I love to make my Kit, Chloe and Louise dolls squishy and soft. I think of them as my baby dolls. They’re chubby and toddler like with wide cheerful faces and they give great hugs. The stiffer, more tightly woven your fabric is the less it will give and it will give more structure to your shapes. And that will totally work for this doll design too. It will make the dolls a little easier to dress and a little … More
This set of Betsy, Tacy & Tib dolls are dressed up for a party and I just love how they turned out. I spend an unreasonable amount of time trying to find historically accurate fabric for doll dresses. There are so many challenges to find the right fit. As far as fabric stores I can drive to my only choices are Joanns and a quilt shop. But really most current offerings do not fit the bill in content or design … More
For those new to dollmaking where to get the supplies can be daunting. But really you should be able to find everything you need at your local fabric/craft store if you want to get started straight away or online if you’re a planner.
UPDATE: I now have an Amazon shop page where I’ve collecting some of my favorite dollmaking supplies.
BODY FABRIC:
Starting with the bodies, the key to body fabric is a tight weave (so no stuffing oozes out) … More
top to bottom: linen, linen, wool, linen, linen, wool
I have a few go-to’s that I keep coming back to for doll bodies, Essex Linen, linen from Joann Fabrics and thrifted wool. Every winter I head to the thrift stores to see if I can find a tan or beige or cream wool skirt of coat. It’s not as easy as it used to be but most years I can find one or two. … More
My brain is dead from all the pta emails I had to write today. I can’t seem to put together 3 sentences but I have these photos to share. I had a fun week gathering supplies. I had to take advantage to the not-as-cold and hit all the thrift stores. Now I have wool and tweed and sparkly Indian things to cut into. I have everything washed and piled and planned. Now to just work up the energy to dive … More
The one question I get asked the most is where do I get my wool felt. I thought I’d write a post about just that and hopefully get feedback from you guys and then have it all in one spot where I can send everybody. For whatever reason nice wool and wool felt seem to be specialty items and they aren’t readily available in most fabric stores (although JoAnn Fabrics does carry a few colors, their site says it’s 100% … More
ahhh.. that’s better. My wool felt stash has been restored thanks to this order from A Child’s Dream Come True that came this weekend.
new supplies are a good distraction from sitting around waiting for my niece to make her grand entrance into this world. those aren’t my impatient fingers you hear drumming on the desk. nope. … More
A captivating gang of 24 huggable, lovable creatures to sew—from classics like Margot, a topsy-turvy doll, and the button-jointed teddy bear Bjorn Bjornson, to irresistible Evelyn, a wool felt inchworm decked out in mod glasses and a kerchief, and Koji, a fiercely cute spiked softie monster. There’s something for everyone here—from kids to grown-ups and from beginning sewers to advanced dollmakers. Published by STC Craft, August, 2010.
