Hand Sewing and Memories

I learned from my parents how important tools are in achieving success with a handcrafted endeavor.  I’ve collected my favorite tools over the years and keep them ready and handy for my projects.  When I’m hand sewing, I’m often in the sitting area of my studio, not at my work table.  This very cool vintage carved tray is the perfect place to keep the items I need corralled on my lap. My husband found it in the ice cream shop in historic Foxburg, PA and thought it would be useful. He was right!
I stitched the felted wool butterfly pincushion and attached a soft leather strap that allows me to put it over my head.  It’s balanced to hang centered on my chest, a handy catch-place for needles and scissors. The little embossed brass case was at one time a cover for Avon lipstick.  Now, with a wad of wool in the bottom, she makes a perfect case for my needles.  Hemostats work great to provide an extra set of fingers, or to pull a needle through a tight bit of wool or linen. Two of my favorites were given to me by my dad when he was teaching me how to tie tippets and fly fish towards the end of his life.  I moved them from my tackle box to my sewing kit after his health no longer allowed us to wade in the creeks together. The magnifying lens with the reclining green jeweled panther atop it belonged to my mother’s mother.  Long after NeNe passed, it hung from a hinge in my mom’s kitchen.  She gave it to me when she gave me her sewing machine. It has more elan than my dollar store magnifying glasses, that’s for sure. All of these things and more are part of the love that goes into everything I make.

Thanks for taking this little journey with me through my sewing tools and my memories.

#handmadedolls #handsewn #handmadedollclothes #felted #feltedwool #Foxburg

Textile Inspiration

It’s not at all unusual for me to go through my collection of textiles and laces and vintage handkerchiefs when I have an idea for an new doll.  The textures, hues and tactile qualities help me define who that doll is going to become.  This is a gathering of goodies that may become the next doll on my work table. 

There’s an amazing deep eggplant colored patterned velvet sleeve from a vintage robe, a delicate linen handkerchief with a deep lace edging, a bit of white cotton embroidered eyelet yardage and several linen and cotton goods. The tatted antimacassar has been in my collection for more than 25 years, just waiting for the perfect project.  
The fringed length was the finished edge of the alpaca shawl it’s next to as recently as yesterday.  I carefully removed the fringe finishing a narrow selvedge tape opposite the fringe.  I already know how I’m going to use it and it will be a sweet addition to my newest BestFriend doll.  After removing the fringe I hemmed the end of the shawl to prevent any unraveling.  It may remain in my doll textile collection, but then again I may wrap it around my neck on a cold winter’s day!

Hairstyle trends on Sweet Violet

One of my favorite things about doll making is finding and repurposing textiles.  For this little girl I am working with a vintage Pendleton wool blanket.  It was in really good condition and could still function as a blanket, but its color and weight screamed “I’m perfect for doll hair’ so that’s how I’m using it.  I experimented with different shapes and layering, adding seams to create curved shapes.

Here’s the sketchbook with notes of my final pattern shapes for the 11 1/2 inch doll.

I 

layered the shapes onto the head, stitching carefully to secure and style the shapes working from the nape to the crown.

And, the finished coiffure with a felted wool headband and flower accent!

An outfit and a mouse for a girl

I’m dressing the blonde 11 1/2 inch dolls destined for a home in Boston...

Nearing the finish line

The completion of a series of linen bodied rag dolls with one of a kind molded faces is very near. As has always been the way in my studio, my work table is a jumble of supplies and projects when I near the finish line. I’m very organized during each individual phase then lose it all as I complete the last details and assembly.

The little girl below is one a pair of ‘twins’ though each has her own unique facial expression and hair style designed from blonde vintage felted Pendleton wool. Their clothes are sewn, and they have on their shoes but need undies and their felted wool hairstyles carefully stitched to their heads yet. They will be going to live with two little girls in Boston once they’re all finished. 

It’s a joy for me to create dolls for imaginary children but also as a commission for a child who knows ‘just what her doll should look like.’  If you know a child who has just such a need and you’d like to discuss a commission, send me a message.

Two Fine Friends

There is a long history of dolls known as ‘Topsy Turvy’ or ‘Upside Down” dolls.  I call my dolls with two personalities ‘Best Friend’ dolls and they are a child and her animal companion.  Flip the skirt and see the friend!  I’ve been working on two of these dolls, and today spent time on skirts for one of them.  I love watching the personalities of these dolls unfold as I cut and pin and stitch. 

By tomorrow I’ll have undergarments on both dolls, and they’ll be dressed in their new outfits and ready for the reveal!  Until then, here they are still in production:

This funny looking garment on the left will become a reversible skirt for each of these girls.  On the right, a vintage tea towel from Creative Reuse of Pittsburgh becomes an apron..

Making linen doll bodies

I want to share some of my creative process in this post.  When I design a new doll body shape I trace my patterns and cut them from card stock.  I have an idea for a new doll so I choose the body design and carefully trace an outline onto a doubled length of natural 100% linen.  I place the vertical line of my pattern on the straight grain running parallel to the selvedge (the warp.) This is a matter of personal taste. The placement will affect the shape of the body once it has been stuffed.  It’s fun to experiment with different placements on warp or weft or bias using the same fabric and pattern piece!

 I place a pin in the center of each piece to prevent shifting when I stitch around the outlines.  I don’t cut any individual pieces apart until after I have stitched all the parts for the body parts I have traced. Once I’ve stitched my outline using a 2.0 mm stitch (12.7 stitches to the inch) I cut the body parts apart with an allowance of  3.2 mm (a generous 1/8 inch.) To turn the parts and stuff them I use a variety of tools, but my favorites are an assortment of hemostats.  

Today I have been stuffing a series of ‘skins’ I stitched up a few days ago - one will be an 18 inch doll and one will be an upside down best friend doll.  I like to work in the sitting area of my home studio with all my favorite tools in front of me.

I used to baste my turned edges before I stitched them, but now just use my quilting pins and work around them until I have enough tacked that I can remove the pins.  I know this is not the ‘right way’ but it works well for me!