A New Colour Palette for 2018

Had a really great year in 2017 and over the winter this has given me the opportunity to buy in some wonderful fabric for the dolls in 2018.

I am going for a softer colour palette, more subtle and gentle. Having to abandon my British only policy but want to create a very definate look.  Using more linens especially French linens by Rousseau.  I have gone for Snowberry by Moda and Wordsmith by Janet Clare.  Still using Liberty but the softer tones and quieter prints.  Looking out for Toile du Jouy in calm colourways, love to see a frog in Toile.

I have also got my paws on some vintage calico for doll bodies.  It takes black tea staining like a dream and means I can age the dolls more effectively.  Really excited about the coming year, lots of dolls to make!

The First Frog of the Year

Happy New Year to Everyone.

This is Willow, the first frog sale of the year.  She has gone to Ambleside in the Lake District, nice and damp with lots of her favourite beetles.  I was asked to dress her in a willow pattern fabric as the family concerned live by the river with a large willow dominating their garden.  Quite naturally I went for a reproduction willow pattern by William Morris, with spotty legs and matching petticoats she makes a fine frog.

Willow is hand painted with lots of hand embroidered french knots and running stitches.  She stands fourteen inches tall and is pleasingly plump.  She carries a hand embroidered sachet with a beetle on it just in case she is hungry!

Last Mouse before Christmas

This is my last mouse before Christmas, she is a Christmas Mouse and was made for a lovely lady in Leyland.

It has been a great few months, all the Christmas dolls have gone, the frogs and the mice. I am going to have a couple of weeks off visiting family and trying new patterns.

This little mouse like all my mice is tiny, just under nine inches and very delicate.  She has the smallest shoes I have ever made and little leather ears and tail.  Her dress is finished with narrow organza ribbon, buttons and a snowflake lavender bag.  Her face is hand embroidered,

I am going to try a make a fox and a hare in the New Year, all good things and very exciting.  I want to thank everyone who visits my blog and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a cracking New Year. 

Nancy, A Folk Art Rag Doll

Nancy is a folk art rag doll made to my Nora pattern. Her body is sewn from vinatge calico, tea stained for age. She has a hand painted, hand embroidered face with wool tops for hair in a rich brunette with just of touch of grey.

She is dressed in Liberty Lawn fabric in a full frock with coordinating underskirts and knickers finished with a lace petticoat. The Liberty fabric is called Thorpe and is reminiscent of a meadow in full bloom just before they fall, with pinks, greys and soft greens. She has a rose quartz heart for love and lavender within her stuffing for a gentle scent. Her dress is finished with tiny buttons, pink organza ribbon and little leather shoes. She sports a lavender sachet embroidered in sampler style to match her dress.

Nancy is fourteen inches tall with a warm heart and a gentle face, a lovely girl to sit on a bed or chair.  I think she makes a gentle hearted companion, all my girls are good listeners!

Tuesday Talent - Lera Sherhoeva

This lady I discovered on Etsy at LerushaShop.  Her little dolls are exquisitely made with lots of lovely details and the most amazing outfits.  You can buy an individual doll or a doll with a whole wardrobe, so special for that little girl who loves dolls.  For this not so little girl also, who still loves dolls.

Her name is Lera Sherhoeva and she comes from Vladivostok, so another very talented Russian maker.  There are so many wonderful Russian doll makers.

Lera also has a great Instagram page at lera_sherhoeva and a website at lerusha.com where you will also find very attractive dresses and blouses for little girls.

If you a looking for something special for a special little girl this winter try the Etsy shop, the dolls are so reasonable and so beautifully made.

The Lace I Use

The lace I use in my doll making is genuinely beautiful, it is bridal lace and comes from South Korea.  I buy it on ebay from a shop called Mioneworld and sometimes from Zettayotta but they both come from the same building in Korea so I think they are the same company.

I like my dolls to have petticoats, a coordinating cotton or silk petticoat to match their knickers and a lace petticoat to finish off.  Since finding this source I use nothing else.  It gives the dolls a lovely final finish and sits well with my scalloped edges.

The turn around is good, they send straight away no hesitation and the parcel arrives in the UK within two weeks - which is great.  They have all kinds of widths and sell tulle as well as crochet laces, cotton laces and lace applique.  I can heartily recommend Mioneworld and the laces they produce.  Have a peep at them on Ebay.

A Most Disdainful Frog

Had a great day at my first craft show, sold so many frogs that I had to share one before they all disappeared.

This is a new pattern I have designed, love frogs and wanted to make a frog doll.  When the first was embroidered I fell in love with her most disdainful expression.  I like the embroidered detail, mostly french knots - which are my favourite stitch for texture.  She has a rose quartz heart for love and lavender in her stuffing for a gentle scent.  I have made some in William Morris fabric but prefer them in Liberty lawn with silk and lace underwear.

This little lady and her sister went to a lovely lady who had come to buy them having seen them on facebook which was such a great feeling and I thank her and her husband very much.

So all in all a really great day, met some charming people, thank you to Joolz for making the day such fun.  So much unpacking to do!