Dress Up Dollies

Most of my creativity lately has been focused on a very special project.  I’m keeping the progress of this doll secret until she is completely finished, and has arrived at her new home.  Now, there’s something you can look forward to! 

Because the nature of my processes require time between production phases for drying or curing, I’ve also been working on an 18 inch dress-up doll.  This photo shows her body, with jointed hips and knees, and her face mask which is not yet covered with its cotton jersey skin or stitched in place. 

The 18 inch structure is the basis for the American Girl dolls which are all the rage for little girls.  The size of the doll allows for clothing whose size is not so small and fiddly to be difficult for little girls to undress and redress their dolls.  I have a basic wardrobe in the works for this doll, dress clothes and school clothes, play clothes, a tote bag and a toy. 

I spent this past Monday at the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, NY studying the dolls made by Martha Jenks Chase and Izannah Walker.  They were the dress-up dolls of another century and it was an honor to be able to hold them and study all the handmade details in both the doll and her clothing. Very inspiring!