Violet Child

Monday, August 30, 2010

Pumpkin Baby

Now that my daughter has started college, I'm beginning to think about the autumn season, my favorite of the year, when the leaves start to fall, acorns fall to the ground and pumpkins are harvested.  This pumpkin was made from a kit from de Witte Engel in the Netherlands.  The stem is a pipecleaner covered with wool.  The body and hat are 100% wool felt also from de Witte Engel.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

10-inch Waldorf Doll

This doll was made using felted sweater fabric for the body rather than skin fabric.  The lavender jumper is made with 100% wool felt.  Her hair is a crochet mohair wig.  I find that it is economically beneficial to occasionally make dolls with sweater fabric skin and it looks good also.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Needle-Felted Fairy Dolls

These 6" tall dolls were made using a pipe-cleaner for the arms and wool roving wrapped around them.  The rest of the body was made with dyed wool.  The wool was held together by using a felting needle.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Lavender Storyteller Puppet

This doll was made from two different sweaters which were  felted in the washing machine. 

Friday, August 20, 2010

Storyteller Puppet

This doll is about 10 inches tall excluding the cap.  It was made from a recycled wool felted sweater.  I go to thrift stores and buy wool/angora blend sweaters, sometimes cashmere, and put them into the washing machine.  The agitation felts the wool.  Then the sweaters go into the dryer and when they are dry I cut off all the unusable parts and use the fabric for my dolls.  The head is made in the traditional waldorf style and the muff is extended to about four inches (just below the waistline).  The leggings are added onto the body and then the dress.  The sleeves are empty for puppeteering.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Baby Carrots and Bunnies

The baby carrots are my own design.  The head is a traditional Waldorf style head and the hair is needle-felted onto the head.  The body is 100% wool felt from the Netherlands.  My apologies for the photo -- it is not as clear as I would like it to be.  The baby carrots are one of my best sellers, especially at the farmers market, but they do sell year-round.  The bunnies were made from a pattern and are also wool felt and stuffed with wool.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Children's Holiday Craft and Toy Fair

I'm so excited to add this to my schedule on my webpage.  There will be crafting for children while their parents shop.  Lots of vendors, music and food:

Nevada City Miners Foundry
Sunday, November 21, 2010, 11 am-4 pm
325 Spring Street
Nevada City, California

Baby Dolls

These 16-inch babies were made in the Waldorf tradition.   The nighties are made of cotton flannel.  These babies were adopted and now live in Japan. 

Monday, August 16, 2010

Seahorse

This 10-inch seahorse is made from 100% wool felt from the Netherlands.  I downloaded the pattern from the internet (isn't google wonderful).  Stuffed with lamb's wool and hand-stitched all the way around with a blanket stitch.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Mermaiden

This is a 16-inch Waldorf-inspired mermaiden.  Her head is made in the traditional Waldorf manner with an inner head made of wool and embroidered facial features.  Her hair is made of mohair bouclez yarn.  Her tail and bodice are made from a vintage fabric with rhinestone embellishment.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Everyday Angel

This six-inch tall angel is made from wool felt from the Netherlands.  She is stuffed with carded lamb's wool and her facial features are embroidered.  Her hair is a crochet mohair wig.  She is my own design.  A simple everyday angel.  At some point I may post the pattern and instructions for making her.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Baby Lady Bug

This little baby is about 10" long and is made from wool felt (wings) and velour (body and hat).  Stuffed with wool and flax seed.  The kit was from my favorite on-line store de Witte Engel from the Netherlands.  It can be purchased from http://www.witteengel.com/

Monday, August 9, 2010

Pansy Mother and Twins

Pansy mother and twins made of wool felt and cotton flannel.  Stuffed with wool and poseable pipecleaner arms.  Mother's hair is made of wool roving.  Facial features are hand-embroidered.  This was fairly difficult to make.  I made it from a kit available from de Witte Engel in the Netherlands.  This and other kits may be found online at http://www.witteengel.nl/

Friday, August 6, 2010

Daffodil Child

This little doll is a 6" tall nature table doll.  She is made of 100% wool felt, stuffed with lamb's wool, and has embroidered facial features.  She has a pipecleaner armature and the stem is also made with pipecleaner covered with wool felt.  She took nearly three hours to make -- isn't she so adorable?

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Greetings

I'm going to give this blogging a try.  I so admire other bloggers and have wanted to try my hand at it....so here we go. 

Dollmaking has become my passion--I only wish I had more time for it than I have now.  I became interested in Waldorf dollmaking when my daughter was in a Waldorf kindergarten (she's now in college).  It has changed my life.  When I retire from my regular job I will make dolls full-time and will teach dollmaking.  I will try to post as often as possible, showing you my dolls and sharing a bit about each of them.

The doll you see above stands 6" tall (exluding flower she's holding). She (a violet child) is a nature table doll or makes a great gift for any one.  She is made of 100% wool felt and is stuffed with lamb's wool.  Her facial features are hand-embroidered and her hair is tibetan lamb's wool.