More Doll Making Adventures

I am so inspired by the projects in the book, Storybook Toys by Jill Hamor.  I'm planning all sorts of dolls and other toys from this amazing book.
I am working on a few things to send to my niece, Anastasia, who just turned one.  She's my only niece on my side, so that makes her extremely special.

Here is the doll I am working on for her.  I went for a more Japanese cuteness style - which I love.  The pinky-lavender hair is soooo pretty and sweet.  I did a low bun hair style - reminiscent of Princess Leia (a special sci-fi detail my brother will appreciate).  The eyes are solid black instead of colored irises for a more stylized, cartoonish look. 

Once the head/body is sewn and stuffed, face embroidered, and hair completed the doll is really about 80 percent complete.  Of all these steps the hair takes me the longest (4-6 hours) and hurts my fingers the most.  I have some excellent callouses building up on the tips of my pointer and middle finger in my right hand (I prefer the callous to thimbles - I hate thimbles:  fumbling awkward horrible things).

 I love working with yarn for hair.  I can't knit or crochet so this fulfills my desire to play with beautiful yarns and squish those pretty soft yarn balls.  This yarn is Rowan Creative Focus Worsted, 75% wool, 25% alpaca.  The color is called "soft pink."

Make something beautiful!
Jen

Doll Making Continued - Doll Hair

I've finished the embroidery and hair on Claire.  The work is slow and particular, but I really enjoy it.  It's rewarding to see her take shape.

I chose a more elaborate hair style than maybe I should have for my first doll-hair application experience.  I wanted this style because I love little ringlets - it reminds me of the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace that I read as a little girl.  I was enchanted by the description of Tacy's bright red ringlets.  How I wished I had those instead of my plain brown ordinary hair!
 These two photos are the "in process" shots:

• The yarn I used is Berroco Lustra - a blend of 50% Peruvian wool and 50% Tencel.  It's very soft and has a lovely sheen.  The color is Rodin Bronze.  
• There is a dowel rod secured around her torso with a rubber band - this is so the hair loops all end up roughly the same length.  
• I put pins down the edge of her part line spaced about 1/4" apart and loop the the thread around the pin and then around the dowel and back up again.  
• Then I sewed each loop securely to her head with matching heavy duty thread.

Jill Hamor, author of Storybook Toys and my resource for this doll, has an excellent tutorial on her website as well as in her book.

Once I had the loops attached I took sections and sewed them to her head and then twisted the ends, folding them up to double them and then sewed it to her head again.  It took a really, really long time.

Here is her hair completed from all angles.  If I do this hair style again, I will make it longer - it's a bit shorted than I wanted.

Next up arms and legs.  I think I said that last post.  The hair took longer than I thought.

Make something beautiful!
Jen