Hooked On: Body Parts


I love amigurumi. I consider myself a knitter first and foremost, but there's something so satisfying about starting off with a magic circle and ending up with the cutest toys. And it's especially relaxing when it's a pattern I've used half a dozen times before. You can find random limbs lying around in all the nooks and crannies of my bedroom; the result of unfinished or discarded projects. My favorite human doll pattern is Becky's Basic Doll Pattern. I love it because the legs aren't sewed to the body; the two legs are made separately and then crocheted together to make the lower half of the torso. I'm also into the habit of attaching the arms with safety eyes so for this pattern I don't have to sew limbs together at all! It also has the consequence of adjustable arms. Since this is only a pattern for the body, I can go crazy with the colors and details.

Above is the beginnings of Sailor Jupiter. Ever since Sailor Moon Crystal premiered a year ago, I've been thrust back into reliving one of my favorite childhood cartoons. 


As you can see, I've made for previous senshi, including Sailor V — who was not part of the team, but an independent agent until she joined the other girls as Sailor Venus (complete with a different outfit). I really enjoy making their outfits and each of the girls' unique details. What I find really difficult is the hair and eyes. I don't think simple safety eyes really suit anime characters, so I've been cutting out pieces of white felt and painted on the details with puffy paint. However, once one of Sailor Mars' eyes fell off, I decided to look for alternative eyes. I found this guide on Tumblr for drawing and figured it could be useful.

And even on dolls I can't get my eyeliner even.
I printed the guide out and traced with puffy paint over wax paper. It peels off and I can glue it on the doll.

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