New Obsession

    Anyone who knows me, knows that I have the attention span of a two year old.  I don't think it is that I get bored with things, it's just that I have so many things I want to do, I tend to jump around from one to another.

     Last summer I carved over 20 small dolls.  I already have a waiting list for THIS summer, mostly for Hitty dolls.  I will do them, of course--but something that has been on the back burner has come roaring to the front.

    Queen Anne and English wooden dolls!

   Now, I made some of these years back, before my carving/painting skills were very good.  It has always been my intention to go back to making them when I felt my skill was "good enough" to do them justice.  That time has come!  As I get older, I realize there are just not that many years left to do things like this.  I hit 63 this year, and the changes in my body are noticeable.  I have lost a great deal of strength in my arms and hands, and they ache much of the time.  Now, that may be due to my Fibromyalgia, although it hasn't ever stopped me from (mostly) doing what I want to do.  Anyway, I am spending much time and research in preparation for carving these dolls, mostly in small sizes, but I also want to do a few larger ones. 

    Summer is my carving time because I can work out on the deck, and keep most of the mess where it is easy to clean up.  It has been unseasonably cold here in Minnesota, we still have the furnace on and we even had snow a few days ago (killed off the daffodils that had just bloomed :>(    However, I have lots of "prep work" that I can only do on my band saw--cutting out arms and legs.  I also need my drill press to drill holes, and that too is inside.  So I am using these cold days to get everything together for my Queen Anne Summer!

Beginnings--for a small doll, about 6-7 inches tall, and one a bit bigger--maybe 10-13" tall.  I call them my "trial" dolls, since I am not really sure about jointing and eyes and wigs and painting at this point!