fern and sparkle (don't ask...)

Still obsessed with this book, I looked for what seemed to be the easiest larger doll and landed on the Tag-a-Long. She's made with flannel, which is so soft and delicious I will definitely be making more dolls from this material. I also used one of Bun's old baby dresses for the doll's dress. (Don't mind Fifi. She insisted on being in the picture...)

Bun and I had been reading Charlotte's Web as I made her, so she got dubbed Fern. Which I love. I'm really happy with how she turned out. Well...except for the ponytails. I think I placed them too high, so they kind of look like ears. ("Is she an elf," my mom asked?) And I apparently didn't quite construct them right as they are always flopping over. I'm thinking it might be best to cut them off all together and replace them with my beloved Princess Leia buns... But there are too many other new dolls to make before that happens.

But I'm still super happy with Fern. Mainly because of action like this. Whenever I see Bun playing with a doll (or anything) that I make, it makes me feel like I'm doing something right. Y'know?

Is there anything better?! Nope. 

Buoyed by my (partial) success with Fern, I ordered the PDF from Wee Wonderfuls for Kit, Chloe and Louise. This was my first time making a doll (or anything) with a gusset. I was afraid. Surely this wouldn't end well... but it did! It ended up fine. It ended with this cute little one named ...Sparkle. (I'm not sure where that one came from, but it kind of makes me long for the days of French girl names...)

Anyway, Sparkle was also my first attempt at yarn hair. I learned a lot with this first try. Like, don't let the yarn somehow get all tangled up into a gigantic mess before you even get the center part sewn. Yeah, things like that. And also, when you do sew that center part, make sure that it's, like, in the center. (Pay no attention to the lopsided buns.)

But I still love her. I even dressed her in another of Bun's old baby dresses - a little corduroy jumper - and stitched on some of the flowered details with a messy straight stitch. (Yes, I did save a lot of baby clothes.)

For the shoes, I went with yellowish felt for contrast with the dress. I also didn't have any matching thread so I went with a darker thread for contrast. It would seem that yellowish felt + darker thread = moccasins! I went with it and tied a few French knots to stand in for little beads.

All in all, success! In fact, I'm already eyeing several more projects from the book...

Speaking of eyes... I'm almost finished with the w.i.p. I'm just working on the eyes. Eyes are tough. What are you favorite ways to make eyes? Hopefully I'll have an update on the eyeless weenie soon...

w.i.p. (weenie in progress)

Inspired by the cuter than cute little creatures over here, I decided to try and see if I could make my own? Can you guess what it'll be?

How about now?

Fifi and Delphi

I'm not sure how I ended up on the Wee Wonderfuls site, but as soon as I did I ordered the book. I mean, how cute are those dolls? Given my beginning sewing skills, I picked the doll I thought looked like the most straight-forward to make. So I chose the little one, who Bun named Fifi, below.

 The instructions were very easy to follow, and I really love how the book was photographed. (Jen Gotch is so good!) But my favorite part about the book, and the reason I go back to it again and again for ideas is that there is so much variety. Each doll is made with different construction techniques, which once you learn, you can apply them in any number of ways. (Like the little buns on Fifi that I put on Gigi.)

I also made the little mermaid from the book. I used a pair of Bun's outgrown corduroy pants to make her bright red hair, and picked a fabric that looked like a rippling ocean for her fin. We'd been reading this book a lot while I made her, so her name - Delphi!

So glad I found this book. So much inspiration!

an attempt at a Black Apple...

Since my first two attempts at dolls turned out, well, doll-like, I tried making one from a pattern this time. I found this one from The Black Apple (so super cute) through Martha Stewart (of course).

The instructions seemed simple enough so I gave it a go...

It came together pretty easily. The only part that was a little tricky was after you sew and stuff the arms and legs, you are supposed to sew them inside the two body pieces. I had trouble keeping them stuffed inside and squooshed down enough to sew the body. (Has anyone else had this problem?) So, I kind of just held my breath, smooshed everything down and went for it. It seemed to hold (if not perfectly aligned), so I was happy. Her head may also be a tad pointy around the top edges, but that is probably because of my lack of sewing skills tendency to sew super fast and veer off the lines a skosh...

Then I painted on her sweet little face and knit her a tiny scarf. Bun named her Bebe. She turned out so well I wanted to make another.

THAT is when I had my BIG idea!

I realize most of you experienced sewers probably also had this BIG idea, but to me it was BIG. When looking for fabrics, I realized that I had a ton of fabric in the form of Bun's old baby clothes that I couldn't bear to part with. What better way to preserve them than in the form of a dolly!

I grabbed this sweet corduroy jumper that she wore as a dress, then as a tunic, then as a short tunic until it was finally retired. I loved how traditional it felt and the sunny fabric and definitely wasn't ready to let it go. So it became...

Gigi! (Yes, apparently all of our dolls get French girl names.) I used the plain parts to make her body and then cut out the little butterfly decorations and hand-sewed them and one of the buttons on with embroidery thread. (I'm sure there is a more correct way to do this, so don't look too closely at my stitching!)

A little butterfly even landed around back!

For her legs, I used one of Bun's old plaid tunics that she had also grown out of. I love the little patch of yellow that accidentally ended up on her toes.

Gigi got little Princess Leia buns... from this book. Which is up next...!

meet Coco and Kiki

Here she is! This is Coco. My first doll attempt. Obviously, not an exact match with the inspiration, but a doll nonetheless! And one that my little Bun was very happy with. I painted on her eyes and little heart mouth and made a very crude dress by essentially sewing a tube with arm holes. No hems, clearly, and then I threaded some yarn through the fabric to gather around the neck and waist.

For my second attempt, I tried to stay a little more true to the original. This time, I embroidered her "star" eyes and sewed on her little felt heart-shaped mouth. The pom-pom might be my favorite addition. Makes me want to figure out a way to incorporate pom-poms into my wardrobe...

 

I knit her a little shawl (a basic rectangle really) to keep her warm. Her name? Kiki, of course. 

Best of friends.

Next up... I give the Black Apple pattern a try...

Have you seen this?

This was the article that started it all. I was flipping through my copy of the February 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Living (which I am loving as of late by the way) and came across this article on Jess Brown and her super stylish rag dolls. 

I'm going to make one, I thought.

Nevermind that I didn't own a sewing machine or know how to use one. It didn't matter. I could picture it in my head. I was going to make one.

I studied the article. I Googled Jess Brown and then studied her website. I tracked down a local shop that carried her doll and studied them in person. They were so sweet and so original; I couldn't get them out of my mind. And those clothes! The Liberty dresses, the hand-knit stockings. I would figure it out.

I bought some muslin, a wool sweater from Goodwill for the hair, and my mom brought by some fabric quarters for the dress along with her 1970s sewing machine. She gave me a quick tutorial, and I sketched out a pattern.

I should say the real impetus behind the desire to create such a doll was my daughter. She was three, and wasn't getting any younger. If I wanted her to have handmade clothing/dolls/heirlooms from her mom, I would have to make them. Like, now.

So I did. I made one. I made her my interpretation of a Jess Brown doll. I'm happy to say, that was only the beginning...