Nellie"s Needles

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.

5 comments:

MyCretanlife said...

The dolls dresses are lovely. How many dolls do you have in your collection?

irishgirlsews said...

Wow, another lovely show and tell. Your dolls are beautiful, and it was once said " Its all in the details" Nellie, you sure know details!! BEAUTIFUL. thanks for sharing.
Wendy

Angie said...

I love you doll vignette's. Beautiful dolls and clothing! I wonder how you keep dust off these settings. I have a collection of dolls, but they are in a cabinet away from the light and household dust, however, I've been admiring your displays and thinking I could do this too, but I'm just concerned how to keep them clean.

Nellie's Needles said...

Judith, this post reveals the last of the dolls from my collection that are extra special to me and on display in our bedroom. There are many more dolls in storage. I've been whittling down that number by gifting dolls to the big and little girls in my life. There are a number that should/could be sold on Ebay, but so far I haven't bothered.

Angie, the dolls that are not in a protected display case do get dusty. A couple times during the year I shake that dust out of their clothes and hair and damp wipe their faces and exposed limbs as well as their shoes and furnishings. This cleaning becomes playtime for me ... a chance to rearrange and to switch out accessories.

Heather said...

What gorgeous fabrics you have used for your dolls' clothes Nellie and your skills are evident by the way the clothes hang on them and look natural. You are such a clever lady.