The Prize Piggy

I wasn't able to carry out the concept I had for this piece.  The idea was that the little girl would have just finished cleaning her pig but that she - who started out all clean and dressed up - was now the dirty one.  I even have a little scrub brush that I made from the end of a toothbrush for her to hold in her hand.

The problem was that once I had spent all the time on her clothes - hand-crocheting the trim on the slip and knitting the little sweater - I couldn't bear to smear mud (brown paint, actually) on it!

I really like, and enjoyed making, the clothes.  The dress has a Peter Pan collar and it, as well as the waistline, are embellished with tiny ricrac.  After knitting a gauge swatch I was able to design and knit the sweater which came out amazingly good!  The only problem with the sweater is that is was difficult to find tiny enough yarn.  You'd think there would be plenty of fingering weight baby yarn, but not so!

The shoes were really difficult.  And, in the end, not successful.  Her legs are, obviously, polymer clay.  I made the socks from some old thin socks that I had.  But then how to make the shoes?  Polymer clay would work except that I couldn't have cured it (although I see now that if I had done the socks as I did and then shoes in polymer clay I could probably have cured the legs complete with shoes and socks before I put the legs on the doll - I'll have to remember that for next time).  In the end, I made the shoes in place with air-dry clay.  It's the first time I've worked with it and had a terrible time.  The fact that they clay was probably about five years old and dried out (I added water and let it sit for several days) may very well have made the task harder than it needed to be.  Then I had to paint the shoes because the clay was white.  They look OK from a distance, but they just aren't quality work.

But I like the pig!

I think I need to muster up whatever it takes to put the "mud" on her.  That way, the whole thing will make more sense.