2012 Cloth Baby Doll Challenge

This year for the baby doll challenge I made four little babies from Judi Ward's "Tiny Baby Doll" pattern found here: http://judisdolls.com/wendy/littlebaby.pdf. I was planning to make Judi's "Dionne" quints dolls because my mother had a Dionne doll when she was a child but mislaid the pattern. When I realized I had very little time to finish I made the little dolls thinking they'd be quicker and although it didn't take as long to sew and stuff them after needle-sculpting the faces, hands, toes, knees and elbows of four dolls I'm not sure I saved any time. Their toes are really cute. And I needle-felted their hair with little tufts of angora from Travis's pygora goats.
I knew I had very little chance of votes but I had fun and wrote a little story about them...

The Rhubarb Kids - 

Rubee, Ruthee, Rudee and Rufus

This year I have had the busiest spring ever!! A month ago I went out to the greenhouse and what do you think I found? Four Rhubarb Babies!!! Right in the middle of our not-so-pretty rhubarb plant. I'm sure that you are like me and have always wanted to find garden babies but I'll bet no one has ever told you what a lot of work they are. They are so tiny and cute and adorable, but... I have been changing diapers, making teeny clothes, juicing rhubarb (that was a surprise), watching for cats, and so much more. So far the babies have stayed in the rhubarb but I had to make Rudee a hat the other day because he'd sunburned his face somehow. I'm sure this summer will be full of even more work and surprises. (Look up garden babies on the internet and you'll see just what I am going through). LOL

And, no we didn't place in the challenge but I had a lot of fun and have some really cute little dolls that are now living among the thread on the spool holder in the my sewing room.

It's Doll Season (but cookies first)

It's "Doll Season" at my house. I need to make 5 dolls in the next few months for contests that I enter each year.
But first I'm going to post a cookie recipe. When we are in St. George we always try to buy some cookies at the Pizza Factory. Dani said she had found a copycat Pizza Factory cookie recipe online, so I did a search and found it too. I made the cookies this weekend and they were a big hit. I don't know if this is the exact PF cookie recipe but it's very close and very good.

-These are the leftover cookies -
 The big ones are made with a large  ice cream scoop.
 The  normal-sized ones are made with the smaller scoop.

Here is the recipe:

PIZZA FACTORY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES  (CopyCat)
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2 cups butter ( 1 pound)
4 eggs
1½ cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
Cream together the five ingredients listed above until well-mixed.

In a separate bowl mix together the following four dry ingredients:
5 to 5½ cups flour (1½  pounds)
1 large package vanilla pudding mix
2 tsp salt
2 tsp soda

Slowly add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.
(My KitchenAid mixer struggled with the large amount of dough -
so I had to do some stirring by hand.)

When all is mixed together well - carefully add:
3 cups milk chocolate chips

Scoop dough onto cookie sheets and bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes - longer for larger cookies.
Do not overbake. 
Makes 75 cookies.

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Ned of the Navy - Male Doll Challenge

This is Ned of the Navy. He was my entry for the "Man of a Decade" male cloth doll challenge at dollnet.com .

Here is his backstory:

He is a young man of the 1940s. At 17 in 1945 Ned dropped out of high school and joined the Navy. The war ended when he was in basic training so his aircraft carrier was refitted to transport the troops home. (His story is my Dad's and he is named for a friend who served in Vietnam.)

This year's Gypsy Doll Challenge's theme is "The Renaissance Gypsy".

I made a guy this year. He is now in Houston waiting for the show which is the first week of November.

He is the gypsy prince, Aden with his pony, Dawn Treader.

I sent the name, Dawn Treader, in with my insurance paper last summer but since that time I read a series of books with a Gypsy prince named Aden as a minor character so the pony became my Dawn Treader.

I used the "Dude for All Seasons" pattern by by Mary Ann Kaahanui and Bonnie B. Lewis for Aden and the horse from Susan Barmor's pattern, "Joeiel."

I didn't shrink the "Dude" pattern enough so the perspective is off but I love the pony even if he is too small. I'd never made a painted cloth animal before and I had fun.

I got carried away and even made sculpey arrowheads to make my own arrows.

I only make five or six dolls a year though so I had fun and I am always learning so much.

Dolls I've made so far in 2011

I haven't been on here since last October. I haven't made many dolls since then but here is what I've made so far...

I made baby Easter Lilly for the babydoll challenge at FOCD this year. I crocheted her dress, booties and headband flower, this was a first for me. I also wove her little Easter basket.

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I used the same Darlene Rausch pattern from Soft Dolls and Animals magazine to make Riley for the Cloth Doll Artistry Baby Doll Studio Nursery Rhyme Challenge. He has a bit of an attitude...

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In July I made a doll for the Hoffman Challenge. I made a pretty fairy doll named Ariana. She didn't get packed right or her base was too heavy because she didn't arrive in the best of shape. I have fixed her wing and hair and she is sitting up straight again.

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The doll I made for this year's Evergreen State Fair in Monroe WA (the closest town to us) is Hope. She is a pioneer doll, I made her clothing from leftover fabric from Alex's trek costume.

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I now need to get busy and make my doll for this year's Gypsy Challenge. This year's theme is "Renaissance Gypsy".

Nancy-Michelle-Christine

My 40th high school reunion is tomorrow!! I have helped with this reunion even though I live 1200 miles from home. Today's technology makes it so much easier...
I have spoken to many of my classmates on the phone during the last month and it has been wonderful - I went to school with good people. These conversations make it easier to miss the actual reunion - I've already re-uned... (not a word, I know).
I did make a doll that is going to attend. I still had my old pep club uniform in my cedar chest and even with lots of discouragement from friends I cut pieces out of the back of the vest and skirt and made my new doll, Nancy-Michelle-Christine, her own pep club uniform. She is already on her way to St. George via UPS. I didn't cut through the lining of the uniform so it still looks okay from the front....

Emmeline in her Gypsy Costume

This is my 2010 Gypsy Challenge doll.

This year's theme is "The Magical Gypsy Carnival"

I decided to have her going to a Halloween Carnival because I always dressed as a gypsy on Halloween when I was in elementary just like my brother was always a hobo. This was in the days before you could go to the store and buy a Halloween costume and we wouldn't have had the money anyway. I would wear a long skirt, my grandma's beads, and a head scarf with canning rings sewn on for earrings.

I loved being a gypsy just like Emmeline does. She is named for my sweet granddaughter, Emily.