I love Jane Austen. I've read all her books, and love Emma. For my second doll, I wanted to pay homage to Jane Austen and also to try polymer clay. I sculpted Emma's head, hands, and feet out of Super Sculpey and attached them to a stitched muslin body. I used buttons for the shoulder joints, and stitched joints at the hip and knee. I painted the Super Sculpey pieces with acrylic paint, and also painted the eyes.
I learned my lessons with this doll - 1) mold the eyes and insert them in the clay instead of painting eyes after it's all baked. 2) Don't paint the face - mix the polymer clay to be the right shade- the translucent clay looks more like skin
In Jane Austen's time, most women's dresses were lightweight white cotton. To add interest, I embroidered the edges in blue. The bonnet is silk dupioni over a heavy interfacing. The trim is all hand-crocheted and I love the effect- time well spent.
All that being said, I still love Emma. She was a happy lesson and I like her cheerful, open face
