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Constance

I sketched this gal the other night making dinner and LOVE how she turned out, yay! I had this body already made up from years ago when I was going to make the Little Women dolls, still on my to-do list. I was pleased with my solution for a little apron/dress. The first few tries were weird. I think this is pretty cool, I like how it overlaps in the back. I was excited to make a bunch of layers to bundle her up. Constance is now cozy in her socks and boots, mittens and hat and scarf and new wool coat. Oh, and she has an over the shoulder bag too. She has to step into it bc of her rather large noggin but that’s how all the cool girls do it anyway.

brrr

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for makers and shoppers

doll braided bun

I’ve got things up at etsy for those who want to diy this holiday and for those who want to just wrap. Printed patterns have free shipping this weekend – great for gifts for crafty friends! And I’ve been adding and will continue to add the handmade original dolls I’ve been working on this month. I don’t have specific posting times, sorry. I just don’t have the shopper audience to warrant that. But if you’re interested in anything specific you can email me and I’ll let you know when it goes up! Hope everyone is having a restful day weekend. Ha, I know! As restful as the post Thanksgiving/Christmas kick off can be. We had a great black Friday, hiding out at the movies and then home to build Legos.

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flapper girl

My doll outfit inspiration board on pinterest is filled with 1920s inspiration lately. I love the bobs and the big bows and the loose dresses. I’m headed to the library to check out some books for more inspiration. If I can ever finish spitting out this one paragraph blog post!

I’m trying very hard to stay inspired and stay positive this week. I’m sure everyone is in that same boat lately. And the holidays bring everything into such sharp focus. I liked this letter from uppercase magazine in my inbox the other day. I’m so filled with self doubt about what I’m doing spending my days sewing toys. I found this a little reassuring.

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updates

I listed these guys on etsy yesterday and they sold before I had a chance to post that they were up.

I’m feeling very grateful and energized to keep making! Despite not having a plan, an end goal, or any idea what I’m doing, I’m really enjoying making toys right now and I’m so elated to find homes for them. So I’m just going to knock out the obstacles in my way, like not having one single hand sewing needle I like (how does that happen?!), and keep at it. These guys in my to-do basket I’m thinking of listing on etsy next. Them, and the Woodland Elf.

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1920s girls fashion

I’ve been wanting to make flapper dolls with bobs and so went looking for some inspiration. I love 20s fashions so much. The dropped waists and simple lines but then with all the ornate details. Definitely hard to recreate as doll clothes but I continue to be fascinated.

I was so focused on the clothes that I didn’t get pictures of the full descriptions and that’s bumming me out. Finished at the neck with a smart ??? little bow?

Could I sew on this many tiny buttons? Probably not but maybe 3 buttoned straps would do the trick.

These booties would be much easier to tackle.

I love the bobs and how great are the little bows and headbands.

And lastly, this tiny little bow front and center. Cute!

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a doll for Penny

I made this doll from the Kit, Chloe and Louise pattern, to go to a little blond friend of ours. Our friend Penny is a super talented and creative girl and I was so pleased when her mom said she was loving the toys I’ve been making because I’d already had this one in mind for her. Never too old for dolls!

Her outfits were all made from recycled baby/kids clothes. I am definitely still loving this process, although it’s not always as quick and easy as I imagine it will be. I’ve probably had as many failures as successes but I learn a helpful trick each time. Once I have it nailed down I’ll post some tutorials. Basically I just use the pattern pieces from the clothing in the pattern and start cutting trying to keep as many finished hems and cute details as possible. If my Bernina was up and running I think these would be a breeze but as it is I’m having lots of machine-eating-knits delays. It’s worth it though because it’s so nice to have soft, cozy outfits for these soft, cozy dolls.