Lorri F here – I was inspired to make these beaded beauties by a Kelli Nina Perkins’ blog post.  Kelli will be teaching at Art Camp for Women in October 2012.  I loved her beaded spools and thought they would make sweet bodies for angels, fairies and maidens galore!

I’ve set out to make one a month and this month I’m featuring a little maiden with a blue silk dress and a sweet little scarf upon her head.  This Blue Silk Maiden was created during a recent weekend in the mountains with my art group, Uncommon Cloth.  It’s always a challenge to bring enough supplies to work with AND not bring enough for 2 weeks when I only have a few days to play  – this is the main reason why we provide ALL the art supplies at Art Camp for Women - we want you to have lots to play with and not have to lug a great big suitcase full of stuff you end up not using.

I tossed in some hand-dyed silk squares thinking they were just too lucsious to leave behind.  I can’t remember where and when I got them, but I’m thinking I might have had them for at least 10 years…I think it’s time to use them!

I started with a needle felted head and a beaded body which I explained how to make in a previous post.

To make the skirt, I lightly ironed the silk to get out any wrinkles and raided the kitchen for a small Fiestaware plate to use as a circle template.  I drew around the plate with a pen and cut out the circle with scissors.  The plate is about 7″ in diameter.

Next I used needle and thread to sew a loose running stitch about 1/4″ from the edge around the whole circle.   Pull both ends of the thread to draw the circle up into a little pouch and tie the ends together to create a knot so the pouch does not come open.  Clip off the extra thread about 1/2″ away from the knot.

 Next, you will sew the various parts together.  I used strong, heavy duty carpet or button thread and chose a long needle.  I have 4″ long doll making needles, but of course I didn’t bring those up to the mountains so I had to make due with the longest needle I could find.

Start by going down through the spool and then through the top of the gathered pouch.  Back up through the spool and then up through the center of the needle felted head.  Go over about 1/8″ and sew  back down through the head.

Remove the needle and holding both ends of the thread, pull them tightly and tie a knot so that all the pieces are drawn and held together tightly.  If you find that it’s too loose, carefully cut the thread and try it again.  It might help to have an extra pair of hands hold everything together while you tie the knot.

Lastly, I used a scrap of silk to tie a little scarf on the top of her head.