Doll making and this and that...

I got the gang all together for a group pic - yes, I continue to play with my dolls. 

The smallest one (no head yet) is about 5.5" tall, and she's new. And the largest (alas, no arms) is about 20" tall and was in my previous post on doll making. 

Note: The second one from the left is a Tilde-style doll. The web is (maybe unfortunately) full of patterns taken from the Tilde publications. It's such an appealing doll, of course I gave it a go - but the design is absolutely not mine.

You'd think I'd make some clothes to go with! I might- I've made an assortment of bloomers, jumpers, and dresses, but they're all muslins, just cut out and hand sewn. My favorite part is making the doll, not dressing it - which is the real reason I have a bunch of naked ladies :-) 

Here's a solo of JoJo, who's also new and one of my favorite dolls ever. She has a name, unlike the rest of the gang. It's her hair, which is just some orange yarn tacked on the back of her head. When I looked at her with that hair, well, the name seemed to fit. Love her belly button...

All  the doll parts are drawn with a Pilot Frixion Erasable Gel Pen on a double layer of fabric. These pens are wonderful! because the ink disappears with a warm iron. I use them  all the time, and not just for the dolls - they're great for marking notches and darts, or even writing, on any sewing project. I ordered mine from Doll Makers Journey, but I think many art supply stores carry them. Note: I've seen clicker-type Frixion gel pens at Staples, Target, etc., but I honestly don't know how they do on fabric.

These pens are also indispensable for drafting doll faces.

Here's a JoJo, all sewn, trimmed, and ready to be turned and stuffed.  

My main turning tools are various tubes, a 10" hemostat, and a crochet hook (to push out fingertips and tight curves).

The small brass turning tubes are a recent acquisition, also from Doll Makers Journey. They're wonderful for turning little fingers, skinny arms, and ears.

And then there's the stuffing. It's a great, mindless kind of thing to do with a good movie or the news on the telly. My very favorite stuffers are the chopstick and the cocktail skewer. I used my kitchen shears to make depressed circles on both ends of the chopstick, and the end of the skewer is naturally a little scuffed - the stuffing catches on both, making it easier to move along inside a doll part. I've also used a variety of orange wood cuticle pushers...whatever works!

So far, I've been disappointed in the stuffing fork, which I bought specifically for fingers. It's my most expensive tool, and I just don't have much luck with it. I've watched it being used on YouTube videos, and it was impressive, so more practice should help.

If not, I'll put it in the kitchen drawer and use it to spear pickles!

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I'm sewing clothes, too, but I'm too happy in my PJ's to do photos today. 

That's either awful or awesome!  Bye for now, Coco