Are All Happy Dolls Creepy??

When my son was in high school, one of his friends was disturbed by my dolls. He thought they were staring at him. Even the most dedicated doll collector can probably understand how some people find dolls creepy. Especially dolls that smile… This rare French Jumeau, in perfect condition, was sold by Theriault’s last Saturday for $250,000.00. Does anyone think she’s not creepy? She’s certainly not cute or pretty. I … Continue reading

One-Hour Doll Dress

Naked dolls haunt all doll collectors. Every doll should have something to cover their birthday suits, even if it is something simple and quick. This 3 1/4″ (8.5 cm) German all-bisque flapper doll was a gift from a dear friend over a year ago and she was still naked until today. To make a simple dress for her, I chose 1 1/4″ silk ribbon and some tiny antique trim. By using … Continue reading

and then her head fell off…

Yesterday, I decided to clean up my new S&H 890 so that I could pick a color of fabric that would work with her clean face. I cleaned her with Formula 409 and q-tips like I always do. The 409 didn’t help with the dirt ring around her neck from the kid lining, so I decided to trim it instead of replacing it. I needed something sharp and pointy, so … Continue reading

My Ugly New Lamp

The last 2 Flip dolls I sold bought me an ugly new lamp. And I love it! It is really bright, the light is pure, and it’s dimmable. Working on so many teeny, tiny hand sewing projects made me hope that better lighting would help. And it really does. It is the same lighting used to treat SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and DH thinks it’ll give me a tan. It … Continue reading

Where I’ve Been

Last weekend, Supergirl (SG), Dear Husband (DH) and I went to the beach.  SG had 2 days off school for teacher meetings. Several years ago, when DH and I went to the beach in December, SG scoffed at our silliness. Who would want to go to the beach in the winter time?? She gets it now. We visited her Great Aunt, who lives in Nags Head, swam in the hotel … Continue reading

A Wooden Casket – Happy Halloween

Okay, so it’s not that kind of casket… It’s my doll-sized 17th Century Embroidered Casket (sans the embroidery yet). But the wood work is all done! I don’t have a space to do the dusty woodwork inside, so I froze my fingers off yesterday doing the last of the sawing outside on my deck. But I had a helper. I’m not sure what kind of insect he/she is, but it … Continue reading

Cartridge Pleating

For those of you who may not be familiar with the term, “cartridge pleating” is used to fit way too much fabric into a waistband. It creates a very full skirt. Here’s my Huret wearing her new skirt with her embroidered wool jacket. Pretty cute, huh? And here’s my Huret Book. It’s 3 1/2″ tall. Appropriately for a French doll, I bought it in Paris, in a stationer’s store in Montmartre. … Continue reading

Piping is Easy

I think the coolest thing about piping is that it looks impressive and finishes a garment beautifully but it is really easy to do. I have chosen to make my Huret’s new skirt with a peaked waistband and corded piping cut on the bias. Since the skirt will be cartridge pleated, I must finish all sides of the waistband before it is sewn to the skirt. The first step is … Continue reading

A New Doll Book: Mesdemoiselles Mignonettes

  Today’s mail brought a package from Paris.   It’s cold and rainy, so curling up with a new book sounds lovely. For many years, I sought out every doll book I could find about the dolls I collected. And, it seemed like a new book came out several times a year that I just had to own. Lately, new doll books are becoming rare, so when I hear about … Continue reading