Bloomette

Here is Bloomette. This large pressed cloth head doll is finally finished. She caused me quite alot of trouble along the way, but we have come to terms with one another. I always try to find a piece of cloth that really suits each doll. This cranberry antique calico fabric has been laid aside for probably a year or more,  as I have been busy spending what little money I have on buying as much antique fabric as I can, and now it has been made into a fine dress for Bloomette. It took all that I had to make the outfit. I did make her a lace slip as well as a cotton one to fill out her skirt. These type slips are not what a doll of that era would wear, but, I like the frills, so she got it anyway. The bonnet was almost changed to a simple more appropriate one, but I spent forever making it and just couldn't change it, even if it is a little over the top ( fancy wise ). Besides finishing this doll I have been trying to dye fabric again. I always look out for the ( poison ) green overdyed calico fabric. It is super hard to find and super expensive too. Usually you can get little pieces, but not enough to make a large outfit, so I have been trying to dye a very old farm dress that was a faded green into a over dyed poison green color. The over dyed green calico got to be that special color by first dyeing the fabric a indigo blue, and then over dyeing it with a special yellow, I can't spell that color right now, but it is a color I think you would have to buy special. Eventually I will get the colors and try this. My attempts have been a big failure as the color I got is ugly and not worthy of a dress, even though it is an antique dress. I will attempt to dye it one more time a brighter green and use it to make tiny doll dresses. I have also learned another valuable lesson on buying antique clothes. When you see an old dress or piece of fabric try to see if it has lots of age stains, because you will not be able to get them out of the fabric. To my dismay, I learned this the hard way and have wasted money and time. You can get out a few stains, and even not get out a few stains, which would be acceptable, but if the fabric is very bad, then don't invest in it, better to pay more money and get a good piece that you can use all of it. Aren't you glad I share all my mistakes, so you don't have to go through my trouble. Happy Doll making to all.

Looking at the past work

This blog post is mainly to share how I now have two of my old dolls I made many years ago. About two months ago,  a fellow doll club member and friend died suddenly. She was so friendly, generous and kind. She loved dolls and had a huge number of them of all kinds. She left instructions that on her death each member of the doll club could have a few of her dolls. This past week the members went to her house and we selected a few dolls each that we liked and I took the two dolls she had that I made, along with a few other of her dolls. The larger doll with the somber face and hardly any color was a doll I sold to my friend at the doll show in Meridian, Ms. 5 years ago, and the second small doll I made for the same lady a year later. I had forgotten exactly what they looked like, so it was a surprise to me to look back and see what I had made. I never expected anything like this

to happen, but I know that life takes sharp turns suddenly and we can never be prepared for the good or the bad. I appreciated my friends thoughtfulness and generous nature, but feel so sad she is gone. Seeing the dolls now that I made pretty early, just learning how to make them, and being a beginner at sewing, I feel pretty good about them. I always tried to make everything good, neat, and painted the best I was able.  I used to say that when I finished a painting for sell, it might not be a good painting, but it was painted good. It is the same now with the dolls. I also see that I have lost some of the freshness and primitiveness that I used to have. That might be because I have learned how to make a better dress and possibly have learned how to make the heads shapes better, but what ever the reason,  I see some of what I love about the cloth dolls is missing in the newer ones. Each of us evolves in what ever we do. I have changed in style many times and probably will roll around again to the more primitive in painting and doll making. I hope you enjoy a look back at the older dolls and seeing the new ones too. Marion underwent a face lift recently and was rewarded with a new beautiful dress of antique blue calico. I want to put her picture here too, so that she can show off her new dress.