Judi's "Art Dolls - A Journey In Fiber" Blog

If you are a reader of my I Love Crafts and Craft Blog or my Linda's Blog then you know that I LOVE dolls. Make that I LOVE any and every kind of doll. You also may have noticed that I also LOVE artists and crafters and any and everything they make.

So, I have to admit I'm a little biased when it comes to doll makers, artists, and crafters. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen anything that someone made that I really didn't like. I especially love things that are created from extremely gifted and imaginative artists.

Judi Wellnitz is just such an artist and Art Dolls: A Journey in Fiber by Judi Wellnitz - Tips and Tricks for Dollmakers is her blog.

According to Judi her Art Dolls: A Journey in Fiber by Judi Wellnitz offers "Tips and techniques for making art dolls and all sorts of altered art. I do a little bit of everything and share how I do it all."

If ever there was an understatement of the year it would be that. You see, Judi's blog is more than just a little bit of everything - it's filled to the brim with extraordinary projects, creative ideas for altered art, the unbelievable dolls she has made, and her always present sense of humor.

She has a million posts and includes 14 wonderful tutorials on her Art Dolls: A Journey in Fiber by Judi Wellnitz blog, which are as follows:

Wigged Out
Fabric ATC Tutorial
Finger Turning Tips
Crackle Head
Make Your Own Finger Turning Kit
Refrigerator Art and Fabric Beads
Fire On The Mountain
How To Make A Fabric Leaf
Fancy Background Tutorial - Paper Art
Altered Magnet Tutorial - UTEE
Memory Coasters Tutorial
Miniature Clutch Purse
Pattern making: How to make illustrations when you can't draw
Super simple frame
Judi is a phenomenal altered art artist and innovative & creative doll maker. I hope you will agree as you look at some of the pictures of her creations that I've scattered throughout my post.

She also has a thing for doll heads and headless bodies. I did mention that she has a terrific sense of humor, didn't I?

If you read through Judi's Art Dolls: A Journey in Fiber by Judi Wellnitz blog you'll notice that if she doesn't like a particular doll's head with a particular doll's body then off comes the head. Sometimes she just creates the head and waits for the inspiration for the body (or vice versa). I probably shouldn't tell her that if I make a doll and don't like the head or the body I throw the doll away. YIKES! She may chop my head off for that!

Judi is also a teacher and a member of DollStreetDreamers.com where she teaches a class entitled "Headresses 101" and also writes for their E-Zine.

Here's the synopsis for her class - "Hate hair? I do! I’ve worked out quite a few ways to finish a doll without having to do a complete hair style. Join me as we learn half a dozen ways to avoid beauty school! We’ll start with a stunning turban and then get crazy and creative from there. There’s no telling what we’ll end up putting on a doll’s head!! You’re bound to be inspired!"

That is definitely a class I'm going to take although I have to admit I like doing hair.

Judi has been blogging since November 2004 and her blog is filled with hundreds and hundreds of posts.

So, what does a phenomenal altered artist and doll maker blog about?

Well, she blogs about her Dragon Ladies sewing group, her doll challenges, round robins, and swap projects. And, believe it or not but she even blogs the about online classes she's taking like her art class, her Sherry Goshon class, her Barbara Willis class, watercolor painting class, and her drawing class. Hard to imagine that a phenomenal artists needs to take classes, but I suspect Judi just loves to learn something new. And, when she does she quickly becomes a master at it.

So, what else does her blog contain? Well, it contains a ton of doll making tips and tricks, all 14 of her tutorials, books she likes, her UFO's, tips for painting on fabric and dyeing fabric, painting and pastels, and tips for photographing dolls and her light tent.

Plus, there are all the wonderful posts on the various dolls she's made, including the following: the extra doll heads, troll dolls, crackle heads, paper dolls, cherry pitter doll she made, primitive raggedies, her first doll, crash test dummy doll she made for her daughter, and candlestick doll.

Not to mention, there's all those posts about the various pin dolls, such as: angel pin, wire pin dolls, object pin dolls, heart pins, various pin dolls.

If you think that's a lot, she has a ton more. There are all her posts on the ATC's otherwise know as Altered Trading Cards and they are simply amazing to see. Then there's her fabric journal, domino magnets, refrigerator art, altered Cd's, treasure box, altered art domino's, hand carved stamps, paper art, accordion book for daughter, fabric postcards, altered business card magnets, mermaid business card holder, mail art, spoon art, art magnets, and refrigerator art.

She also loves to make collage art including: canvas collage, cigar box collage, accordion box collage, and wax collage.

Plus, there's her posts on the doll patterns she's designing, poorly written doll patterns, her new sewing machine, quilting and her quilt projects, puckering fabric experiment, knitting, sewing, making doll stands, fabric leaves, ribbon flowers, making pillows, corset wall hangings (which I LOVE), teapot hats, little dress forms, and Christmas ornaments.

Plus, there's her quilt shop party, gel and pigma pens, wool felting, scissors fobs she makes and designs, paper and fabric projects, her family, trips she's taken, Doll Street Dreamer Happenings, doll classes she teaches, her students projects, gifts and presents, trying needle punch, the holidays, shopping, her bazaar, art festival's she's in, her free pattern, melting felt, her workspace, artist's bio's, her art show, her first magazine article, craft shows she's done, fund raisers, her fabric studio and sewing room, and round robin journal.

And, then there's her post, "What to do with all those extra doll heads?" Remember I said Judi had a thing for doll heads. There's also her flower face doll heads post.

Judy's blog also contains a Free .pdf Doll Pattern

If all oif the above wasn't enough Judi is also the team leader on the Ask The Crafter Blog which is a team blog of 7 artists and crafter experts who answer your questions. Here's the premise: Got a crafting question? We'll try to get it sorted out for you!

It's a terrific blog and one I definitely have bookmarked.

The experts and their subject areas include: Art Dolls: Sherry Goshon , Crochet: Kai, Decorative Arts: Judy Leasure, Paper Arts: Zhenia & Chantale, PaperClay: Jacque Uetz, Polymer Clay: Dawn Schiller, Quilting: Anne, and of course Everything else: Judi Wellnitz.

Why am I not surprised that Judi is "Everything Else?"

As mentioned previously Judi has a terrific sense of humor. Here are a few excerpts from some of her posts so you can see what I mean:

February 2005 post - Who needs a head anyway? -

Looks like some maniac got into my studio and lopped off the heads of some of my dolls. Didn't find them rolling on the floor though so it must be something else. Like my bad habit of popping heads off when I'm not entirely pleased with them. Of course if I made another one it wouldn't be so bad but I don't ever seem to get around to it.

April 2005 post - Disastrous Daughters -

You know you don't have to go far to get inspiration for art. If you've been reading my blog you know that one of my daughters got in a car accident - and that sparked the idea for the Crash Test Dummy doll. Well, same daughter got paid off by the insurance company - more money than the car was worth so she had extra after the loan was taken care of - and instead of using it towards buying another car she's spent it. So now the second doll in the Daughter series is going to be Money Burns. I think she will be standing looking into an empty wallet while a rain of red-hot coins fall unnoticed from her pockets to the ground.

March 2006 post Huge Discovery! -

I made a huge discovery today! It's a boon for all women and will totally astound you!

Have you ever gotten dressed in the morning and found your clothes didn't fit? Bet you thought it was you! HA! It was Louella, the dress size fairy. I caught her in my bedroom this morning. She changes your clothing, sometimes shrinking them, sometimes enlarging them, but always leaving the labels alone. Then she hides in a corner and laughs, and laughs, and laughs. I am sorry to say that she got away from me while I was trying to zip up my pants with a pair of pliers. So keep an eye out for her!

Judi sells her e-pattern fobs on her blog and some of her altered art in her ETSY Domino Studio's - Art Dollz and Altered Art.

Her ETSY profile is: Bio - I love to create! I have been making art dolls for a few years now and have one of my dolls published in the book Creative Cloth Doll Faces. I also do paper arts and I like to alter anything I can get my hands on.

Judi also has a Picturetrail Album filled with wonderful, wonderful pictures of her creations.

According to Judi in her My New Addiction Album:" I have always enjoyed making dolls and over the years have made quite a few. I made dolls every so often - maybe one a year, draft stopper dolls, stuffed animals, dancing girls. Whatever caught my fancy.

Then in 2001 I discovered the Soft Dolls and Animals magazine, which led me to Crafty College and on-line doll classes. Wow -what a difference they made. I've come a long way in the 4 years since I discovered the SD&A magazine. Compare this doll, Leftover Lucy, to my latest doll in the album Fairy Godmother and you'll see what I mean.

Don't miss the following albums: Bear Gallery Show , Latest dolls - 2006 , My First Dolls , Dolls made in 2005 , Paper Art , Paper dolls , Fabric ATCs and Postcards , Trolls , Fairy Godmother , Dolls made in 2004 , Texas Dolls , Pam Grose Class , and her Elinor peace bailey class album. They all contain wonderful pictures of all Judi's creations.

One of Judi's albums contains references to those "doll heads" I mentioned previously. I won't tell you which - it will be a surprise. Luckily the doll head found a body.

I hope you get a chance to read Judi's terrific Art Dolls: A Journey in Fiber by Judi Wellnitz blog and visit her Picturetrail Album and ETSY Domino Studio's - Art Dollz and Altered Art studio.

After you have done so I would hope that you would agree that Judi is a rare and gifted artist with the extraordinary ability to excel at anything she puts her creative hand to. She is indeed a very talented artist with a terrific sense of humor and amazing creative eye.

In her Art Dolls: A Journey in Fiber by Judi Wellnitz blog she offers "little bit of everything" and then some. If you are a doll maker or altered art artist Judi's Art Dolls: A Journey in Fiber by Judi Wellnitz blog is a "MUST-READ!"