Niamh, Mediterranean Faery of the Desert
cloth on wire armature, cloth-over-paperclay face
Niamh is a beautiful "Rubinesque" faery who lives somewhere in the forest near the Dead Sea. (oh yes, the Dead Sea is surrounded by green!) She has been sighted in mud baths when nobody is supposedly looking. At night she sleeps lazily among the date palms and lush green oasis of the desert.
The last time I got to go to the Dead Sea, I discovered a pair of wings lying on the salty bank. I brought them home to study them, of course.
The good news is-- Niamh came looking for her wings, and we have become close friends. (She said it has been a bit boring lying around all day in the mud, and she is so beautiful she doesn't really need it anymore...) We've been spending some time together, talking about 'life'-
How to make the wings
These wings are designed in two parts. There is a front set of wings and a back set. The back set is long and thin; the front set is shorter and wider. They are made slightly differently- back wings have fabric and liquid polymer clay, while in front wings, fabric is omitted. The two sets are indeed different from one another, but compliment each other. Various interesting techniques are explored by completing both sets of wings. This lesson is meant to spark your imagination and enchant you to experiment with mixed media in ways that will make your dolls truly stand out. I’ve supplied pattern templates for you to use, but after trying these techniques, you can easily adapt them to suit your own ideas.
GETTING STARTED
1. Draw a template for wings on a piece of paper. Only one wing template is necessary, not a pair of wings.
2. Cut out wing template. Hold it up to the doll and decide if it needs alteration. Be sure the wings will fit nicely on her curvy back.
3. Outline the paper wing with a piece of copper wire. It is almost impossible to make it exactly like the paper template. It will probably be an approximation.
4. Connect the two ends by twisting them together.
5. Using a needle nose wire cutter, smooth out and flatten the ends.
6. Hold the copper wing outline up to the doll and examine the way it looks. Are you satisfied with the shape?
7. When you are satisfied with your wing template, place it on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
This wing kind of reminds me of the State of Florida!
Hint: Place a heavy hard-covered book over the copper wing outline to flatten it out. It will probably take a bit of tweaking to get it to lie flat.
8. Preheat oven to about 280 degrees F (130 degrees C)
TLS (Translucent Liquid Sculpey)
TLS is liquid polymer clay in a squeeze bottle. The bottle reads “Bakable Transfer & Color Medium.” Essentially what that means is that you can transfer printed images (inkjet printers, for example) onto the TLS, and that the TLS is a perfect medium for adding pigments. We will not be transferring images, but we’ll use TLS to make gorgeous delicate faery wings with a touch of pigment. This means that TLS is a terrific medium for pigmenting.
Procedure
1. Carefully squirt the TLS into the copper wing template. Spread the TLS thinly.
IMPORTANT: I made a thick layer in this picture so you can see it better, because it is very difficult to see the white TLS against the white baking parchment. HOWEVER you should make it very thin. It really will bake! When squeezing it out, just make spiraly swirls all around, and then use your finger to spread it smoothly. You’ll see the proper thickness in the following step.
2. After filling in with TLS, remove the copper wire template. TLS looks and feels like glue. It won’t run too much under the copper wire. If it does, not to worry. You can easily trim it off with scissors, or leave it alone for a more interesting look around the edges. Here is a picture of how the wings should look- This time, the proper thickness is shown. The wings are more visible now that the copper wire isn’t there.
3. Dip a soft and clean paintbrush into pearl-Ex pigment powder. Carefully flick the powder from the brush onto the TLS. Do this with a few colors, taking care not to mix the powders together in their separate jars.
4. Use a toothpick to create marble swirls if desired. For my wings, I left the powder alone for a spotted look.
5. Bake wings for about 15 minutes.
6. When wings are done, remove from oven, allow them to cool.
MAKING the BACK of the WINGS
My idea for incorporating fabric into the wings comes from inspiration by some good old fashioned fabric manipulation techniques I learned when I used to quilt. (Doll making was a gradual process for me, but that’s another story!) I chose a technique called shirring. Shirring involves creating rows of gathering on the fabric. When the fabric is gathered in rows, it creates puckered stitch lines that add dimension and interest to the fabric. Shirring can be achieved in patterns of straight lines, wavy lines, or even saw tooth lines. Rows of circles make a very interesting effect, as well. For multi-directional patterns, fabric can be shirred both vertically and horizontally on the fabric. The simplest pattern would be a waffle effect, which consists of straight lines. The result is a substantial new piece of beautifully textured fabric. Shirring shrinks the original fabric and involves work, but the result is definitely worthwhile.
Procedure
1. For each wing, Select a piece of beautiful thin fabric such as organza, approximately 20X11” Plan a repeating pattern of lines or curves. I used straight lines.
2. Attach gathering foot to sewing machine.
3. Set stitch length to 5.5
4. Sew lines approximately 1” apart, on the long edge of the fabric. Hint: If you do not have a gathering foot, basting lines are also fine. Just gather together after sewing, taking care that the ends are secure so threads will not be pulled out accidentally.
Here is a piece of shirred organza
ADDING THE TLS TO THE WING
This is where it gets really fun ... mixed media at its best! combining fabric and liquid polymer clay to create something beautiful and extremely creative!
Procedure
1. If you have a Teflon presser foot, attach it. It’s a white plastic-looking foot used for sewing leather. Since the TLS is leathery, the presser foot can slide over it more easily. Set your machine fabric setting to “leather” if you have that option.
2. Place the TLS wing on the shirred fabric. You can’t pin it on so you will have to be careful.
3. Set stitch to zig zag. Sew around the edge of the wing, leaving an opening at the point of attachment of wing to doll’s back. In the following picture, the TLS wings have been sewn onto the organza. It isn’t possible to see the stitching since the thread is gold and so is the organza.
4. Through the opening, carefully insert beading wire up to the tips of the wings. Use two or three pieces. Allow the ends to protrude from the openings. These will assist in attaching wings to doll.
5. Change the zig zag to a straight stitch. Sew the opening closed, right over the protruding wires.
6. Cut out the wings. Hint : It is not necessary to cut right up to the edge of the stitching. Organza frays and a bit of excess fabric adds interest. Reserve the “scraps” for another project. Don’t throw them away! You can use them in free motion embroidery or as bits of embellishment.
Here are the wings completed thus far- the shirred organza is face-down and shows up very pretty along the edges!
MORE DEMENSION
These wings can be even more beautiful by adding another set, in a different shape. This time I’ll omit the shirred organza. The result will be double-wings, overlapping each other like flower petals. This part of the wing is very beautiful and delicate. If I were creating a delicate faery sculpture, I might choose this method alone and make the wings very small. They are simply breathtaking.
Procedure
1. Get out your ironing board and iron. Heat iron to medium setting.
2. Set a piece of baking parchment on the ironing board. Fold it down the middle.
3. Place your wing on the parchment. Draw a new template that compliments the wing. The one I started with was long and thin. This time I’ll choose a shorter, wider design.
4. Fill in the new template with TLS, as you did before. In this picture you see swirls. I’ll use my finger to spread it out uniformly.
5. Add Pearl Ex as before.
6. Using beading wire, create two loops for “veins” in the wings. The ends should protrude on the side which attaches to the doll’s back.
hand drawnPICTURE
7. Fold the parchment over to cover the wing. Iron it for one minute.
8. Carefully peel it off the paper. If the wire is tearing off, go back and add more TLS to the area that needs repair. Iron a bit more. It won’t burn.
9. Gently peel the wing off the paper.
10. Flip the paper over and create a second wing. It’s important to turn the paper over so the wings will mirror each other. You should be able to see the outline through the paper.
HINT: TLS will pick up the color from the marker when it is heated. That’s why it’s called “transfer medium” … because the ink transfers. Well, most of it. In any case, you will want to trim that away after ironing so you don’t have one wing with marker and one without.
11. When done, put the wings into the oven for a few minutes.
The oven seems to bake them differently than the iron. They should look like the original ones you created with the copper template.
A Note About Ovens: There seems to be a debate about kitchen ovens vs. toaster ovens. In the past, I used a toaster oven which I purchased exclusively for baking polymer clay. I lost several parts of sculptures because they just burned. I found that if I reduced the temperature, it helped but I was never sure exactly what would happen. I think it’s because the heating element is so much closer in a small oven. I began to use my kitchen oven, and have had more consistent results with it. I use it on turbo setting, also, which ensures even heating. I think this is an important feature that toasters can’t provide. I believe it all boils down to the individual oven manufacturers. It’s a good idea to test your oven with a lump of polymer clay or squirt of TLS until you are familiar with the behaviour of your oven.
HINT: If the wings are allowed to over bake, they will begin to turn brown. This can be to our advantage, as the result will be exquisite. The TLS will also begin to shrink slightly, causing lacy-like holes and an irregular border around the edges. If you are ready to try it, be very careful and follow these basic guidelines:
1. The area that will burn is the part that is touching the parchment. Carefully bend the wires so that only part of the wings is touching, and the rest is elevated. This will ensure that the burning will be controlled. A very beautiful effect!
2. Removing over baked wings from the parchment is challenging. Go very slowly and patiently, and use an Exacto knife if desired.
3. You can give the back of the wing a wash of paint mixed with some Pearl Ex if the parchment seems a bit more visible than you want. However, small bits of parchment are not noticeable and should not interfere with the beauty of the finished wings.
This picture hardly does any justice!
Finishing the Wings
All that needs to be done now at this point is to attach the front and back wings together. Then, Attach them to the doll using thread to match the point of attachment (skin, garment, etc)
Procedure
1. Finalize each wing by sewing the TLS-only and TLS-shirred fabric wings together, RSU. TLS-only should be on top. Wires should be protruding from the inner side.
2. Twist the wires together and arrange them properly so they are not seen.
3. Thread up a basting needle with thread matching the color on your doll’s back (skin color, the color of her garment, etc). Sew the wings in place.
Finishing Touches
Try adding some more embellishments to the back wings. What you choose is totally subjective and depends on the character of your doll. Here are some ideas:
- beads
- feathers
- baubles
- sequins
- beading wire in spiral shapes
- dabs of paint
- angelina fiber
- scraps of fabric from the doll's garments ... add tiny pieces, right onto the organza using needle and thread or fabric glue
The list goes on, and the possibilities are endless!
Food for Thought
If your doll is make from polymer clay, you may want to use only the front wings and leave off the fabric part altogether. Polymer fairies are very delicate-looking, and these wings are just right! If your doll is made from cloth, then the extra set of wings adds a nice touch to "pull it together." The added organza, though delicate, strikes that necessary "mixed media balance."
Now your doll is winged and ready for flight. By now I’m sure anyone will agree … faeries most certainly do exist! I hope you will take these tips and ideas to new heights, and let your imagination fly away!