The next doll

Yesterday morning I knew I wanted to start on a second doll. I had pretty definite ideas about how I wanted her to look and the colour palette I wanted for clothes. I had been so sure that over the weekend I had started making clothes. But I am getting ahead of myself...

I am waiting for more carded wool for stuffing to arrive, but guessed that I would have enough left from last time to do the head, with some left over. The wool had come from inside the a Jelly Baby doll that I took apart.

This pile of compressed wool had to be pulled apart and smoothed.

It ended up as this pile of loveliness. The process of smoothing took over an hour and was unbelievably therapeutic. I had started off with bad psychotic symptoms, with visual hallucinations of colours, patterns and numbers, but by the time I had finished, my mind was calm. The smell was also very, very soothing.

I got so involved in the head making process that I forgot to take pictures. It took in the region of 3 hours, much taking apart and restarting, checking online that I hadn't forgotten everything and using all the wool I had smoothed plus all the remaining left over 
wool.

I used a different hair method this time. I had bought a ball of mohair specially designed for doll making. You crochet a cap and fix it securely to the doll's head. Like so...

The next process is brushing it out. It is quite magical. From this dense cap, tufts of lovely soft hair start emerging...

What is casually omitted in the instructions is the fact that it takes 3 hours to do. The time was calculated by 2 episodes of Law 
and Order and 1 episode of The Great British Sewing Bee.

I love the result though.

I had planned that the hair would be left all ruffled and tousled. Couldn't do it. It felt wrong. Talking about wrong... These were the colours I had chosen for this doll. I put them together with her head and it all looked very wrong.

I now have all my doll making yarns in one basket so I sorted through those, and through my basket of fabrics.

These all jumped out at me. The fabric is handmade in a Fairtrade Indian co-operative and is very lightweight and a gorgeous olive green.

When I took this picture, I saw that the colours I had chosen were almost the same as the colours of the tissue box into which I had placed the doll's head.

I can sew the body but no more, until my wool order arrives. So 

I shall do some clothes making.

A picture paints a thousand words...

I have spent the last couple of weeks immersed in projects. This has involved a lot of frustration product development, buying new goodies stocking up on essential, non frivolous items, plus a fair degree of letting the house go so it's a complete tip life affirming creativity.

I surfaced last night and looked around. Holy Moley. Not good. So this morning I have been sorting out. I shall let the pictures do the talking.

Aargh...

Aaah.... Much better

Sewing loveliness including 3 handwoven Fairtrade fabrics from an Indian co-operative.

My Fairtrade African bag filled with Waldorf fabric and completed items...

Supplies for doll bodies plus tutorials...

My Cath Kidston  cheap knock off tribute bag holding my definitive red handbag and fabric bin with works in progress...

Fin's World Book Day costume with felt hat, knitted cobweb on 

Sweater and cloak made as an academic gown with a cape and stand

up collar...

Bag of crochet firmly zipped up because of 

Synesthesia ...

Paperwork for the weekend...

                                                                       April

And relax with tea and Marmite toast...

She's coming along nicely

Following on from my last post...

The first thing I did was to make the hair. The previous hair had been sewn onto a knitted cap and it just wasn't working for me. I know many Waldorf dolls have completely wild hair, often in pinks, blues, greens and purples - but at this stage, that just isn't the style I want.

So I sewed the yarn directly onto the doll. Very time consuming, but with a neat finish. The plaits can be turned into bunches or left loose and they can be worn down the back or over the shoulder:

I quite liked this but felt something was missing. Aha...a fringe

When this had been attached and came down below her nose, I had to be careful about trimming it. So many times as a teacher, my kids would come in with teeny tiny fringes as their parents kept trimming them to try to tidy them up!  

Next was a knitted tunic. It uses my favourite moss stitch and is

made from Drops merino cotton.  This fastens with a PigglesBoo 

button on the back and is made from a Little Jenny Wren pattern:

                                      .   

Her skirt is a simple gathered pattern with ribbon threaded through it to match her hair ribbon. It is made with a French Seam at the back for durability and neatness, and with a hand stitched hem because I hate machine stitched ones. It finishes just above her little sculpted knees:

                (Her legs sit a lot better than they stand!)

You have already had a few naked bottom shots:

 

In the interests of decency and cuteness, she is wearing knickers, 

made from a Faedale pattern:

 :

I should point out that her clothes have not been blocked or pressed yet, but I wanted to get some photos of them out.

I am embarking on a lace shawl for her. So far I have had to rip it out 6 times, not managing to get beyond row 12. Needless to say, 

shawl knitting is not something on which I have embarked previously.  

More pictures when I am a bit further ahead. 

I have been thinking up names for the doll. I have gone through a few which seemed right and then no longer fit as the doll progressed.

I have picked the name Aprilfor 3 reasons:

i. My lovely friend Avril sent me materials to make the doll, and Avril is French for April

ii. Avril/April means to come forth, to blossom, which is what this doll making process has been

iii. April denotes Springtime and all her colours are very Spring-like.

Off to try the pesky shawl again!