So I made a doll yesterday. I had an idea in my head starting out and once I got to the face it totally changed. The little face turned out so sweet. I did a satin stitch for the eyes which actually turned out really well :)
I've made a lot of dollies but have not tackled yarn hair since the dolls I made as a child. For a long time it just intimidated me, I could not think of a way to secure the fibers. That is one thing that is important to me when I give a gift to a child - I don't want the thing I've made to fall apart easily. And yarn hair? Well, that just sounded like it could be pulled out too quickly and then who wants to play with a bald doll???
Ok anyways, back to the subject! I did a quick google search yesterday morning prior to starting the doll. I found this post from Fig & Me that had some interesting pointers and lots of links to other makers/blogs which is where I found the one I ended up using: Crafty Sheep's post called Waldorf Doll Hair Tutorial.
I have included the links if you'd like to check them out. The Crafty Sheep tutorial was easy to follow and solved the mystery of how to get all the strands of yarn under control and sewn on fairly quickly and easily.
Okay, let's talk about pattern. I draw inspiration from a lot of sources. I have a couple of books in particular that inspire me which are shown below. I also have a few patterns that I reference. Usually what I do is pick a pattern and trace the parts I like and modify as needed to get the look I want. For this doll I used the body pattern from the We Make Dolls! book shown below but I changed the head by taking a plate and re-drawing the top of the head. I use a pen with erasable ink to draw the face on by hand then embroider around that.
p.s. I should say that the links I share are just meant to be helpful, not tryna sell anything and I'm not paid to share. Sorry, I figure that is obvious but I know that's a big deal for some people......uggggg....so there you go.
Ok, this next set of photos is for my Mom. We were discussing doll patterns and I told her about this one that I have had probably since high school and I found it either in a thrift store or yard sale...don't remember now. But, I LOVE it. You can see it is from 1965, and was in a Woman's day magazine. I don't know if the pattern was included in the magazine or if the lady ordered the paper pattern from there. I have all the pieces for the Annie Doll and the mini. One thing I love about finding used patterns from older generations is the handwriting. I know it's faint, but above the title it says "17" tall doll" in cursive. Handwriting like that is slowly fading away I think.
Anyways! I also altered the arm from the pattern. I made that little triangle of dress fabric be part of the arm instead of sewn as one complete piece. I also added a little collar to the body which turned out cute! I think she turned out really well. I did tack the hair down a bit on the sides but not all the way across the back of the head, which in hindsight I might have done. Meh. maybe next time.
At the last minute I added satin ribbon bows for her pigtails. The little girl I made this doll for loves really girly stuff so I thought that would really add to the girly factor. What do you think? I think this little doll is ready to be a friend, to share secrets and adventures and hugs!
In other news I am making a spaghetti sauce in my crock pot today. I threw in the last bit of my roma tomatoes from the garden and some zucchini as well. It should be yummy!!! I love cozy Sundays :) Have a great week!!!!
