Jinamae

Blah....

2006-03-10T11:06:00.000-08:00

I'm suffering from a severe lack of motivation! Right now I have at least 5 different dolls in progress and various other projects going and nothing is inspiring me to complete any of them. I guess I have "crafter's block."

I was thinking that maybe I should stop by the Craft & Folk Art Museum to get my juices flowing. Unfortunately, it's also raining here in LA (contrary to Tony Toni Tone's declaration that "It Never Rains in Southern California"), which deeply influences any desire to drive in town. But I think I'll suck it up, throw on several layers of comfort and warmth and head out into the world...wish me luck!

R.I.P.

2006-02-27T23:26:00.000-08:00

Octavia Butler

1947-2006

2005

2006-02-06T13:11:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Jinamae 2005 collection.

Below is the result of three months of a lot of hard work and a million trips to Michaels, but it is all worth it. I really love making the dolls and put a bit of myself into each one. This year I experimented with size making five of the dolls 20 inches tall (twice the size of the smaller ones). It was great working on a larger scale and I think I may stick with this height in the future. Also, you may notice that many on my girls have become very well endowed. That's right, 2005 is the year of the boob! Cleavage is everywhere!

Los Angeles is a great place to do what I do because there's inspiration everywhere. Women in town have such a sense of style from the fabulous to the freakish and everything in between. The city offers great resources for materials and I find myself all over town hunting for just the right things. But the hunt is one of the best parts of the process.

~ I first want to thank Stash, my fiancee, who put up with a house full of felt and late night sewing. He also built my Bazaar Bizarre booth for me...thanks love!
~ I also have to thank my mom who is by far my best client! I don't think she ever intended to begin collecting dolls, but over the years her collection has grown not only with Jinamaes, but beautiful dolls from around the world.
~ Also, I can't forget Allison of Supercrafty. She's always giving me bags of yarn and fabric. While most people would pass over these scraps...they've been a goldmine for me. She's also my soon to be cousin-in-law! Thank you so much!

I hope you enjoy the collection and feel free to drop me an email with any comments or questions: jinamae72@yahoo.com

lisa

2006-02-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

My little China doll...her top was impossible to make! It kept fraying and falling apart, but somehow I managed and she turned out to be such a cutie.

lisa_detail

2006-02-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

dionne

2006-02-06T12:28:00.000-08:00

"I need a 'round the way girl!" Dionne is my favorite doll of the entire collection...so much so that I told myself I could only keep one doll this time around and she's it. You can't see from the picture, but she has on a pair of old-school gold door knocker earrings like I once had in the '80s.

shannon

2006-02-06T12:24:00.000-08:00

Another crowd fave at Bazaar Bizarre. This was the first time I used "Sculpty" clay for accessories.

2006-02-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

I haven't com up with a name for her yet...I'm open to suggestions.

She was made specifically for a doll show at Monkey House Toys in Silverlake. It is a great shop owned and operated by Mayra who is totally dedicated to bringing unique toys to kids. Check out their site...

www.monkeyhousetoys.com

farah

2006-02-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

The Persian princess...I still want to make a designer handbag for her and she needs her mandatory small dog as well.

2006-02-06T12:11:00.000-08:00

The following dolls are all 10 inches tall which has been the traditional size of Jinamae dolls. Each one is completed handmade and done through a variety of techniques. Enjoy!

sagami

2006-02-06T11:24:00.000-08:00

Named for seas around the world these three aquatic beauties were especially enjoyable to create. Supercrafty spplied the yarn for their hair, which I think is the best part...THANKS!

flores

2006-02-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

savu

2006-02-06T11:20:00.000-08:00

vanessa

2006-02-06T11:17:00.000-08:00

This group of homegirls is called "Las Munecas" and is led by Vanessa. Leadership was passed down to her from Alma (see below), an OG from the neighborhood.

These girls were a big hit at Bazaar Bizarre.

bubbles

2006-02-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

Bubbles is the glamour girl of the set. She's always busy getting manicures and going shopping. She hopes to either be a fashion designer or marry rich. Despite her fashionista side, she's always down for her girls.

huera

2006-02-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

She's the roughneck of the group. Always down for whatever.

april

2006-02-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

I wanted to create a group of dolls specifically designed with children in mind. So many of the other Jinamae dolls are too delicate for any type of regular handling.

The "Puffs" are 3 dolls made a bit more durably than the others and each includes a little friend.

panda

2006-02-06T10:55:00.002-08:00

A little surprise!

june

2006-02-06T10:55:00.001-08:00

may

2006-02-06T10:55:00.000-08:00

FRIDA

2006-01-19T13:02:00.000-08:00

FRIDA

2006-01-11T15:49:00.000-08:00

This was by far one of my favorite dolls in the collection ( I think I've said that about 12 times already)...and the first to go. I admire Frida Kahlo as a woman, activist and artist and this is my small tribute to her.

Many people have asked why I didn't do her trademark uni-brow. I tried but it looked kind of crazy...not everything translates well in felt!

KARIMAH

2006-01-11T15:46:00.000-08:00

I don't know what I was thinking when I first made Karimah but she's was TACKY! She had on some red leather hot pants and a disco top.

So I pulled everything off and started over. In the end she turned out beautifully and was a crowd favorite at Bazaar Bizaare.

MAKEDA & SOLOMON

2006-01-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

Young love...isn't it grand? Solomon and Makeda are the cutest pair. Makeda lucked out since Solomon was the only guy in the bunch and all the ladies were vying for his attention!

MAKEDA

2006-01-11T15:37:00.000-08:00

SOLOMON

2006-01-11T15:36:00.000-08:00

CLAIRE

2006-01-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

I handbeaded Miss Claire's dress...it took forever!!! In the end I was happy with the results and now I'm ready to learn more about beading fabric. I'm even thinking about doing it on my wedding dress...(I'm sure I'll come to my senses on that one).

ANGIE

2006-01-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

If rock n roll groupies had a queen, it would be Angie. She's a die-hard KISS fan especially for Paul Stanley.

CAELAN

2006-01-11T15:28:00.000-08:00

I loved this fabric the moment I came across it and it really complimented the color of Caelan's hair. The tiny turquoise sequins and gold embroidery were great details.

Holly Would

2006-01-11T15:25:00.000-08:00

There's a specific type of woman in LA who is always on top of the trends, the parties and whatever is "it" at the moment. This is my tribute to her.

MARIPOSA

2006-01-11T15:22:00.001-08:00

Madame butterfly...I got a bit experimental with this one.

NIKKI

2006-01-11T15:22:00.000-08:00

I wanted to have some fun and came up this frisky little lady...

DOTTIE

2006-01-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

In the roaring '20s Miss Dottie was the cat's meow...for her the party isn't over yet!

@@@@@@

2005-12-15T11:01:00.000-08:00

Well, I think I have finally gotten over my post Bazaar Bizarre exhaustion. The days before the show were absolutely insane, I think I slept a total of 10 hours the entire week!

The show went very well. This year it was located in the famous Shrine Auditorium where the Oscars were held. Much more space than last year which was great! I sold several dolls and bunches of the doll head magnets and ornaments. I received so much love from everyone there...people really got a kick out of the dolls! Thanks to everyone!

I'll post pictures of Bazaar Bizarre soon as well as the newest collection of Jinamae dolls.

Ahhhhhhhh!

2005-12-04T10:47:00.000-08:00

I have been so busy trying to finish 25 dolls in time for the Bazaar Bizarre next week. For those in the LA area, this is a great art/craft show and the perfect place to get unique gifts for everyone on your list! Come check it out!

www.bazaarbizarre.org/la

KALLI

2005-11-13T00:44:00.000-08:00

Kalli was the final doll I completed last year. And she is also one which I decided to keep for myself. Her dress is made of leather and tagged by my man, Stash. It's our little collaboratio. He also tagged up Miriam's tote bag as well.

TIEGAN

2005-11-13T00:41:00.000-08:00

ANIKA

2005-11-13T00:40:00.000-08:00

I wanted to experiment with a different skin tone...it's hard to see from the picture but I crochetrd her little sweater out of mohair.

grace

2005-11-13T00:38:00.000-08:00

under construction

2005-11-13T00:36:00.000-08:00

My entries have been pretty scant...I've got less than a month before the Bazaar Bizarre show in LA and I have so much more work to do. I set pretty lofty goals for this year...but I think I'll make it (by the skin of my teeth).

gents

2005-10-21T01:03:00.000-07:00

For every young lady there is always a fellow not far behind...

xxxxxxxxxx

2005-10-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

Nothing too fancy, I really just wanted to finish her so I could move on. In the end I only used a little bit of the turquoise snake skin for her belt.

XXXXXXX

2005-10-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

Here's Little Miss X...finally done.

:":":":":

2005-10-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Mrs. Supercrafty for the beautiful vintage fabric!

ALMA

2005-10-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

She's definitely one of my favorties...so much so that I decided that I had to keep her for myself! Check out her great tattoos and she has a dragon on her back as well.

PAIGE

2005-10-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

<^><^>

2005-09-26T23:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the beads and such I use when creating the dolls. I really enjoy the silver spirals and the tiny shells.

::::::::

2005-09-23T14:16:00.000-07:00

So my trip to Mexico wasn't the craft supply bonanza that I thought it would be...it was however a Tequila bonaza. We landed in Ensenada which is more of a tourist/party destination. I did buy a bunch of local craft items, but I thought I might stumble across a great fabric store or bead shop. I guess if I had a bit more time to research...

The best part of the trip was when my boyfriend, Stash, proposed! It was very sweet and of course I said yes. In true DIY fashion he didn't present me with a ring, but a gorgeous emerald. Once we returned to LA we began the process of finding a ring and having it set. I just wanted to share this little bit...I promise this won't become another wedding blog!

Now I'm back on the East Coast visting my family and in the midst of heavy doll production. I forgot how humid it can be even this late in the summer...but it keeps me indoors working!

HYACINTH

2005-09-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

There's not a club this side of Tokyo that Miss Hyacinth hasn't graced with her presence. She's a tried and true party girl!

SYRAH

2005-09-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

Syrah is Los Angeles! I had the city and all its beautiful ones in mind when I made her. Her real name is actually Sarah and she's originally from the Mid-West, but once she made it to LA she became a star (or a least a wannabe).

TATI

2005-09-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

I love Miss Tati, my homegirl! I wanted to experiment with cornrows and her's turned out perfect. Add the afro-puffs and she was too fierce!

weekend warrior

2005-09-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was very hectic! On Saturday I spent the afternoon in downtown LA's Fashion District and when I was halfway there I realized I forgot my camera. The whole area is sub-divided between women's clothes, men's, children's and the best part...the fabric stores & craft supplies! I hopped around from shop to shop for a few hours finding some great deals including a great price on seed beads and ribbon.

My main reason for traveling downtown was to stop by a fabric store called Michael Levine's...I'd never been before and all the local craftistas rave about it so I made it a priority. I came across a beautiful vintage print in red and cream and a bunch of felt. All in all the day was a fruitful excursion.

I spent Sunday and Monday (Labor Day), working on various craft projects. I think I have about 6 different ones fighting for my time right now. I was determined to get a least 24 of the little heads completed before the weekend was over and barely made it by the skin of my teeth! But I made it.

lil' jinamaes

2005-08-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

These are some of the smaller projects I'm working on...ornament sets for the holidays.

!!!!!

2005-08-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

I'm making a list of dolls and other items to make before the holidays and the list keeps getting longer and longer. There are so many things I want to make but of course there's so little time. In addition to about 25 dolls I wanted to do some pillows, smaller dolls and even a few stationary projects. I have about 3 months in addition to working during the day!!! It's going to be crazy!!!

I've already begun to work but it will be great when I have a stretch of time. In a few weeks I am going to Mexico and hope find great textiles and beads while I am traveling. After that I am heading back East to visit my family in Maryland. I there a bunch of little spots that are great for collecting materials and such. Plus I can wrangle my mother and grandmother into a bit of doll production.

KEARA

2005-08-04T22:44:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Keara was a whole bunch of work! Not only did I crochet her tiny poncho, but her hair was sewn in a few strands at a time. It's difficult to see from the photo, but she has a huge bun on the back of her head which made balancing her somewhat tough...but in the end it was worth it.

MORGAN

2005-08-04T22:40:00.000-07:00

When I made this doll I had someone very specific in mind...my best friend from college. She had this great sweatshirt with our university's initial embroidered on it and beautiful long black hair. I gave the doll to my mother for Christmas and as soon as she opened the package she immediately knew who it was supposed to be.

CHANTAL

2005-08-04T22:35:00.000-07:00

My little hippy chick...I love her sleepy eyes and sunflower adorned hair. She was one of my earlier dolls.

!

2005-07-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

It's been so hectic around here that I haven't had the chance to add anything new...but I have been busy sewing! I'm trying to get a jump on the holidays and make as much as possible right now before the crunch. I hope to have about 30 dolls ready plus a bunch of small items. Well we'll see...

Coto-grannie

2005-06-13T23:48:00.000-07:00

This is another genuine Cotomisse from Surinam. According to my mother, she's over 50 years old and is very delicate.

the real thing

2005-06-13T23:46:00.000-07:00

This is a genuine, Surinamese Cotomisse doll. She's over 40 years old and was given to my grandmother by one of my great-aunites. I've always loved the pattern of the fabric and her regal headwrap.

+><+

2005-06-13T23:34:00.000-07:00

This is the very first doll I ever made...she's probably about 7 or 8 years old. She's based off of a style of dolls made in Surinam, the country where my grandfather is from. The dolls look like the women of Surinam called Cotomisses (I may not have the correct spelling), which means "Cotton Misses". The name comes from the layers of printed cotton fabrics which covered the women from head to toe.

{-*-}

2005-06-13T23:15:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to go home this past week to visit my family...and experience East Coast humidity once again. I took a few photographs of the very first dolls I ever made. They're quite different from the ones I currently create, but they are based off a folk style traditional to my family.

When I was in grad school, I didn't have a job so I began making dolls for my mother for Christmas gifts. I used random things from around the house or scoured the local thrift stores for anything good. It was the first time I had picked up a needle and thread in years but managed to come up with a unique present for Mom.

Miss X #2

2005-05-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

I added some hair...the photo's a bit dark.

Miss X

2005-05-22T23:05:00.000-07:00

OK...not every doll works out. This is a perfect example of that. I wanted to make a "Goth-queen-of-the-night" type but after many tries I gave up. I was working on a tight deadline and decided I should move on rather than fixate on just one doll. I stuffed her into a drawer and that was that.

Today while I was fabric hunting, I came across a turquoise vinyl snake skin print. It inspired me to try ol' girl once more and see if I could save her from a life in the back of the craft drawer. Stay tuned to see her progress.

MIHO

2005-05-22T22:04:00.000-07:00

Miss Miho...what can I say? She's a cutie!

fabric

2005-05-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

I got a chance to go fabric hunting today...and found a few good pieces. I recycle second-hand clothes to dress the dolls. That way I have a variety of fabric and patterns to choose from...and it's much cheaper than buying fabric by the yard.

~~~*~

2005-05-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

I found a small window of time to continue working on the set of dolls I've been trying to finish for a few months now...I think I'm almost there. It was so beautiful today that I decided to take my work outside and get a bit of sun.

~

2005-05-03T22:10:00.000-07:00

Every new entry reminds me of how much each doll transformed while I was making them. I created about 20 dolls in the span of 3 months and it went by so quickly that I never really thought about the process. I made them all at once, working on one for a while then getting stuck and moving on to another only to get inspired and move on to yet another. I had a little routine where every Sunday I would go hunting for fabric, I probably have 3 or 4 crates full, but besides that I worked on them whenever I had the chance. It was very meditative. Right now I'm just working on a few at a time...my day gig keeps me very busy.

EVA

2005-04-28T23:43:00.000-07:00

I tried something different when I made Eva. Instead of cutting her hair in the style I wanted...I used one piece of felt and folded it to create big curls.

IFE

2005-04-25T23:27:00.000-07:00

Ife started out completely different. She had long blonde hair and I was planning to do some sort of Lil' Kim kinda look...but it never came together. Ife wasn't the hoochey type. As a matter of fact she turned out to be this well traveled, worldly woman with very artistic tendencies. Her necklace is made from real coral from Mexico (one of my own necklaces sacrifices for the cause). I just sold her recently and was sad to see her go.

+

2005-04-20T21:28:00.000-07:00

I think the most enjoyable part of the process would have to be the details. Little things like earrings, embroidery or the tattoos. The jewelry can come from a variety of places...the most obvious is bead shops, but I've even torn apart some of my own jewerly to make a necklace for a doll. In Santa Monica there is a store called Fred Segal and inside they have the a beautiful bead section where I've found the most unique pieces. It's a bit pricey, but it great because I only need a few things here and there. The seems to specialize in smaller exotic, beads which are the perfect size for dolls.

The least enjoyable part...reversing the doll body after it has been sewn. But it has to be done!

GRETCHEN

2005-04-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

Gretchen was fun...each doll has their own little back story. She was originaly going to be a Malibu-esque beach Betty (hence the tan), but as I kept going I found this great quilted satin, thought of Chanel from the mid-90s and decided to give Gretchen a different spin.

MIRIAM

2005-04-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

I wish I had a few other photos of Miriam, especially one without her hat, but she was one of the first dolls to go. Her dreds were crocheted out of mohair and I made her a little Lion of Judah t-shirt. She was the third doll of the series and one of my favorite.

#2

2005-04-13T22:52:00.000-07:00

Amy is the second doll I completed last winter. She's one which I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted her to be but didn't come out as I expected. But she's a fighter and she kept coing back until I was finished.

at work...

2005-04-12T23:05:00.000-07:00

Here I am...hard at work. My sewing machine is the same age as I am and was once my mother's. It still runs well despite having taken a few knocks on it's journey from the East to West Coast. It's hard to see but my pin-cushion is a little pillow I made from an embroidered hankie of my Grandmother's. It says "Jane" but that's not her name...

keep it moving

2005-04-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

I'm currently working on a set of four dolls and I'm about a 1/4 of the way through. I tend to do multiple dolls at once so I don't know exactly how long it takes to complete just one. It helps to do several at a time...that way if something doesn't work on one doll, you can try it on another. The other upside to working on more than one doll at a time is all the different techniques I'll employ...sewing, crocheting, bead work, embroidery, etc.

Surprise!

2005-04-06T22:11:00.000-07:00

Each doll has their own little story, their own distinct personality. They all start out the same...a stuffed felt body cut from the same template as the others...but once I add the eyes it seems to give them a life of their own. I might have a general idea of what I want them to be and how they should look but the end result is always a surprise.

The Very First

2005-03-30T22:12:00.000-08:00

This is Estelle...she's the first doll I completed of my last collection (Winter 2004). Somewhat inspired by Ann Bancroft's character in The Graduate, she's a tough but well taken care of lady who likes her money old and her men young.

a few of the girls

2005-03-30T21:57:00.000-08:00

Hello

2005-03-30T21:36:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Jinamae:Diary of a Doll.

I'm Jeanna and I create one-of-a-kind rag dolls by hand. I hope to keep an ongoing record of the dolls I've made, the dolls I am currently making and those hope to make in the future.

Thank you for stopping by. Enjoy!

2005-03-30T21:32:00.000-08:00

Jinamae

Blah....

R.I.P.

Octavia Butler

2005

lisa

lisa_detail

dionne

shannon

farah

sagami

flores

savu

vanessa

bubbles

huera

april

panda

june

may

FRIDA

**FRIDA**

KARIMAH

MAKEDA & SOLOMON

MAKEDA

SOLOMON

CLAIRE

ANGIE

CAELAN

Holly Would

MARIPOSA

NIKKI

DOTTIE

*@@@@@@*

Ahhhhhhhh!

KALLI

TIEGAN

ANIKA

grace

under construction

gents

xxxxxxxxxx

XXXXXXX

:":":":":

ALMA

PAIGE

<^><^>

::::::::

HYACINTH

SYRAH

TATI

weekend warrior

lil' jinamaes

!!!!!

KEARA

MORGAN

CHANTAL

!

Coto-grannie

the real thing

+><+

{-*-}

Miss X #2

Miss X

MIHO

fabric

~*~*~*~

~

EVA

IFE

+

GRETCHEN

MIRIAM

#2

at work...

keep it moving

Surprise!

The Very First

a few of the girls

Hello

FRIDA

@@@@@@

~~~*~