THE COURTS OF JEWELS SHOW
After the Small Fantasies show in 2015, my BJD collection just continued to grow. And again I knew the only way I would costume all the dolls was to schedule another show at the Community Arts Center (though I spent a few years finishing the Lalloure series first). I started making doll costumes in earnest in November 2018, with the show scheduled for the fall of 2020. Then we had a pandemic so the show got pushed to the spring of 2021. In all I spent 30 months making costumes for over 60 dolls and their accompanying props for Courts of Jewels.
Cliff Kepple helped me with some of the props, specifically the desert set up, but couldn't continue due to his reoccurring cancer. Dear Cliff died in the fall of 2021 and though the show had been in the spring, he wasn’t able to attend. But he had taught me so much during the construction of the 2015 show, I managed to construct most of the props for Courts of Jewels myself.
As I was considering a title for this show, I decided on Courts of Jewels for several reasons. Along with my love of glitz and glitter, I also love brilliant color, and jewels personify both. But jewels are not just shiny pretty stones, they are also people, people in all their diversities of personalities and nationalities, of their colors and clothing and lifestyles.
The fabrics came from my extensive stash, from local fabric shops and from suppliers all over the US and around the world. The furniture and table furnishings were made by my friend Cliff Kepple, by me and by talented artists from the US, Asia and Europe. I collected the small doll props from just about everywhere, again all over the US, Asia and Europe. Some, such as the foodstuffs, were specially commissioned. Many were repurposed thrift store finds.
Most of the back drops are shower curtains because shower curtains are big, cheap and can be found with most anything printed on them. The wide sequin streamers are table runners.
The majority of my ball jointed dolls are from Iplehouse in Korea. Other companies include Doll Chateau, La Legendé de Temps, DollZone and Eve Studio. The ball jointed dolls are cast resin, though the smaller animal dolls are mostly 3-D printed. The blushings (face and body painting) were done by doll artists from around the US.
Except where noted, I drafted, patterned and created all the doll costumes in the show. This show is the culmination of over 2 ½ years of work, and I enjoyed every minute of its creation.
Here then is a celebration of color and beauty, of sparkle and shine, and of people of the world and of fiction and fantasy.
Cliff Kepple helped me with some of the props, specifically the desert set up, but couldn't continue due to his reoccurring cancer. Dear Cliff died in the fall of 2021 and though the show had been in the spring, he wasn’t able to attend. But he had taught me so much during the construction of the 2015 show, I managed to construct most of the props for Courts of Jewels myself.
As I was considering a title for this show, I decided on Courts of Jewels for several reasons. Along with my love of glitz and glitter, I also love brilliant color, and jewels personify both. But jewels are not just shiny pretty stones, they are also people, people in all their diversities of personalities and nationalities, of their colors and clothing and lifestyles.
The fabrics came from my extensive stash, from local fabric shops and from suppliers all over the US and around the world. The furniture and table furnishings were made by my friend Cliff Kepple, by me and by talented artists from the US, Asia and Europe. I collected the small doll props from just about everywhere, again all over the US, Asia and Europe. Some, such as the foodstuffs, were specially commissioned. Many were repurposed thrift store finds.
Most of the back drops are shower curtains because shower curtains are big, cheap and can be found with most anything printed on them. The wide sequin streamers are table runners.
The majority of my ball jointed dolls are from Iplehouse in Korea. Other companies include Doll Chateau, La Legendé de Temps, DollZone and Eve Studio. The ball jointed dolls are cast resin, though the smaller animal dolls are mostly 3-D printed. The blushings (face and body painting) were done by doll artists from around the US.
Except where noted, I drafted, patterned and created all the doll costumes in the show. This show is the culmination of over 2 ½ years of work, and I enjoyed every minute of its creation.
Here then is a celebration of color and beauty, of sparkle and shine, and of people of the world and of fiction and fantasy.
JEWELS OF THE EAST
The majority of ball jointed doll companies are located in South Korea, China and Japan but they make relatively few dolls with Asian features. Bishun and Asa wearing kimono outfits are lovely exceptions. Their kimonos were patterned the same as their full size counterparts; the belts and over robes of brocade and embroidered nets are fantasy. They wear geta socks and sandals which I made. Bishun holds a Japanese katana, a traditional sword. I made the weeping cherry tree from bare branches to which I floral taped thousands of pink blossoms. The Buddha was a fountain I found at a local craft store and sits on a woven rag basket sprayed with texture paint and covered in trailing vines.
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SCIENCE FICTION JEWELS
Star Trek shaped my life. The original Star Trek series is the reason I met my best friend Pam Faint, the reason I got into competition costuming that later segued into historical costuming, the reason I wrote the fan fiction that later inspired me to write original works. And all of that eventually led me into ball jointed dolls as one thing builds upon another.
After I saw the movie, I had to make the Dr. Strange costume. I’d found the Benedict Cumberbatch head sculpt years before but the only Cumberbatch character I was familiar with at the time was Sherlock and that costume didn’t interest me. When Dr. Strange came out I said, okay, now I have a reason to get the face, which I then had painted by a doll artist in Texas. I commissioned the wig from an artist in Thailand and the sling ring, belt ring and belt slides were made a local jewelry friend. I stained the clear plexiglass spell shields, which had been sold as coasters, with alcohol inks. I cut down a pair of boots and added the strapping. The tunic and vest are lightweight tencel denim and I found a beautiful piece of red suiting wool for the cape. I discovered the distinctive cape lining fabric on Spoonflower where it was being sold full size for cosplayers, and had the artist print it 1/3 size for me. I dyed white lace red and cut it apart for the embroidered motifs on the cape trim. And I cross-hatched velvet Xmas ribbon with a colored pencil for the contrast cape patches. This outfit took six weeks to make and the cape took about half of that.
I made the Next Generation costume because I thought the elf doll would translate nicely into a Vulcan. This was an interesting costume to draft because except for the sleeves, no two pattern pieces are the same. Her communicator/insignia is an earring and her collar pips scrapbooking brads. A few holiday seasons ago Hallmark offered a Star Trek tricorder ornament so then I had to make The Original Series costume to go with it. I digitized the tunic insignia and embroidered it out on my sewing machine. The Vulcan robes with all the iconic motifs including the IDIC and Rata Tafar Tapan embroidery (again my digitizing and machine embroidery) is my interpretation of a fan costume I saw online. When my friend Karen Schnaubelt saw this costume, she said she knew both the man who’d made it and the man who’d worn it, and sent them photos.
After I saw the movie, I had to make the Dr. Strange costume. I’d found the Benedict Cumberbatch head sculpt years before but the only Cumberbatch character I was familiar with at the time was Sherlock and that costume didn’t interest me. When Dr. Strange came out I said, okay, now I have a reason to get the face, which I then had painted by a doll artist in Texas. I commissioned the wig from an artist in Thailand and the sling ring, belt ring and belt slides were made a local jewelry friend. I stained the clear plexiglass spell shields, which had been sold as coasters, with alcohol inks. I cut down a pair of boots and added the strapping. The tunic and vest are lightweight tencel denim and I found a beautiful piece of red suiting wool for the cape. I discovered the distinctive cape lining fabric on Spoonflower where it was being sold full size for cosplayers, and had the artist print it 1/3 size for me. I dyed white lace red and cut it apart for the embroidered motifs on the cape trim. And I cross-hatched velvet Xmas ribbon with a colored pencil for the contrast cape patches. This outfit took six weeks to make and the cape took about half of that.
I made the Next Generation costume because I thought the elf doll would translate nicely into a Vulcan. This was an interesting costume to draft because except for the sleeves, no two pattern pieces are the same. Her communicator/insignia is an earring and her collar pips scrapbooking brads. A few holiday seasons ago Hallmark offered a Star Trek tricorder ornament so then I had to make The Original Series costume to go with it. I digitized the tunic insignia and embroidered it out on my sewing machine. The Vulcan robes with all the iconic motifs including the IDIC and Rata Tafar Tapan embroidery (again my digitizing and machine embroidery) is my interpretation of a fan costume I saw online. When my friend Karen Schnaubelt saw this costume, she said she knew both the man who’d made it and the man who’d worn it, and sent them photos.
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JEWELS OF ENTERTAINMENT
Few things are more entertaining to me than modern fashion, hence the ladies on the Red Carpet. The Met Gala gown is my tribute to Guo Pei, China’s first Haute Couture designer. The ornate trim on the skirt and sleeves is from India. The precocious child star wears a lace overlay dress with a brocade bodice. The leading lady wears a strapless high-low hem gown with lace and rhinestones and a trailing sequin drape.
The movie Rocketman motivated me to make the Elton John costume from his salad days when he rocked glittery jumpsuits, rhinestone caps, feathers and platform boots, the last specially commissioned. Getting the baby grand piano here from China was quite an adventure with the company that crafted it and the US postal service which destroyed the first one due to poor packaging. The company made and sent me this second one, which also arrived damaged, but repairable. I added all the rhinestones to glitz it up.
An opera diva accompanies Elton in a gown made from a beaded and embroidered sari by award winning Canadian doll artist Martha Boers. The disabled guitarist in the wheelchair wears a shiny shirt and leather pants by an Etsy seamstress.
The ballet dancers at the barre wear leotards from La Legendé de Temps. The blond doll is also from that company, a limited edition sculpt from China that took nearly a year to get here. I ordered extra feet and was able to outfit an Iplehouse doll for a second dancer. I made the barre from PVC pipe connectors and dowel rods.
The movie Rocketman motivated me to make the Elton John costume from his salad days when he rocked glittery jumpsuits, rhinestone caps, feathers and platform boots, the last specially commissioned. Getting the baby grand piano here from China was quite an adventure with the company that crafted it and the US postal service which destroyed the first one due to poor packaging. The company made and sent me this second one, which also arrived damaged, but repairable. I added all the rhinestones to glitz it up.
An opera diva accompanies Elton in a gown made from a beaded and embroidered sari by award winning Canadian doll artist Martha Boers. The disabled guitarist in the wheelchair wears a shiny shirt and leather pants by an Etsy seamstress.
The ballet dancers at the barre wear leotards from La Legendé de Temps. The blond doll is also from that company, a limited edition sculpt from China that took nearly a year to get here. I ordered extra feet and was able to outfit an Iplehouse doll for a second dancer. I made the barre from PVC pipe connectors and dowel rods.
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