The Bloggin’ Blues

If you’ve been following my blog, you’ve probably figured out that I have a lot to talk about. I do. The only problem is, writing my blog leaves me very little time to do other things, like sewing, reading, and playing with Supergirl. And I do have a regular, paying job, too. Even though I work at home, on my own schedule, it’s kind of important to spend some time … Continue reading

Another Tiny Tale

This tiny, all-bisque doll stands just over 2 1/2″ (6.5 cm.) tall and I love her. She is not considered to be a Lilliputian, even though she’s the same size. She was made in Germany and her body, legs and head are all one piece. Only her peg-jointed arms move. This type of doll is often called “early” all bisque, but they probably weren’t made before 1880. Her cobalt blue … Continue reading

My 17th Century Bru Fairy

Meet Mademoiselle Bru. She told me that she wants to dress in 17th century costumes. I think she wants to be a fairy. This is an early 17th century masque costume drawing by Inigo Jones (1573-1652). He was an architect, stage designer and theatrical masque designer. When I got hooked on 17th century embroidery, a good friend asked me how it applied to dolls. My first reaction was, why does … Continue reading

Judy Brown Saw My Future

I loved my dolls when I was small. There was nothing better than a new doll on Christmas morning. I played hard with my dolls, so few of them survived. As with most girls at the time, I started with baby dolls, moved on to girl dolls, then graduated to Barbie. The first doll I really remember was Marybel Gets Well. I loved making her sick or injured, then curing … Continue reading

Beginning Hand Sewing for Dolls Part 2

Today, I’ll show you how to size a pattern, prepare your fabric, and cut out the pieces of a garment. Also, it’s time to begin to decide what fabric and trim you’ll use for the dress. I have chosen an all-bisque doll who stands 5″ tall to dress. Her early crocheted dress is sweet, but rather blah. First, I am going to make her new undies and a half slip. Both will have … Continue reading

A New Old Doll

I am sometimes intimidated by owning antique dolls over 100 years old. It is a big responsibility being the caretaker for a part of history. Antique cloth dolls intimidate me the most. They need to be protected from sunlight, humidity, temperature changes, dust, moths and other bugs, and handling by humans.   That’s why several years ago for my birthday I got two reproduction Izannah Walker dolls made by Gail … Continue reading