Meet My Hittys: Hitty Lowla

Lowla is a bit shy about being photographed, since she says she knows she's not a pretty Hitty. She was at a disadvantage compared to my earlier dolls for two reasons: my carving mentor, Bonnie, had to take a leave of absence, and this was an experiment using paulownia wood.

Paulownia wood, if you don't know anything about it, is a step above balsa. It is very light and easy to carve, though it is denser and can bear more weight than balsa. The ease of carving is both good and bad. I think Lowla's body and limbs are the best I've done. I am very pleased with how her arms and hands look. But when it came to carving the face -- yikes!

For one thing, I didn't like her neck, but I went too far and it is now both thin and long. That's why I try to put her in dresses with trim around the neck, or I tie a piece of ribbon around her neck like a scarf.

At the angle this photo was taken, she was tipped back on her heels, so you get a very unflattering look at the roughness of her chin and the grain on her face. Her makeup (paint job) looks cakey, too, and I don't know if I will ever get the hang of painting eyes properly.

I contemplated (gasp!) beheading her and using the body for a shoulderhead, but I guess I'm like the Japanese. I found this on a blog about Japan: "Dolls after all, are no mere things in Japan, but members of the family, adopted to offer their human-like forms as hosts for the spirits and sins of their owners." I don't know about sins, but once I see a doll come to life, I can't take it away from them.

So, I may attempt to recarve her a bit and fix her paint, but Lowla will always be a loved and cherished member of the Garden Spot.

(PS: About her outfit -- the basic dress was made by Fung Hicks and was part of a round robin where it was embellished and accessories like the apron were added. It was neat to see how creative members of the Yahoo! Hittygirls group are.)

Meet My Hittys: Bitty Hitty Vada

Bitty Hitty Vada is the second doll I carved. She is about 4.5 inches tall and made of mahogany. It was an easy wood to carve, though this particular piece was old and kind of dry. I found that misting it with a 50/50 mix of rubbing alcohol and water helped reduce splintering pretty well. (That was tip from Bonnie, my carving mentor.) I liked the wood grain, so I kept her mostly unpainted.

Vada was one of two dolls that I entered in woodworking contests at the Dixie Classic Fair. There weren't many entries, but I was still surprised when Vada won a blue ribbon. The second doll, Dixie (who you'll meet next), won 2nd place in another category.

The dress Vada is wearing is made from Susie Graber's free muu-muu pattern, sized down to fit. I sew all of my Hitty clothes by hand. Her patterns can be found at http://home.earthlink.net/~dollhausart

I think I began to get a better idea of how to carve working on Vada, though I still have a long way to go!

Meet My Hittys: Bitty Hitty Polly

I've decided to use this blog to introduce everyone to my collection, and I decided to start with the Hittys I have made for myself.

So, please meet Bitty Hitty Polly, the very first doll I carved. She was begun in 2007 during the Hitty gathering in Guthrie, Okla. She is named for the Pollard Inn, a historic bank building turned hotel, in downtown Guthrie that was our HQ during the event.

She was carved from a blank of pear wood given to me by Sara Cole. I finished her the following year when I decided I really needed to have some guidance. So I signed up for a personal enrichment woodcarving class through the local community college and taught by Bonnie Quate. Thanks to Bonnie, she turned out pretty well for a first doll.

About the carving class: I was the only one attempting to carve dolls. Most of the others worked on various animals and birds or on walking sticks. It was a new thing for them, and I even tempted several into making their own Hittys. (They turned out much better than mine.) It has been fun sharing the experience with them. They must think so, too, because after the college dropped the class in 2009, we decided to continue meeting as a club. If there is a club or a class in your area, I highly recommend taking it. You'll learn a lot, and possibly make some new friends!

Back to Polly, I should mention the dress she is wearing came from a colonial-style cloth doll that I got in Williamsburg, Va., during the Friends of Hitty 10th Reunion in 2004. It fits her to a "T" and seems to suit her.

What I like about all the dolls I've carved, rudimentary though they are, is that they all have a personality -- maybe not the one I was striving for, but, hey, little surprises are fun!

Next time, you'll meet Hitty #2, another Bitty named Vada.