Luci Ayyat is Creating Quirky and Adorable Dolls

Meet our creator Luci Ayyat from Ballyhoo Creations! Luci creates doll patterns and machine embroidery designs. She usually combines the two and makes doll patterns that can be completely stitched by an embroidery machine. With an embroidery machine, you can get precise seams that are very difficult to achieve on a regular sewing machine.

Scroll down for our interview with Luci!

How did you get into machine embroidery and doll making? How did you get to where you are now?

I starting making Teddy Bears and Dolls when I was in high school, usually to give as gifts.  Machine Embroidery came later when I was into making dance costuming.  

About 12 years ago I began creating embroidery designs to make tiny clothes and fairy wings for dolls and then my style of stitching faces and doll bodies evolved from there.

How would you describe your crafting style?

I’m a binge crafter!  I’ll dive in and work on a something new for days or weeks, then I’ll put it aside and move to something else as I cycle through my favorite crafts like graphic design, machine embroidery, dollmaking, and DIY projects around the house.  I’m trying a new schedule where each week I focus on designing, stitching, video or whatever.  It helps keep me from feeling overwhelmed by all the possibilities of what to work on for any particular day.

What are the steps you take to create a doll from start to finish? How long do your dolls usually take to make?

My design process starts with a hand drawn face and body shape.  Then I use embroidery digitizing software to turn that into a stitch file.  After testing and tweaking the design, a character will usually emerge within a week.  

Once the embroidery design is done, it takes anywhere from 1 to 6 hours to stitch and assemble a doll depending on the level of detail each doll has. 

What’s the most challenging part about creating your own doll from scratch? Which part of the process do you enjoy the most?

I have a hard time visualizing what the finished doll will look like.  So choosing fabrics and colors is challenging for me.  I’ve learned to stick with a narrow color palette or rely on coordinated fabric collections to help limit the failed attempts.  

My favorite part of making a doll is when the head gets turned right-side-out and the character suddenly jumps out like it’s saying “hello” to you. 

You create these quirky and amazing dolls. Where do you find your inspiration?

Thank you for saying that!  The first collection of faces were based on the 12 personality archetypes by the psychologist Carl Jung.  The Magician and the Caregiver are my favorites because those archetypes resonate strongly with me.  

Now I’m inspired by characters everywhere – movies, books, mythology – sometimes a cloth character nags at my inner voice until I finally make it.  

What was your most recent favorite doll or machine embroidery project you made? And why? 

My favorites are usually the most recent ones, until they get replaced by a newer design.  The sneaky guys in their pink ski hats are at the top of my love list right now.  

They were inspired by the old comedians Laurel & Hardy.  I remember watching them as a girl and they always made me laugh, so I wanted to create something similar to that odd couple.

What’s been your biggest achievement so far as a crafter? What are your plans for the future?

There is no “biggest achievement” that jumps out.  Being a professional crafter has had many small achievements sprinkled in with disappointments.  It took me several years before I realized this was normal and learned to keep working persistently, even on the days when inspiration was hiding or I felt my creations were awful.  

Right now I’m focused on building my design collection and teaching others how to use those designs in creative ways.  But I’ve always wanted to publish a craft book, so I may work on that eventually.

What does crafting mean to you?

Crafting has gotten me through some difficult life experiences and helped me cope, so in some ways it’s not just relaxation or a creative exercise, sometimes it’s refuge and safety.