Sunday, February 28, 2010

Wanderings in Doll Land

So I'm sitting here listening to fireworks* and looking at Etsy. I've already exhausted the "rabbit" search and have also perused some wonderful ring bling (as my mother is a true, fashionable southern lady). And I decided to enter the words "cloth doll." Well, I shouldn't have done that; since I'm supposed to be saving up for a vintage Ada Lum doll ( yay, I get to link to myself :) and still have a long way to go. There are some really sweet cloth dolls and creative doll artists out there. I do have a particular weakness in this area. So I thought I might share a few of the ones I found with you.


Katherine at Katesmeister's Shop has created these simply elegant Jane Austen heroines. I'm pleased to present to you Fanny Price from "Mansfield Park" and Lizzie & Jane from "Pride and Prejudice." She also has some lovely knitting in her store and is asking for suggestions of other Literary Ladies to sew. (I'm going to recommend Elizabeth Gaskell's Molly Gibson.)

Another pleasant discovery I made was this precious storybook girl with a little bird perched on her shoulder. Isn't she dear? And what a darling black cat.

"Little Red" was created by Aimee from Sidney who is also a wonderful bear artist. She combines mohair with other fabrics to make truly unique bear friends. You can find her lovable, quirky creations here at Teddy Allsorts.


This beautiful EFA doll, Meg March of "Little Women," is the artistic inspiration of Bettsi at Tender Arts. Her dolls are amazing.

Don't even get me started on EFA dolls. I only recently found out about them and absolutely adore them. I think they have the dearest expressions and daintily detailed hair, clothes, and shoes. Plus I love their vintage appearance. I think Bettsi excels at capturing Ackley's sweet old-fashioned look while at the same time making special dolls that are distinctly her own. Edith Flack Ackley was a woman of great insight and ingenuity, as are those who recreate her treasures.

Speaking of little birds and vintage treasures.... Have you been to visit Little Jenny Wren? She makes precious Steiner/Waldorf type dolls with old-fashioned and hand-knitted clothing right out of the pages of by-gone catalogs and storybooks. I had such a difficult time deciding which of her dolls to post here, because I love them all. Each has an endearing personality all his or her own. "Little Jenny Wren" is also a fantastic vintage-living blogsite with lovely photographs and ideas.


Okay, clearly I need to get out more. My leg is still bothering me some, but I think I might go for a long explore tomorrow. By the way, the boys got back safe and sound and had an awesome weekend.

Thanks so for dropping by! You make my day.

*see this post related to the15th day after Chinese New Year.

And thank you to all of the ladies who generously allowed me to use pictures from and introduce their Etsy shops & Blogs. I enjoy sharing things I like. I hope it has been enjoyable for you too.

5 comments:

  1. Oh my! Thank you so much, Steph! I'm honored to be in such good company!

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  2. I got started with my doll making thanks to Jennie Wren's inspiration. I love it!

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  3. Bettsi, I'm so glad, after having admired your dolls for a while, that we finally met via blogland.

    Jan, your dolls are just so sweet and lovely. Thank you for stopping by with a friendly word.

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  4. What lovely dolls; amazing what artists can create...each with it own personality. As a little girl, my aunt had a doll that was blonde, then you flipped her over and the other end had a doll head that was brunette. I adored playing with that doll. My aunt is now 94; wonder if she still has it? xo,

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  5. Great post! You have a wonderful blog!

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Thank you for your comments. They help me feel that I am some how connected out here in Blogland and not just writing to the air.

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