Dolls in My Future: Lynn Miller

As I made the soft sculptured dolls, the dream of making them look like people I knew took hold.  Maybe one of these dolls looks like someone YOU know.  I decided to go out on a limb and make a doll for my friend, Chris, who was retiring from teaching.  I thought about her clothes, hair, jewelry and overall style and came up with a doll that reminded me of Chris.  Now the test.  I met Chris for coffee at our favorite spot, handed her the gift bag, held my breath, and waited for her to open it.  Her first words?  “It’s me!”
Hooray!  I had one notch in my belt.

My daughter, Abby, who was working at a convent infirmary, asked for a Nun doll.  I had to think about that one for a long time.  What habit did this particular order wear?  How authentic did it have to look?  What if I did something very, very wrong in portraying this Nun?  I forged ahead after consulting the internet several times and finally took off.   Success?  You decide.

Now on to conquer other faces, a real challenge.  It’s easier to make a doll and then decide if it looks like someone you know!  So, as you can see, the journey continues.  My focus will be on sculpting as well as fine tuning those shoes!  I’ll let you know how I’m doing from time to time. 

Lynn Miller's dolls and other creations are available in her Etsy shop, Lynn's Simply By Hand.

Dolls from Drawings: Lynn Miller

In my last year of teaching, I tried an idea that had been bubbling on the back burner for years.  I took children’s art and made it 3D.  My first piece was a drawing of a dinosaur given to me by a boy in my first grade class.  He was a dinosaur genius and encyclopedia.  Using the colors he’d used but in printed fabric, I re-created his dinosaur.  Oh, I had some more tricks to learn for sure.  He wouldn’t stand on his 4 legs and his teeth didn’t seem terrifying enough being made of felt!  I tried my hand at other drawings such as the Chipmunks drawn by another young artist.

chipmunks as illustrated by a young artist

My next project was a doll made from a drawing by the daughter of a family friend, followed closely by dolls for her sisters.  Making each doll to look like the child’s picture was exciting as I created something new each time.  The dresses, the hair, the size of the body, and the expressions were challenging and fun at the same time.  

doll from a girl's drawing

Things really started to take shape after I left my teaching job.  This was a time for reflection and re-direction for me and I naturally returned to dolls.  After a couple of months of making primitive dolls, I wanted to make dolls that looked like people I knew.  I started with a book by Terese Cato.  Her book was very helpful in guiding me to take the next step.  Thank you, Terese!  These dolls were soft sculpted with real character faces that got my imagination going.  I started by making several, like 10, trying different sculpting techniques, making clothing, and up-cycling fabric as well as jewelry and bits of crochet or lace.

Lizzie

My friend, Judy and I scoured antique stores and second hand shops where I found many treasures such as the cameo pin on Lizzie or the locket pin on Clarissa.  With time to pursue each new creative idea, I knitted, crocheted, embroidered and painted until I was satisfied with the outcome.  I’m still working on shoes….and lips…and body sizes…. 

Clarissa and her friend

 Next week, I’ll bring you up to the present.  I look forward to your comments!

Lynn's dolls and other creations can be found in her Etsy shop, Lynn's Simply By Hand.

Here are 3 of Terese Cato's books for you to browse.

Dolls and Soft Animals: Lynn Miller

In the seventies, soft ducks were very popular if made in plaids and wools.  Of course, I had to try that.  I also ventured into Teddy Bears made of everything from black crepe to corduroy and fake fur.  There may have been a bunny or two in that time period as well.

My Learn to Sew Book: A Golden Book

In making these animals I was learning, unbeknownst to me, skills that would carry me into new projects.  Seeing how wedges and ovals could shape the final product was as important as learning ways to attach legs that were either stationary or movable.  Working with fabrics, both thick and thin, gave me a great deal of experience in mistakes and un-sewing:  widen your seams for silks, trim back the fur, and corduroy is not very forgiving when trying to ease a neck onto a body.  Unfortunately, I have no photos* from this period but I’m sure your imaginations can supply a few!

My Learn to Sew Book: A Golden Book

As a teacher, I made puppets, costumes, and helped the children make small bags called pockets for our annual trip into the times of the English Settlers in Plimoth. (old spelling-www.plimoth.org)

image from bvcolonialcrafts.com

One year, I had each child draw a picture of themselves using fabric crayons on muslin.  I made each of these into a hand puppet.  I say this as it was the niggle of a later idea that came to fruition.  A child’s drawing is sometimes detailed and sometimes not so much.  The puppets were cute although not all of the children recognized their own drawing when put in this new form!

My Learn to Sew Book: A Golden Book

I’d say that this chapter was more on the learning end than anything.  I did a few things, I tried some new ideas; however, nothing seemed to be worth fine tuning.  AND, I was working full time, had two children, a husband, a house, a dog, a guinea pig, a parakeet, and fish.

Lynn's dolls and other creations can be found in her Etsy shop, Lynn's Simply By Hand.

*some images are from a classic in my library; 

My Learn to Sew Book by Janet Barber, Golden Press, 1971.
My Learn to Sew Book: A Golden Book

Dolls From the Beginning: Lynn Miller

My next few Thursday blogs will be a series about my progression into doll making.  This has been a labor of love from the beginning.  Always loved dolls!  My first doll was a Raggedy Ann that I made while in college.  It was for my Japanese Pen Pal so that I could send something truly American.  Yaeko and I began writing when we were 11 and still continue occasionally to this day….Oh my!  It’s been 52 years. Is that a record?  The photo isn’t the greatest but you get the idea, lots of red yarn hair and that recognizable face.  She is still being used by Yaeko’s granddaughter.  Raggedy Ann is such fun to make with that little heart on her chest, the pantaloons, apron, and dress.  I enjoyed the way her legs came together with the stockings and shoes all in one piece.  This is something I remembered and used in later dolls.  

Part of my doll journey was making doll clothes for various dolls that made up my little family.  Barbie clothes use very little fabric, but it's oh so hard to turn over a tiny hem!  My mom, a great seamstress, quilter and painter, was the perfect model for a little girl who wanted to sew.  She made wardrobes for some of my dolls, like Tiny Tears and Ballerina.  I still have those and the vintage patterns from which they came.

Making Raggedy Ann dolls has continued up to the present with gifts to nieces, friends, and family.   When my first child was born, AKA tidbits & scraps, Julie, I made a soft baby doll for her.  Now I know this is horrible photo but the only one I could find!  This was a doll that seemed to be just the right size for a little girl, and even though it never became a real favorite, it was loved.  

As you’ll see from reading this series, I have never been far from making dolls even in those years where other activities took precedence.  Now, at the age of 52 + 11, I am more involved than ever.  Next week, I’ll take you into the my world of animals and primitive dolls.

Summer of Dolls: Joy Made It

Can you guess who the doll artist of the day is?  Joy!  She made it.  Or them.  Whichever.  Joy lives and works in Lancaster, PA with her 2 boys.  That explains the desire to make dolls!  Let's start with the Pirate Doll just to be fair to her boys anyhow.

Me: Why dolls (other than the 2 boys thing)?
Joy: I love to craft and sew and have since I was a little girl. It first started with my Mom letting me pick out the pattern and fabric for my fancy Christmas dress. As I got older I became interested in quilting. But through the years I always loved to try something new and so I've had many "phases" - pottery, jewelry, floral, clothing, crochet, painting. But I've always come back to sewing.

I had to include this lovely Miss with the pink hair 

since her name is Abby like my sister.  Though her hair 

was never pink she did want to be a rock star when she grew up.

Love this hair style!

Thanks Joy!

Summer of Dolls: Salvage Handmade

 

Today I welcome Gabrielle Kingsley from Salvage Handmade based in Arkansas. 

Me: What is Salvage?

Gabrielle: At Salvage you will find simple and sweet handmade plush dolls. Each doll is made using mostly organic, natural, or eco-friendly materials, and is sure to delight both the young and the young-at-heart. 

Me: When did you start making dolls?

Gabrielle: I started making dolls in 2009 during my last semester of undergrad, when I was working on my senior art project. I was supposedly an illustration major, but toward the end of my undergrad days, I decided that I preferred tactile crafts to drawing and illustrating. I started experimenting with patterns to try to get a perfect, simple doll. My original dolls were much smaller, only about 5 inches long! They were cute, but eventually I decided that something of a little more "huggable" size would be better.  Having never made dolls or softies before, my pattern creation process was a lengthy one, and my pattern has been through many changes and adjustments. Sometimes making something simple can be really complicated!

 Me:  Where does your inspiration come from?

Gabrielle:  I took a lot of inspiration along the way from softie and doll makers like Jess Brown (shop.jessbrowndesign.com/category/dolls), Hop Skip Jump (www.hopskipjump.bigcartel.com/), and One Red Robin (oneredrobin.com/), as well as many others. 

 

Salvage dolls are 17 inches tall and made of eco-friendly materials including corn based fill and hand dyed felt hair.  (Gabrielle says: I don't actually dye the wool felt for the dolls' hair myself. I buy the felt from suppliers on Etsy who are better qualified than I am to do so!)

Gabrielle also offers customized dolls.  When ordering she allows customers to choose hair, eye, skin, and dress colors.  Optional details such as accessories and embroidery are also available for an additional fee to make your doll really yours.

Me: What does the future of Salvage Handmade look like to you?

Gabrielle: In the future, however, I would like to make doll dresses out of fabric that I design and print through Spoonflower.com. I would also like to try designing some different dress styles and possibly make little quilts to go with the dolls... The sky's the limit, I guess! I'm open to suggestions and requests! I am, however, enjoying my third baby, born this summer, so the immediate future of Salvage Handmade may be something more along the lines of "maternity leave"... :)

Ok, here is my favorite doll from Gabrielle's collection: Wynnie.  I can't resist the red hair and blue eyes, plus the pattern on the dress is so lovely and fresh.  I wish she was sitting here on my desk helping with these posts.

Summer of Dolls: Sewing Box Poetry

Today's featured doll maker is Regina Marti from Sewing Box Poetry.  Although her etsy shop is closed for the summer her blog features each of her Waldorf inspired dolls as she creates them. 
She is a stay at home mom of two wonderful little children, and whenever there is some time She's trying to play out her ideas of little smiley dolls, cute bears or other loveable creatures.

Check out the cheeks on Pixie...

Me: How long have you been making dolls?
Regina: I started making bears when I went to high school but then didn't have enough time to follow my hobby until my second child was born. Then I got back to creating my little friends, and I'm so thankful for all these internet platforms where artists and crafters can show their work and discuss things.

Me: What is Waldorf?
Regina: Here is a link to wikipedia where you can find information about the Waldorf education.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_education

 

Me: How do you create each one's personality?
Regina: I always had stuffed animals and dolls around me. As a child I had quite a collection of stuffed animals. They were like real friends to me and very important. But it was always tricky to just buy a teddy bear or doll for me because I was (and still am...) very picky with the faces/expressions. A doll or teddy bear has to 'look at me' and show a special personality otherwise I wouldn't want it. So and that is still the same with my dolls and creatures. The expression is the most important part and I'm only happy if the new doll really looks at me and has it's very own personality. 

 

Visit Regina's blog this summer and watch her new friends unfold.  Sewing Box Poetry

Me: Is Pixie for sale? I love him!
Regina: No.
Me: *crying*

Summer of Dolls: WOOL 'N' STUFF

With my mom beginning to follow her dream of making dolls, I am devoting this summer to dolls, doll makers, and handmade plush toys around the globe.
Today's featured artist is Gina from Wool 'n 'Stuff

Gina: A little about myself.....hmmm. When I was a little girl, I used to stay at my grandma's on Saturday night and she taught me how to crochet granny squares. She also attempted to teach me to knit, but to no avail. It wasn't until I was married that I really took an interest in crocheting and took it up again for a while, but with small children to look after I didn't really get to do an awful lot.

(Gina con't) At the same time, a friend of the family gave me her sewing machine. Never having sewn before, I took some lessons and absolutely loved it. I used to make the kids clothes and my daughters dance and ice skating costumes and things just grew from there. I gave up smoking a few years ago and was looking for something to do with my hands while I was watching tv, and so I took up crocheting again. My collection of soft toys was taking over the house, so I began going to local markets etc. This year I decided to diversify and start producing fabric toys. They have proven to be very popular and I just love making them. They all have their own personalities and it's amazing to see them evolve from a plain old piece of fabric. I like to use good quality fabrics and poly fiber stuffing for all my toys because I know from first-hand experience how much wear a much-loved toy is put through by toddlers!

I found that I loved creating things out of nothing. A boring ball of wool would became a teddy, a square of fabric would became a giraffe!!! And the smiles on the faces of the children (and quite often the adults) who received these toys was an amazing reward.  I truly love making these toys but even more than that, I love seeing the joy they bring to others.

 My only problem now is that I don't have enough hours in the day. I work 5 days a week and often get up and sew before I drop the kids at school and head off to work. It's a passion for me and I get a huge amount of joy from making all my toys.

Just out of interest, I'm still using the same sewing machine that was given to me all those years ago and it's still going strong!!! Must be an antique by now!!

Thank you SEW much Gina for sharing your beautiful work with us.  Keep it up!

 This Asian doll is my personal favorite, and at only about $30 plus international shipping, she's a great deal.  Maybe I will buy one for my Japanese pen pal's new baby.  Just a thought.