Fran's Heirlooms

Bleuette Learns to Sew

franquinn — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:45:08 +0000

Momo’s Birthday Picnic

franquinn — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:18:45 +0000

Bleuette Holiday Part 2

franquinn — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:06:29 +0000

Bleuette Holiday

franquinn — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:58:57 +0000

Bleuette Halloween Party!

franquinn — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:11:54 +0000

Bleuette (and Rosette) Birthday Party

franquinn — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:17:32 +0000

	We get to dress the dolls and set up the birthday party!


	The party was so much fun, everyone got ice cream and cake and they shared opening their gifts and they got new cloths, toys and a Barbie! They played all day long and slept well all night……


	The new girls have arrived.

Bleuette Part 6 – Setting Eyes and Assembly

franquinn — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:03:05 +0000

	We started this week with the heads ready for eye setting, teeth setting and the eyelashes get applied.
	The putty has to dry before you can attach the head to a body. The eyes must be dry before setting the eyelashes.
	Time to assemble the little dolls. Always line the joints with leather or moleskin so the porcelain does not squeak when you move the legs/arms.
	This was the last week of making this batch. The kids are happy to be here and mama is glad to go on vacation!

Bleuette Part 5 – Making a Porcelain Doll

franquinn — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:02:07 +0000

	This week started with High Firing the clay into porcelain. You should always use witness cones to make sure your kiln is firing properly. It will go to some 2800 degrees, and take 12 hours or more to complete. You must wait for the kiln to cool down completely before opening or you will get thermal shock and your pieces will crack up. Make sure your sensing rod is covered with enough high fire wash as to not get your cone stuck in the mechanism. This can lead to a mess, always know how long your kiln takes to fire, just in case you have to shut it off. You can always re fire, but once it is over fired it is ruined, you cannot fix that. Always be home when you do fire.
	Then we sand the porcelain smooth. So your paint glides on.
	China painting is done in steps. It will take a total of 4 or 5 firings to complete the heads. There are several methods to painting, everyone has what works for them.
	I have studied with Jean Nordquist, Kristin (Wheeler)Thor, and Karin Buttigieg to name a few, they each have their own style and technique. Each one has imparted ways of china painting that has helped make me a better painter; along with practice, that is all it takes. Kristin was told by Mildred Seeley to “make them pretty”. Jean Nordquist believes in painting the overall wash last, not first like others teach. This is helpful at times, and Karin taught architecture, structure, and balance. They all taught shading and spacing. How to build color to bring life to the doll. This is what it takes to make a beautiful piece of art, you are not just “painting a doll”.
	After each firing you do another part of the face and pieces you are doing with them, after 4 or 5 firings the pieces will be done and you can now use them, get them assembled, set the eyes, and then dress the dolls.
	Next time I will show the assembly of the little doll, and the teeth and eyes for Rosette will be in and she will have a body and hair. That is the day she will have her birthday, and we will have a party! Until then have a wonderful summer, Fran.

Bleuette Part 4 – Cleaning and Firing Greenware

franquinn — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:19:23 +0000

	Cleaning greenware is a slow and boring process and mistakes happen. Always cut the eye’s first, if the eye cuts are not right it is garbage, period. So take your time do it right. This head is bad there is nothing that can be done, you could try, but by the time you get something the eyes will be huge, too huge, toss it
	…and start over like this.
	These are still in the cleaning process.
	The kiln is being loaded slowly there is still room for some of the ones I am still working on.
	This should be loaded and fired by the end of the week and we can move onto china painting and firing!
	I am looking foreword to being done with cleaning for a while.
	I have been busy sewing, making shoes, between greenware cleaning and yard/house work. Here is my studio.
	Hope you enjoy this week and we will catch up next week. Have a wonderful weekend….

Bleuette Part 3 – Cleaning the Greenware

franquinn — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:27:35 +0000

	This week we start the cleaning process, these are all the pieces I poured and soft fired. One of the main reason to soft fire greenware is that the particles are heavier and will not be as irritating to your lungs. Also when the greenware is not soft fired it is very easily scratched. When it is soft fired it does not scratch as easily.
	Use a mask, this is a clay and the particles will stay in your lungs until you die, so do not breathe in the dust! Do not drink anything the dust gets into. Keep your water in a sealed glass, an adult sippy cup!
	These are the tools to clean up the greenware. Always use a new blade for each piece, your cleaning will be easier on your hands and it will clean up faster with less damage to the piece.
	There are several ways to clean: dry, wet or a combo of both. I do a combo, cutting eyes is great wet, but they cut like butter so if you have a heavy hand your gonna mess it up. Always know your own strength and how hard you really do press down. On the seams wet is good, but if you work up a paste and do not wash it off, you will not know this until it is dry. So always wait until the greenware is dry and reinspect it before high firing.
	You must finish the eye cuts, clean off the seams, open the mouth and fit for teeth. Also clean the teeth to fit the head it is going into. Fire both in the same high fire (but not in the head). Always have the eyes that you are going to use in her, so your eye sockets are cleaned to that pair of eyes, that way they fit when the high fire is completed. The head will shrink about 20% after the high fire and if your eye cuts are off, they will be more off and sometimes nothing can be done and you have to throw it away.
	Always take your time in cleaning. It is a long slow process but very important. If you do not have the eyes cut properly you will struggle to get your lashes on. If your eye is opened too much your eyebrows will be off and not on the brow bone area, or placed just a tad to high and she has that surprised look like she stuck her finger in an electric socket!
	Use a magnifier at all times to make sure you have a clean surface no pin holes or scratches. That is all for this week. So until next week have a great one!