Dollies!

As promised! More on those funny looking, really adorable little dolls from {this moment}. I love these dolls! I think they are so cute! They were designed by Yasmine Surovec editor, designer and illustrator of Parasol Craft Magazine, and the A Print A Day blog (which is now invitation only). I was unable to find a direct link to the magazine, so I am not sure if it is still in (digital) print. The first issue, in 2009, featured many projects with a fairy tale theme. This pair of dollies . . .

. . . is Snow White and Rose Red from the Grimm's fairy tale of the same name. The second pair . . .

. . . was directly from the A Print A Day blog, and they are a kind of compliment to the fairy tale girls above. I don't actually remember which ones were available for download first. I printed the dollies onto iron on transfer paper, which is why they are so shiny. I really like the contrast between the dry hand of the fabric, and leathery feel of the transfer paper. I tried several times to sew these up as simple little dolls, but I could never get them to look like the picture in the magazine (like here). I think I cut them too close to the dolly outline, so when I sewed them there was a weird pucker at the neck.

So, I put them away. For years apparently. I found them again last week and thought they are way to cute not to be displayed. I decided I would just make a simple pillow with piping to act like a picture frame. They are very small; 12" x 9", just perfect for a child's bed or craft room couch. I used the same doll outline to cut a "shadow" out of the complimentary patterned download that accompanied each doll. I put each shadow on the back of the pillows. You can see their shadows are misbehaving.

I have been struggling with what to do about stuffing (for this and for other projects). I don't really like using polyester fiberfill because I just can't stand the idea of all those minuscule fibers of plastic ending up all over the environment. I love wool, but it seems odd to me to use something so wonderful as stuffing for pillows, and it is hard to care for because it shrinks when washed (not really a problem for this project, I guess). There is cotton, very nice, but very dense. And I have heard of a corn based stuffing, that acts like fiberfill, but I have never used it. So, I'll just have to look around.

And one last thought; I would really like to incorporate some of this lace. This project has been a great stash user-uper, and I think the lace adds a third texture that balances everything nicely.

Thank you all so much for your interest! I am so flattered! I am sorry that I can't tell you more about where to find these downloads; I sincerely hope they will pop up on the inter-web again.