Tiny Christmas Dolls!

Here are some little gift dolls that I just made. This time, I covered the paper clay heads with a nice cotton knit that I got from Susie McMahon. It's good stuff!

Allie's doll in a jacket, tiny new dolls on a dog

Allie's little doll went for a walk on a cool day and Allie took a picture. Gypsy, the rat terrier, was sleeping in her bed as 4 little dolls joined her.

Little Freckled Doll, Zelma (purple dress) and Eulalie

Freckles!

Little Freckles is 10". Zelma is 22". And Eulalie is somewhere in the middle.

I had planned on trying out cartridge pleating on Zelma's dress, but I chickened out. I didn't feel like putting in the extra effort on such a large dress. Maybe next time...

December Dolls

The one who is dressed is named Eulalie because I'm reading "Gone with the Wind" and I saw the name in the book. I didn't make the dress. I found it at Goodwill Blue Hanger for a quarter. It seems older. The lace is cotton and the seams are from an older machine. Also, the fabric has an interesting, funky, geometric print. Her pretty little slip is from Edyth O'Neill's booth in an antique mall in Fredericksburg, Texas. The lace is so pretty. I'm going to work on the other doll's clothes this week. I think her dress will be purple calico, but I'm not sure. My task for the week is to learn how to do cartridge pleating on this dress.

Dolls from the Washington on the Brazos museum

They're both wax dolls. Supposedly, they are from the 1830's or 40's. They have such sweet expressions.

Swap

My friend Courtney made the beautiful doll quilt for me (using Civil War repro fabrics) and I made the doll for her. I love the quilt! She tied it instead of quilting it because she read that little doll quilts were usually tied. The backing is a vintage sheet.

Edith Flack Ackley dolls?

I bought one at a doll show and found another at an antique mall. They really look like Edith Flack Ackleys to me. I mean, it looks like the makers used EFA patterns to make the dolls. But there's no way to really tell, I guess.

Litte Blue Riding Hood and two other dolls

Here are some more dolls. Little Blue Riding Hood was completely re-done with a new layer of paper clay and paint. I love paper clay.

Old Doll Quilts

I took these photos of old doll quilts at the Dorothy Meredith Doll Show in San Antonio. Incredible quilts.

Sisters in dresses from vintage fabric

The black and yellow flowered fabric was from that old bag of scraps that I found at Lilly Mae's booth. All of the bias tape came from an antique store.

Feedsack dress and antique undies

I love her underwear. It's from a doll show. Someone was selling older doll clothing. The little tucks and lace are so precious.

Nettie and Lettie

I painted and crackled Nettie twice. Lettie is wearing a dress that my mother made for a Lottie Bertha doll in Lafayette, LA a long time ago.

My Babyland Rag and New York dolls

Here are my versions of a Babyland Rag doll and New York doll. I found the yo-yo quilt behind rag baby at Goodwill. It was in tatters. I tried to give it new life. The yo-yo's are made from head scarves from the 50's and 6o's. My New York doll is sitting in a old child's chair that I got from an antique store near Bardstown, Ky.

Washington on the Brazos Dress

We went to the Washington on the Brazos museum last month. This little dress was on display. It's from the 1830's-40's, the years when Texas was a republic. I used it as inspiration for the dress on the doll that I named Brazoria.

Tiny Dolls

These are my first attempts at tiny dolls. The experience was painful, yet strangely rewarding.

Little Red Riding Hood and the big bad cocker spaniel

This doll is wearing a cape that my mother made for my Baby Sweetums doll that I had when I was 3. It has been worn by many of my dolls and my daughter's stuffed animals.

My mother's birthday gift

She's named Lottie Bertha, after my grandmother. Mom made her dress from homespun. The buttons and lace are vintage.

Painted and Unpainted

Incredible Find

This was my "Find of 2009." She has Maud Tausy Fangle's signature near her hairline. She was in an estate in Uvalde, Texas. I wonder who she belonged to. She's in perfect condition. It seems like she must have been put away in a box for years.

Poor Little Girl

I found her in a box under a table at a doll show for $15. I'm going to make a separate bodice with arms that I can tie/snap onto her torso to restore her to life.