coming together...

Making these dolls has been a slow process, but it's all starting to come together. i have 4 doll bodies formed, but none completely finished yet. Although i'm getting closer to having at least one done. :)


One of the problems i find myself facing is not having the supply of yarns and fabrics that i want to finish the dolls, and not having the funds to just run out and purchase them. i'm sitting here staring at a box of beautiful wool yarns, but most of them need to be mixed and matched with other yarns to create the look i want for them. i don't want to just 'make dolls' i want to make amazing dolls with personality, and a story to go with them. i realize this goes against the Waldorf idea of making these dolls expressionless, but this is how i envision them.


i wish i had taken a picture of this doll when i first added her hair, and hadn't styled it yet. i was getting a bit impatient about not having finished a doll yet, so i went ahead and used the plain brown boucle for her hair. i had stitched up this simple dress, and with her hair down i was so dissapointed with how she looked. She looked very plain, her simple dress gave her an amish look. Although she was cute in a simple sort of way, she just did not have the look i was going for, and i was left feeling discouraged.

i decided to pull her hair up a bit to see if it improved her look. Once her hair was pulled up into these piggy tails, i knew exactly what needed to be done.


i stitched up this simple skirt, and then 'borrowed' the shirt and sweater from another doll. Immediately she seemed to come together. That boring plain doll that i was looking at a few minutes before, transformed into this super cutie. She suddenly looked spunky and full of life. The best of friend to a very lucky little girl somewhere. This is exactly what i was going for, and it's a really good feeling to see it come to fruition.

She is still not complete. i'm keeping the sweater, bag and shoes for her. i'd like to re-make her skirt so that it is actual patchwork, rather than the patchwork print she is wearing now. i'm also going to remake the shirt which doesn't fit her quite right, keeping it very similar in color and style. i love the look, just trying to perfect it a bit more.


This is the second doll that i've started. i've gone back and forth on whether i like her hair...it did not come out quite how i was envisioning it, due to not having the ideal yarns. i decided to try combining a few of the yarns i had on hand, because i really wanted the variations in tones and textures. Her hair isn't complete, i had just started stitching it in and then wasn't sure how i felt about it. It will be much fuller when it's done.

The more i look at her, the more i think i like the hair. It's definitely going to be a bit wild and funky, but i'm already beginning to picture her look and i think it will work for her. i used a combination of wool yarns, mohair, some yarns that i handspun and some yarn that i reclaimed from a wool sweater that look like random dreads.
So i'm posting this before pictures with her in the plain dress, and will post picture again when i have her outfit completed. i think it will be fun to see her transform.

So be sure and check back to see more progress as i slowly put these dolls together, and continue my journey into doll making.