My Bowie tribute

I’ve been meaning to add some of my best textile arts projects here for ages. Kate Savage, the narrator and hero of A Savage Art, is a textile artist and I loved imagining her various art works – although I lack the skill to carry them out.

However, I am an enthusaiastic amateur and I always planned to share some of my favourite projects here.

In spite of his many imperfections – some have suggested he looks like Hazel O’Connor, or Rod Stewart, cosplaying – but still my only cloth doll is one of my favourites.

Here’s the finished doll, and below there are all the stages of putting him together.

I do absolutely love him.

I wish I could have made a version of Bowie in the powder blue suit from the Life on Mars video, but my tailoring skills aren’t up to it. But I was totally thrilled to discover that his costume designer actually used Liberty fabrics – just like the vintage fabric I bought on ebay for the project. There’s nothing quite like serendipitous accuracy to please a novelist

I do keep pondering making a second doll, and if I do, it will be a Kate Bush doll, obviously. But which Kate?

Ann