Cutting Patterns and Sculpting A Toddler Doll

As usually happens with me, I get involved in something and then while researching the project I am working on - I find something else interesting I want to do! :<} I spent most of the morning cutting out all the patterns pieces for the 4 doll patterns (so far) that I am sewing as additional options for my Shirley Temple doll. I decided to check out the patterns in the doll books I have to see if there were more options that I had forgotten. In the process of doing this, I opened a book on sculpting a toddler doll and remembered that I had traced the pattern from the book a long time ago, intending to sculpt it and for some reason I had put it in a drawer and not completed it. As I have not worked with clay or sculpted for at least 6 months now because I have been so involved with working in fabric, I thought what fun it would be to take a break from sewing and at least make the rough sculpt. So I put the scissors away and found the toddler pattern, plugged in the glue gun, mixed up the paper mache and started in. The pattern is cut out of cardboard and a 3-dimension form is made and then filled in to shape and then a final sculpt or "skin" is made over it all when forming the features and details. I used this process when I sculpted the legs for the "Birthday Nana" doll - as I had seen this used by Robert McKinley in one of his books. The fill was Celluclay and the sculpt was in PaperClay - which is what I used again for fill with the toddler doll. The only thing is, that filling an entire doll in wet (and heavy) paper mache on a cardboard form is entirely a different story than filling two legs! :<} And the legs were separate! So I had to go in stages and let it dry some before I could add on. The arms and feet still have to be done but they will have to wait until tomorrow. Hopefully it will dry pretty much through by morning! I think then, when I have the arms and feet finished, I will leave it for a few days before I start to cover and sculpt with the PaperClay. It is cute already - about 10" high - not what I want for the Shirley Temple doll, as it is for a toddler so the age is too young, but it was a nice break and fun to mess around with the paper mache - and I do mean mess! Forgot that part! :<} After I added the last fill and put it back in the window to dry and cleaned up my table, I finished up the day by cutting out the remaining doll pattern pieces so now I can begin to sew one of the dolls tomorrow! Hard to decide which one! Plus I have to work on the toddler! So many choices and so many hours in the day! :<}