nuigurumi style

What better way to chase those post-post-holiday blues than with some retail therapy? A friend and I went to Japantown in SF for lunch on Saturday, and of course I had to stop by the Kinokuniya Bookstore and their stationery shop. At the latter I picked up a note pad and some stickers from san-x's Wanroom collection - all the characters are pieces of furniture with oddly bear-like faces. I find this sort of thing irrestible and it was difficult to avoid buying the large stuffed versions of each little dude. I think I like the bathtub and the TV the best (just like in real life, now that I think of it).

Although the craft section in the bookstore looked a bit picked over (maybe I need to stop telling people about it? heh) I was able to pick up a copy of nuigurumi style. This fine book (isbn 4056041792) has been mentioned on other blogs - boy, is it ever nifty. I needed an inspiration kick in the pants, if you will, and it delivered. The images in this post are from this fab book.

I really love these painted dolls - frequent visitors to this blog know I have a small (big) obsession with really simply sewn dolls, just a front and a back sewn together with all the details represented (clothes, hair, etc) on the fabric itself (either with painting or embroidery). Another picture in the book shows the artist painting the doll, it looks like she sews and stuffs the doll first then paints afterward. Perhaps she puts down some gesso first, I wonder? In any case, lovely. The image at the top of this post shows some similarly constructed dolls, with features apparently drawn on with crayon. The dresses themselves are also very simple - merely two pieces of fabric gathered at the top with some thread. I like the spindly legs on these ones and the somber expression on the dog(?)'s face.

This fluffy yellow fellow is also quite nice, I love the unusual shape and the great facial expression, as well as the fabric choices - a lot of nice textures.

I'm craving inspiration right now, I've made a stack of image-heavy books about 3 feet high next to the couch, and when I come across something I like, I draw it. I hope this works!