Since it is Fall, I was thinking about how this was the time of year I would have been working madly on stuff for shows and the boutique.I thought that I had made my doll Willowby in '71, but, turns out I didn't get to working on her until '72. Because as I discovered, it wasn't until then, that my dear friend-CM told me about the wonderful: Susan Sirkis', 'Wish Booklets". ('Joy and Riches'!!!) Ms. Sirkis had designed an entire series of period fashions from the 19th. Century for dolls. She had included a pattern for a cloth doll to dress. If one didn't have an antique fashion doll. Then over a number of years, I made a complete wardrobe for my Willowby doll. She is 13" tall. With set in brown glass eyes from Germany. I gave her a brown wig. And here I thought it all only happened a year earlier. Willowby is the lucky possessor of a wardrobe of at least 35 outfits. In between sewing for her, I was working on a lot of other things too. I roped my, Hb. into making a wardrobe closet for her. Came out nice. It is *stuffed* full of costumes. Fairly bulging. Including hats and shoes. I did sell a couple of the 'Willowby' dolls. I only made about four dolls total, including my 'Willowby'. I had a lot of trouble with my wax formula. Before Willowby, Which was in 1970, I was making wooden toys assembled of various wooden findings.
These were based wooden folk toys from Europe. I even carved 5 1/2" little wooden dolls modeled after the Grodnerthal Dolls from The Black Forest in Western Germany.
And I was designing and sewing small animals of felt, fur fabric and velours. Most were in one twelfth scale. Later at a Miniature dollhouse collector's show, I saw the wonderful mini felt dolls made by an Artist named Betsy Heistand. ( unfortunately, she got caught by cancer and is no longer with us.) Her dolls were not high priced, but yet were just out of my reach. However, I saved my money and finally became the proud caretaker of one of her little 5 1/2" dolls. I was so excited and inspired that when I came home, I had to design something similar. After that I only made miniature dolls of cloth and felt. I even used ultra suede.
The doll's ran 5-6". But I did sometimes make smaller dolls.
When I showed them at doll shows, my doll club and a Christmas Boutique. They were well received. It was a lot of work but also a lot of fun.
I made those for several years. Then my life changed and I couldn't make the minis anymore.
I did continue to make some dolls, but, they are very tall dolls. I think they are wonderful/ rather a version of the boudoir dolls.
I cannot bring myself to sell any of them yet. It would be, somewhat akin to selling a child. What will happen to them when I am no longer here, I have no idea.
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This is a picture of my 'Baroness'. She's quite a true lady. Her given name is 'Artemisia'. Which means, always young. She is about 20" tall. One of the last group of dolls I made.
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Here is the address for my 'Etsy' shoppe
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