Last week I gave you a peek at one of the projects my mum and kids have been working on. Today I wanted to give them the opportunity to show you more. Here's what Mum had to say....
As a child I didn't particularly like soft toys or rag dolls, and since then I have never understood people's attraction to them. When Sarah got a lovely rag-doll pattern book to review just before her 40th birthday - she loves dolls - I was a little hesitant to make her one, but I liked the look of the outfits and thought I'd give it a go. 'Sally' was made in secret and I actually enjoyed working on her - especially when Sarah loved her!
Of course my grandchildren saw their mother's doll and wanted one... each! I'd bought a metre of calico for Sarah's doll (I didn't have an old sheet as in the book) and there was enough left for a few more so the plan was that we'd make them together....
As a child I didn't particularly like soft toys or rag dolls, and since then I have never understood people's attraction to them. When Sarah got a lovely rag-doll pattern book to review just before her 40th birthday - she loves dolls - I was a little hesitant to make her one, but I liked the look of the outfits and thought I'd give it a go. 'Sally' was made in secret and I actually enjoyed working on her - especially when Sarah loved her!
Of course my grandchildren saw their mother's doll and wanted one... each! I'd bought a metre of calico for Sarah's doll (I didn't have an old sheet as in the book) and there was enough left for a few more so the plan was that we'd make them together....
They started off well, helping me with the machine sewing and stuffing the arms and legs (using the fat end of a knitting needle). Alas, their interest waned after this and I was left to finish the dolls myself, under strict instructions that the girl was to have pink and lilac hair and the boy must have a smiley face and freckles.
The boy's hair was a bit of a challenge as I wasn't sure how to achieve the look I wanted. The problem was solved by making lots of small wigs and sewing each onto the head, then cutting all the 'hair' short and separating each strand of yarn to get the look right.
Surprisingly, I really enjoyed making them - so much I'm thinking about making my own doll pattern to refine some of the things I don't like about rag dolls - like the flat face, the hands, and the (clubbed) feet. The plans may never come to fruition but I'm already making more outfits for these and who knows... I might even make a doll for myself! Lynda x
If you're not sick of seeing her on the GBSB re-runs and would like to see more of mum's projects, you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram. If you'd like to try making some dolls but don't have much sewing experience or skill, I have another doll-making book review coming up soon which you might be interested in, so stay tuned!
The dolls look great! I'd love to see your mum's refined version too.
ReplyDeleteAww. Precious dolls here.
ReplyDelete