Gut Work

Gut, cut open and folded for seaming

Working on a new Unangan (Aleut) kamleika (raincoat) for Mikhail... his has some tears that can't be fixed...  These garments are waterproof and the hem connects to the Unangan baidarka (kayak) opening so no water goes into the interior of the boat even if it is swamped or the hunter goes underwater and rolls to the surface again.

Mikhail Snegirev in a gut kamleika
with pail of gut tubes behind and strips
of gut opened and folded for seaming

Unangan (Aleut) ivory work

Closed Crown Hunting Hat with Volutes & Back Plate

 I am working on a miniature version... say four inches long, of this hat for a figure I have completed.  Have carved, steamed & bent the hat then painted it.

Now for the "ivory" side pieces or volutes and the back plate.  I am using tagua nuts which from my experience are almost as hard as ivory.

A back view of a hunting hat shows the backplate and volutes with perched bird carved into the top.

An ivory flying bird is situated further down the hat top.  Illustrations are from the book Glory Remembered  Wooden Headgear of Alaska Sea Hunters by Lydia Black & published by the Alaska State Museum in Juneau Alaska.    

                    

Volute shapes & decorations, small versions & tools

New Fur Cutter--- moderne ulu!

Looka this baby... the orange thingie with the x-acto blade... very good for cutting thin skins for small items like the doll parkas I'm doing.  Very maneuverable on this dress parka from "parky" or Arctic ground squirrels to be trimmed with ermine and probably ruffed with Russian gray squirrel strip.


And you hold it so it is supremely control-able...

Before you cut these skins, you have to wet and stretch them... you put water on the skin side, fold it in on itself for a bit, open and stretch so the pattern piece will fit and you can draw it onto the skin with a write in the rain pencil or, when dry, a permanent fine line marker.  Other pens transfer from the skin onto your fabrics and leathers.

NIADA cabinet in Aunt Claudia's Dolls

 The NIADA case in the permanent collection  of the  doll museum Aunt Claudia's Dolls in Juneau Alaska...  Ellen Turner's doll on top ... for details and More pictures of Aunt Claudia's Dolls, a Museum

Donations to Aunt Claudia's Dolls... December 2010

My December birthday trip to Washington to visit some ex-patriot Juneau-ites was a rich trip for Aunt Claudia's Doll Museum...  friend Barbara scored this Pillsbury Doughboy and the Toostie Toy metal furniture for us on her quilt retreat to Minnesota.

A footed bathtub, a little sink with faucets and a stool, a medicine cabinet with mirror, two, count 'em, two lil toilets...

 a side table and cabinet, a wheeled serving tray, a dining table and three regular chairs with one armed chair... real luxury

Dropped Forty Years of Doll Talk

Claudia Kelsey, the wonderful woman who endowed our doll museum was a member of the Kimport doll club so got their publication every couple of months since 1941 DOLL TALK  ...  I just dropped a bunch on the floor so took the opportunity to organize them by year and it looks like she had them all the way up until 1983, possibly when they stopped???  They look very interesting especially in my area of greatest fascination, ethnic and dolls of the world.

aftermath not a complete collapse

Monday 1/10 really:  I thought today would be a complete collapse... had to peel myself up at 10:30 to a drop dead gorgeous day (no excuse of drear... but the news was grim) after math of a daily fight with migraine for five days now... made it to the studio by one and started messing about and I now have the beginnings of some Aleut head gear for my guy!  looks like he will have the choice of two visors or a full fledged hunting hat