Sewing Again!!

Yipee!!   My little precious granddaughter is now in day care and I have found myself missing her dreadfully but nonetheless, I am beginning to appreciate greatly the hours I now have to be creative again.  I even feel that maybe by Christmas I will have numerous old and unfinished projects completed.  In fact, I was able to complete one of those such projects this week.
A friend from one of my doll clubs had asked me almost a year ago if i would make a doll for him.  He had purchased the pattern on ebay and said that it was like a doll he had received as a child.  I hate that it took me so long but that is just how things go.  However, I had the pleasure of making the doll and gifting it to him this week.  The doll pattern was very fragile although not THAT old.  The picture on the front was one that turned me away from ever wanting a doll like that.

As you can see, especially in the photo below, The doll body and even head shape was a very common pattern for the 1950s - 1970s.   The embroidered features and yarn hair was as common, and varied in quality according to the maker.  A lot of the dolls you will find had no pupils in their eyes.  Just the colored Iris.   Below is a close up of the face of the doll on the pattern. 

I'm sorry,  but I have said before that i just don't like to make ugly dolls.  And although she is rather endearing she is not what I would consider as pretty.  

The pattern was fragile and I traced it carefully.  The instructions were horrible and if I had not already made many dolls i would have been unable to make this one.  The dress was too small and I had make the bodice a second time and then enlarge even that one.   I fully lined the dress, which was not in the instructions but I wanted it to be made nicely.  He wanted Blonde hair and so this is what he got.

Although I do not do it often, I enjoy embroidering and I think I am pretty good at it.  I did however, add pupils to this doll.  And I gave her little white highlights in her eyes with paint.   She came out rather cute.

I am looking forward to being able to create more dolls and such as the year goes on.  I am really ready to do a  doll with a sculpted face.  But I have a Maggie Bessie in the works that has been hanging from my "limb tree" for a while.  Maybe pics of her will come soon.  In the meantime I am almost done with my Kitchen Cupboard and am really happy with it.