Thistle Maiden
Back View of the Hat on the Thistle Maiden
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Thistle Maiden
Thistle Maiden - This is a standing cloth doll in a black, white, lavender and shades of green with a thistle motif. Cotton fabric body, wool stuffing. Features created with acrylic paint, pigma pen, Prisma color pencils. Lips, eyebrows, lids, flair of nostrils hand stitched with Gutterman’s and Sulky thread. Highlight and shadow create depth. Blouse is made of a black and white grid cotton fabric. Apron front, cutwork and embroidered lavender and purple flowers on a black felt background. Periwinkle shade of tulle is under the skirt. Vintage hanky is wrapped around the waist. Hair is two colors of black and pale gray fine mohair yarn with silver metallic thread highlights sewn into a sculptural styling on the side of her face. Shoes are made with cotton fabric and a lace detail. She holds a wool blended felt black bird in her hand. The felt hat has embroidered purple and lavender flowers with a thistle on top and at the sides of the hat. She holds a small thistle pod and stands on a f...
Raise Your Hopeful Voice
“Raise Your Hopeful Voice By Christine Shively Benjamin Raise Your Hopeful Voice is one of the lines from the song Falling Slowly written by Glen Hansard. The emerald green is a nod to my youngest sister TK (Theresa Kay). Her favorite color is green. I find the chirping of birds to be a sign of hope that transcends language. Living in these uncertain times requires every bit of hope we can muster. The composition of wool blended felt birds gathered together around a tree surround the girl with their hopeful voices....
Your Hair Looks Like A WhooRa's Nest
The Mama WhooRa is looking up at the baby WhooRa's settled into a comfy nest in the hat of the girl. The skirt has a variety of fanciful and colorful little WhooRa's
Your Hair Looks Like A WhooRa's Nest
Your Hair Looks Like A WhooRa’s Nest The phrase “Your Hair Looks Like A WhooRa’s Nest” came to my attention in 2000 from a fellow dollmaker named Annie Moon. She made a doll for me using that phrase and it has been tucked away in the back of my head ever since. What’s a WhooRa? And what does it look like? The expression dates back to the early 19th century in the Appalachian areas of the eastern United States. It surfaced again when two things converged very close together. I was picking apples in my friends orchard the morning before I had an appointment for a haircut. My stylist and I had a laugh when she pointed out to me that I had leaves and twigs in my hair. A couple of days later I was listening to one on my favorite Podcasts A Way With Words, and the expression came up during a discussion with a viewer. And there it was, the beginning of my new piece. The Mama WhooRa is looking up at...
