Sock Baby Dolls

My darling 13 year old cleaned out her room awhile back and got rid of an entire grocery sack of socks stuffed full. Some of them she hadn't even worn.  Children of the 21st century.  I feel the need to explain to her that just 100 years ago people were darning their only pair of socks.  Not only their ONLY pair of socks, they were also more than likely hand knitted by their mother and/or sisters.  

I digress.  I've been reading way TOO many dystopian teen novels lately.  

I wasn't going to wear them and neither was anyone else in the house.  I decided it was best to upcycle them into something crafty.  

Luckily for you guys, I happened to remember my phone nearby and took pictures of the process so you too can make these little sock babies.  Here is the tutorial in pictures, pretty self explanatory.  Have fun!

 

 

 

 

This last step I was worried would be hard to understand in just pictures, so here is a little explanation.  After you make the little round arms and legs.  Cut off as much excess of the end of the arm/leg.  Next, place the arm/leg where you are to sew it with raw side facing the body.  Then, squish it into the body (as my finger is doing in the picture) so that you can whip stitch it against the body while hiding the raw edge.  Make sense? I hope so.  I'm not sure how else to explain. 

Done in one episode of Fringe!

I got this idea in my head to make these little dolls. I even added arms and legs.  What does everyone in this house say? They look like snowmen.  No, no, no.  They have arms not made of sticks.  They have legs.  These are not snowmen.  My dear husband says it's the hat.  Did Frosty switch to a ski style hat instead of a black top hat in his last Xmas special?  Whatever.  Enjoy!!

Wee Wonderful Dollies

I saw the Wee Wonderfuls book on the library catalog online one day and decided to check it out. Unfortunately, it had a bit of a wait on the request list, so it took me until this week to get it. 

I love the cute stuff in it.  So so so so cute!! I decided to try my hand at these little slumber party dolls.  I'm doing this from memory, I can't remember what they were called.  But, I loved how they had little balls for hands and their hair was ADORABLE.

Call me lazy, but I skipped the sleeping bag thing and just made two of the dolls.  I'm not one to use patterns.  I hate patterns, except my own.  I also hate following directions, but who doesn't?

So, I tediously traced these out and cut them out and then cut the fabric.  I followed step by step instead of doing my own thing because I wanted to do these right.  The directions were a teensy bit confusing because I think a step might have been forgotten about closing up the doll bottom.  I looked and looked, but could not figure out where it said to close the very bottom of the doll body.

All in all, if you are new to dollmaking, this is probably a great way to get your feet wet with detailed instructions and great illustrations.  Even the embroidery stitch illustrations will really help someone who hasn't made dolls.  However, I've discovered in the last couple years that I am a Star Trek Borg.  I feed on efficiency.  I need to go the shortest most direct route to get somewhere.   So, had I not followed the directions step by step, I would have been done a whole lot faster, which drove me a little crazy.  It's a lovely book, so if you're a dollmaker, it might be a great book for inspiration 0to get your creative juices flowing to create something of your own, but it's probably better if you make something up yourself. 

Here they are.  I call them Olivia and Flynn, and yes Flynn is a girl.  Flynn is the one with the single bun on her head.  I don't know why, but dolls tell me their names as I'm making them.  I'm not crazy and yet have no idea how it works, but by the time I finish a doll, her name (or his) is definitively decided and it's not by me.

Hair is blonde much like Miss Molly.  Eyes are a dark violet/purple, as Miss Molly has my eyes and my lovely husband likes to tell me my dark blue eyes are violet -- which is nice because I always assumed I was weird and they were probably navy or something not as nice as violet because no one ever has dark blue eyes like me.

They were made out of some much loved scraps.  The double bun girl is Olivia.  She has some of my much hoarded and loved Munki Munki fabric scraps from these adorable wedding day pajamas.  I love this print, it is so so cute! I kept looking for the perfect thing to make out of it, and the dolls in the book told me that they were definitely the thing to do with that fabric.  I've literally being holding on to it for years. Flynn's dress is mainly a flannel Amy Butler.  I cannot remember who the designer is for the sleeves, but I thought the fabric coordinated nicely. 

Even though I've made tons of waldorf dolls with embroidered eyes, these eyes scared me.  But, they came out great! I really like using a 6-string embroidery thread over my usual 3-string.  In fact, I might change to that if it comes out nice on my next experimental waldorf doll.

All in all, a great book to have in your collection when you want a doll to whip up for a birthday or christmas present. 

American Girl Mermaid Tail Sewing Pattern

 The downloadable pattern has finally arrived!  And, it's only $4!  Please head on over to Etsy or Craftsy to download your very own copy.  The pattern is completely digital, which means you print it right from your computer and can get to work as soon as you want!

Click here for Etsy
Click here for Craftsy

You can whip up 2-3 mermaid costume sets with just 1/2 yard of a four-way stretch dancewear fabric.

This is a great last minute gift you can whip up in an afternoon for the little girl in your life who loves American Girl. This is an easy to make tutorial for a mermaid tail and bandeau style top for your American Girl or similar 18 inch doll. It also fit my 18 inch Waldorf style dolls.

Recommended fabrics: dancewear fabrics, four-way stretch lycra and spandex knits.

Boden - Waldorf Fairy Doll

This is Boden.  He is a night fairy like his twin sister, Nyxy.  But, he prefers the stars.  You’ll often find him in the canopy of the tallest tree he can find trying to touch all the stars.  He’s tried flying to them, but pixie dust can only get you so far. So for now, he just wishes on the first falling star he sees every night that one day he will be among them. 

He was a custom order waldorf doll fairy I made for a customer. He has a twin sister I showed previously, Nyxy.He has wrap pants and a vest.  His hair is this wonderful wool roving yarn from Martha Stewart.  He has a full head of hair that can be brushed.
 
I have never seen any tutorials on how I make my waldorf doll hair.  I do not crochet a cap and then sew it in.  I crochet the entire cap and hair all together as one.  It goes very quickly and when you're done, you have brushable hair. For girl hair on an average 15 inch doll, it takes almost an entire skein.  For boy hair of the same size, it takes about half a skein. 

Very soon, I hope to get my husband, the youtube video maker, to help me make a video tutorial to show exactly how I do it. 

Look for my Wee Santa ornament tutorial tomorrow!

Wee Santa Ornaments

I make these little pocket dolls, sometimes I call them "wee" dolls.  They are waldorf inspired.  Sometimes I sew wool batting onto their faces to make them into gnomes.  Looking at a red one I had, it dawned on me to turn these into little Santas for an adorable ornament for the Xmas tree.  I love how they came out.

I used real wool batting for the beard and around the hat.  I had to felt it a bit by rolling it in my hands to get it to be a bit denser than it comes.  I also added a little jingle bell on the end of the hat. Then to finish him off, I added a little blush on his cheeks.  I originally wasn't going to add a face, but after I made them, I felt he needed eyes and a mouth.  I was able to sew the mouth threw the beard, but for the eyes I just added them with a fine point Sharpie. 

I made some of these for ornament exchanges and gifts, and I had a few extra I put in my Etsy store.  I've sold out of the darker burgundy ones, but I have some of the red ones still in my Etsy store.  

Mermaids!

Gosh, I've been so busy this week and last week. And...it's just crazier next week.

• I've been helping my dear husband with his Calculus. It's all due tomorrow at midnight, and he still has one more test to take -- EEK! 
• I finished up three ornaments for two different ornament exchanges earlier this week. I can't wait to share, but I have to wait for them to arrive, so I don't spoil the surprises. 
• I'm in the midst of finishing up a custom order. 
• Plus, I had a craft fair this past weekend, which those just kick my rear. 
• And, my darling 13 yr old has more homework than ever in her classes. Algebra and Pre AP English are kicking her rear. Thank FSM I'm a math whiz around here lately. Seriously, I never realized how helping dh do Calculus the past 2 semesters would perfectly refresh my brain for algebra I tutoring. (And, secretly, it makes me kick myself I didn't major in math.  God, I miss it.  Derivatives are like better than Sudoku for me, right now.  WTH am I thinking that for?)
• So next week, I had to sign up to work at Mr E's school for the Santa workshop thing.  Kids get to buy gifts for super cheap for their families.  And the PTO moms get to help them shop and wrap the gifts. 
• And then next Friday dh is finally graduating from college.  Woohoo!  I'm thinking of bringing a cowbell ;P  On a serious note, this is an amazing feat.  My husband, who in the last 2 years has become quite a successful award-winning stockbroker did not graduate from high school.  He dropped out the first semester his senior year, then got his GED.  It is something he has regretted for a long, long time.  He has never walked a stage to to get a diploma or wear a cap and gown. It has been a dream of his for so long.  I am so proud and excited for him.  Now..I just need to think of a super amazing graduation gift. 
•  Here is something I recently designed.  It took a few tries to get it just perfect, but I love the design of this mermaid tail for American Girl dolls.  I sold quite a few at this past weekend's craft fair.  I was so excited -- little girls were begging their mothers.  I have put a few up in my Etsy store, but will have more colors up this weekend.  I'm thinking of making a pattern for this set.  If that sounds like something you're interested in, post a comment. 

Fairies and Mermaids, oh my!

I haven't been blogging regularly because I've been getting my house in order since the craft fair. I sewed a lot for 2 weeks before the fair, and my house just went downhill since all I did was sew, feed people, and do laundry.  I don't think my dear husband or my sweet children realized how much I do around here until I stopped doing it.

Today's post is in two parts.  Part 1 - my recent creative endeavors.  Part 2 - drama at the craft fair. 

Part 1 - Here are some new waldorf dolls I've recently made.  They are currently on Etsy, if you are interested in purchasing them.  Click on the individual pictures and it will take you to their listing.  I just love how they came out!  They are all about 10 inches in length, all stuffed with wonderful wool I purchase from an Amish farm, and all have wool hair.  

This first one is Nyxy, the night fairy.  She has a dark navy body made of super soft cotton velour.  Her hair is a pale green wool roving. Her petal skirt is an embroidered pieced batik, and her wings are blue sparkly print. 

The second one is Ivy, the forest fairy.  I love her lavender hair.  It's a soft wool roving as well. Her body is a bright green cotton velour.   She has purple wings to go with her purple hair.  She also has a petal skirt made from an aqua batik with lavender moons and stars.  I think that is my favorite batik fabric I've ever owned.

Lastly, I have two mermaids.  I'll have pictures of the other one soon.  But for now, this is Tallulah, which means leaping waters.  I love the meaning of that name!  My husband says this one most looks like me of all the dolls I've recently made.  She has a green velour tail with hot pink top and blonde hair.

I am also slowly adding things on Etsy.  In addition to these dolls, I have some of my super soft knotty style dolls, and I'm happy to take custom orders, just send me a conversation over there. I just recently had a custom order for knotty dolls that were other colors than I had offered. 

I'm also open to trades for my dolls for things for my children for Xmas/Yule.  My youngest dd is 2 and loves pretend play and babies.  My oldest dd is 13 (going on 30), and loves mustache stuff.  My middle ds is 8 and loves pretend play when it comes to swords and things like that.  Send me a convo at Etsy, and we can work something out.

Part 2 - The craft fair was fun, and we made about triple what we paid for the booth, so that was nice. I really want to do another one before Christmas, so we are looking for a good one that isn't too expensive for booths.  If you know of a good one in the DFW area, please post in the comments!

My dear sweet wonderful adoring husband never left my side, so I wasn't nearly as nervous as I thought I would be, except for one incident. Fairly close to the opening, we are standing there smiling, answering questions, when he gives me this look and is vigorously pointing with his head (as best as one can point with their head, lol).  All I see is this man standing there, and I'm thinking WTH is he trying to tell me.  I was partially blocked by this wire bookshelf on our table.  Then as I move around it, I see it....his ex-wife and her mother are oohing and awing over MY things.  They have yet to look up and see whose table this belongs to.  So my dear husband, as hilarious as he is, smiles the biggest smile he ever had and says rather excitedly, "Good Morning!"  At this point, I am in a fit of giggles.  His ex looks up and I swear she actually ran, physically ran, about 3 booths away, funniest thing ever.  Her mother then completely oblivious to what has just occurred, then proceeds to have a conversation with me about what I make.  My husband thinks his former mother-in-law didn't realize he was even there.

After that, the ex kept circling around the entire craft fair, trying to pretend we didn't exist, except I kept seeing her peek over at us.  The weird thing is I'm starting to wondering if she's facebook stalking me or something.  Three days after she's practically at our house for trick or treating (she's not a parent, nor does she live anywhere near our town), she ends up at the craft fair?  Both of which I blog about, which also shows up on my facebook page? This is not a tiny small town either, and there were at least three other craft fairs going on in the same town on that same day.  Weird. 

Swaddled Waldorf Babies

These are some of my newest Waldorf inspired dolls, just for toddlers. My 2 year old loves to hold wrapped up babies, and I thought I'd give this idea a try and see how she liked it. She absolutely loved her new baby, so I made a few up for my microboutique.

This is also a tutorial I have mostly completed, but put on the back burner when I got so sick last week and then while I finished up my most recent restocking at my store the last few days. Look for it in a few days.

Babies and Babies and More Babies

Here is my current project -- a basket of babies.  These are tiny pocket-sized Waldorf dolls perfect for toddlers who love to carry tiny things around with them.

A tutorial for these will be up very soon. I don't have the time to put the finishing touches on it just yet because I'm in a frenzy mode for 2 reasons:

#1  My oldest dd's birthday is the first day of school (oh how fun!), and she's having a sleepover Friday night with her two best friends.  I plan to have my awesome jumbo rainbow cupcakes ready for them to frost and my house is currently a mess because my children are part of the best demolition crew known to man.

 #2 I have to finish a few different projects to take to my microboutique this week, and I'm already 1 day late doing it.  I am not a procrastinator, and I hate when I fall past a deadline, even if it's a stupid deadline I set myself.
 

Stomach bugs and waldorf dolls

Don't those just go together? Unfortunately, I have been sick as a dog with some kind of stomach bug. It's not fun, so that's why I've been MIA for a few days. I had grand plans to get up a new tutorial on Thursday, but I just felt horrible. And, I haven't felt much better since. So the tutorials are piling up around here. I have 3 or 4 tutorials worth of pictures. I just need to feel good enough to write them up and post. They are all Waldorf doll inspired, and the first one will be up in the next few days.

I've been on a Waldorf doll kick for the past few couple weeks. I've decided to offer custom dolls available for order in my little microboutique with my mom. Hmm, "little microboutique" is rather redundant, dontcha think? :)

I made up a sample doll to place in my store and for sample pictures on Etsy. Here she is. She told me her name was Lorelei. I was going to name her after my yougest, but she informed me her name was definitely Lorelei. She's apparently has some spunkiness to her much like my darling youngest daughter, who is so sure of herself and she's not even 3 years old yet.

This is Lorelei. She has a mixture of wool yarns for her hair, mainly in fuschia. She has green eyes and a little bright pink mouth. I love her outfit, especially the colors. They just screamed at me to be her outfit. She has a layered skirt with coordinating peasant top.  She also has a wool felted messenger bag upcycled from a black sweater vest because Lorelei loves nothing more than to go thrifting and repurpose what she finds.  And lastly, she is wearing brown felted shoes that tie around her ankles with ribbon. 

Pixie Cone Puppets! Our newest design...

Here it is! This newest design from Sewing Chick Studio and The TipToe Fairy.  It's Walforf-inspired cone puppets.

They are so much fun to make!  My kids have loved to play with these puppets for years.  

This pattern is less daunting than making a full complete Waldorf doll.  And, once you're done, embellishing your puppet is a great way to use up small amounts of leftover trims or scrapbook embellishments.  

Need an amazing kid's gift for birthdays, Hanukkah, or Christmas? These are always a treat! I have yet to meet a child who doesn't light up the minute they see these puppets.

 Included in this pattern is a 22-page PDF with step by step instructions with full color pictures as well as printable pattern pieces. 

The pattern is now up at Craftsy.com.  Shortly, it will be available on my website and Etsy. 

Intended for ages 4 and over.

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Waldorf Doll Tutorial

I know my waldorf doll tutorial is much loved, and I often get emails about it.  I've spent the last few hours updating it to a printable PDF. I've also updated it in the side bar of tutorials. 

You can download it here.

If you are new to my blog, I have a jointed waldorf doll sew along tutorial that is fairly easy.  It has lots of pictures for each step, and it includes a printable pattern for the body, arms, and legs as well.  I will warn you that these are time consuming little creatures, but it's such a satisfying feeling to finish one. 

I'm in the midsts of making a couple waldorf dolls for my microboutique, and in doing so, I will soon have a waldorf doll wig tutorial as well available for download in the very near future.

I'll keep you posted!

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