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Mary's website is full of information for doll makers ... you can find her at www.uncommonfolk.org
6 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I love the dolls Mary T. designs, and I bought SIX patterns. Her directions, though, are VERY confusing, especially for a beginner. And my biggest headache has been that the necks need to be elongated PLUS the head-making directions are VERY strange. Also, I love the way the busts look, but they are difficult to do, and I think that's due to INSTRUCTIONS, not the actual patterns. I WANT to do these 6 dolls, but until I can figure her method, I'm fresh out of luck. Incidentally, a number of people said, "Well, you just need to take an in-person CLASS with her, then you'll get it. HUH? Not everyone HAS that option. Again, I love her work - but her patterns aren't always great for everyone who doesn't have either the experience or confidence to just do it their OWN way.
I love Mary's patterns. Great body shape and illusion of movement. And they stand alone! The first doll I made was from a pattern by Mary. And personally I didn't find the instructions confusing at all. If you've got any questions you can always ask Mary or join her Yahoo-group, the cloth doll classroom. She and all the other members are very helpfull. I would rate most of her patterns as intermediate and I highly recommend them. Best of all are the new PDF patterns, (almost) instant gratification!
I understand what the poster meant about Mary's instructions. Although her bodies are one of the nicest shaped female body patterns out there, they're definitely complex. I figured them out by finally just not looking at the instructions, but I'm an advanced dollmaker. My only other complaint about these patterns is that the heads are just too small. On the designer's dolls, this works, but almost every doll I've seen made up from one of her patterns looks "off" because the heads are not proportional, unless the dollmaker has enlarged it. Even if technically the heads are in scale with what a human head would be, when working small sometimes you have to exaggerate certain aspects in order for the doll to read as realistic.
That said, these patterns are gorgeous and if you aren't a beginner, they are well worth it. I own many of them and wouldn't give 'em up!!!!
I love Mary T's doll patterns. If I want to make a quick doll I can whip up one of Mary's. I always enlarge the head because I like to accent the face. I find them one of the easiest patterns to make. I have taken her classes as well and had the best time. She plays music and tells little stories throughout the class.
I have to disagree about the complaints as to both complexity and scale. I have only been making dolls since April 2007 and I have already made 7 dolls from 3 of Mary T's patterns; Dragon Dancer, Plus Sized, and Real Women Have Bellies. I found her patterns and directions very easy to follow and easy to alter for additional positions. I think her scale for the head is perfect (but hard to sculpt, I'll admit). I had no trouble with the length of the neck.
I suppose it might be that I had little pre-conceived notion of what a doll pattern "should" be that I found these easy. I am having a hard time using other patterns after the thoroughness of Mary's!
Mary has a vision she shares with all in her dolls...they are the people we see in life but some how don't see them they just blend into the scenery...she brings brings them to our attention..the waitress..the naughty girls...plus size women. I belong to her yahoo group and she very generously gives us free patterns from time to time. My "Suzy" is an example of her fantastic patterns. The only trouble I had was not her fault..I substituted an item for something she listed and it didn't work out. This "doll artist" learned a lesson...listen to Mary she knows what she's talking about!
6 comments:
I love the dolls Mary T. designs, and I bought SIX patterns. Her directions, though, are VERY confusing, especially for a beginner. And my biggest headache has been that the necks need to be elongated PLUS the head-making directions are VERY strange. Also, I love the way the busts look, but they are difficult to do, and I think that's due to INSTRUCTIONS, not the actual patterns. I WANT to do these 6 dolls, but until I can figure her method, I'm fresh out of luck. Incidentally, a number of people said, "Well, you just need to take an in-person CLASS with her, then you'll get it. HUH? Not everyone HAS that option. Again, I love her work - but her patterns aren't always great for everyone who doesn't have either the experience or confidence to just do it their OWN way.
I love Mary's patterns. Great body shape and illusion of movement.
And they stand alone! The first doll I made was from a pattern by Mary.
And personally I didn't find the instructions confusing at all.
If you've got any questions you can always ask Mary or join her Yahoo-group, the cloth doll classroom. She and all the other members are very helpfull.
I would rate most of her patterns as intermediate and I highly recommend them.
Best of all are the new PDF patterns, (almost) instant gratification!
I understand what the poster meant about Mary's instructions. Although her bodies are one of the nicest shaped female body patterns out there, they're definitely complex. I figured them out by finally just not looking at the instructions, but I'm an advanced dollmaker. My only other complaint about these patterns is that the heads are just too small. On the designer's dolls, this works, but almost every doll I've seen made up from one of her patterns looks "off" because the heads are not proportional, unless the dollmaker has enlarged it. Even if technically the heads are in scale with what a human head would be, when working small sometimes you have to exaggerate certain aspects in order for the doll to read as realistic.
That said, these patterns are gorgeous and if you aren't a beginner, they are well worth it. I own many of them and wouldn't give 'em up!!!!
I love Mary T's doll patterns. If I want to make a quick doll I can whip up one of Mary's. I always enlarge the head because I like to accent the face. I find them one of the easiest patterns to make.
I have taken her classes as well and had the best time. She plays music and tells little stories throughout the class.
I have to disagree about the complaints as to both complexity and scale. I have only been making dolls since April 2007 and I have already made 7 dolls from 3 of Mary T's patterns; Dragon Dancer, Plus Sized, and Real Women Have Bellies. I found her patterns and directions very easy to follow and easy to alter for additional positions. I think her scale for the head is perfect (but hard to sculpt, I'll admit). I had no trouble with the length of the neck.
I suppose it might be that I had little pre-conceived notion of what a doll pattern "should" be that I found these easy. I am having a hard time using other patterns after the thoroughness of Mary's!
Mary has a vision she shares with all in her dolls...they are the people we see in life but some how don't see them they just blend into the scenery...she brings brings them to our attention..the waitress..the naughty girls...plus size women. I belong to her yahoo group and she very generously gives us free patterns from time to time. My "Suzy" is an example of her fantastic patterns. The only trouble I had was not her fault..I substituted an item for something she listed and it didn't work out. This "doll artist" learned a lesson...listen to Mary she knows what she's talking about!
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