like my original Santa....

Anyhow, here he is as of right now : 

He needs some buttons and a face and bits, but a good start.....