Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Still Playing With Dolls

Well, not really. I like setting up scenarios. This one is nestled in the corner on top of my bedroom dresser.
The mother and older daughter dolls were rebuilt. Their porcelain heads are from long ago while their leather bodies are about twenty years old. That's when I made them into this family. The younger daughter and baby are porcelain reproduction dolls that I bought about twenty-five years ago. The little girl is holding an old celluloid baby doll.
The table dressed with old linens is set for afternoon refreshments.
The star of this scene is Bernice. I designed and made her three dresses. The one she has on is cotton velveteen trimmed with old cotton eyelet edging.
She's also wearing fine sewn undergarments that are suitable to this period. The striped dress hanging in front is made of silk. I designed and stitched the battenberg lace collar.
The light colored dress is made from a printed linen and trimmed with silk taffeta.
The dresses were designed and sewn by me. For about five years I taught pattern making for dolls in workshops. I also restored and dressed old and well-loved dolls during those years. All of that seems a lifetime ago. Those skills are resurrected occasionally for the dolls of those who are dear to me. Such as my granddaughter's inherited dollhouse family and a friend's old family Bylo Baby doll. I'm afraid those naked baby dolls in my cupboard are doomed to stay that way.

No comments:

Post a Comment