How to assemble Easter baskets for your favorite dolls!

       Each little basket below measures less than three inches tall and two inches wide. Each one is the exact, perfect size for our American Girls, Journey Girls and My Generation Girl dolls. We gifted them to the dolls last Easter. Who knows what the bunny will bring the dolls this year?

A tiny ivy stem basket with nesting grass, a peach silk carnation and artificial plants, both front
and back sides photographed.

This doll-sized Easter basket is made out of silver and stuffed with miniature blue silk flowers
and Easter speckled eggs in: pink, blue and buttercream yellow. A tiny yellow ribbon tied into 
a bow with a mini silver bell is attached to one end.

Here are two baskets including miniature porcelain dolls dressed in their finest Easter dresses and
hats! The painted lavender basket on the left includes a miniature Bible with complete text! The 
gold painted basket on the right includes a variety of Easter eggs alongside the doll dressed in
pinks silks and white lace.

Just left, a basket with a bird's nest, candy eggs and a tiny pastel blue flocked bunny. The basket on
the right, includes a flocked white teddy bear, a nest and speckled bird's eggs.

Finally, the left painted pink Easter basket is filled with a flocked rabbit, multicolored Easter grass
and many decorated eggs. On the right, there is a fully jointed, tiny teddy bear in a silver Easter
basket with painted eggs just the right size for an 18 inch doll to enjoy!

Needlepointers share how to make Easter baskets for 

American Girl dolls using plastic canvas.

How I made a grandpa doll for our dollhouse family . . .

Winston takes a walk in the woods with Grandpa Eustace. Winston is a dog made from cotton
batting and dryer lint. His collar is a tiny red ribbon, his leash a piece of chain from old
necklace. 

        There are certainly many methods used to make little dollhouse characters. I chose to use a traditional wire armature method to craft a grandpa doll for our growing family of six inch people.

        I named this doll "Grandfather Eustace" and although he is partially blind, he helps many dolls to ''see'' the world around them with a bit of wisdom. He is steadfast, faithful to his purpose and our dollhouse neighborhood would be far too lonely without him.

       Our grandfather doll wears sunglasses to protect his eyes from harmful sunlight and to also remind other dolls that he is blind. He also carries a special cane and is always in the company of his a faithful guide dog companion "Winston" who is there to protect him from physical calamity if necessary.

 

Each of my dollhouse doll bodies starts with a few chenille stems, a button and cotton batting.
This method is very old, over 100 years or more. Go here to read about a similar doll making
method related to Grecon Doll body types.

Seven dollhouse doll bodies have been wrapped with cotton batting and now wait to be painted
 and dressed. Because dollhouse bodies are so small, some doll artists prefer to build-up these
 figures from the inside out rather than stuffing a tiny body cavity with filler.

Handmade dollhouse figures. Grandfather doll 6 inches tall.

       Grandfather Eustace glasses are shaped using very fine wire and then embroidered directly onto his head with tiny stitches along with his lips and mustache. His beard and head hair are cut from faux fur and pasted directly onto his head with tacky craft glue. None of his features or clothing can be removed as these are attached permanently to his wire/cotton batting frame. His sweater is sewn from a sock and his plaid pants from a vintage man's tie.  

       Both his ''hands'' and boots are painted on. The hands being constructed into wire loop shapes so that his cane and dog leash may be taken in and out of his holding when he is seated or stored away.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Shaping a Wire Armature Body:

1. Thread the chenille stem wire through the holes of a button and then twist the wires together at the back where these two ends come together. I use the button as the back of my miniature doll's skull.
2. Position both wires just below the button where the doll's chin will be. Twist the wire together a couple of times to make the neck of the doll.
3. Separate the wires apart to form the arms and then bend each of the two wires back at either end where the hands will be implied by a loop. The double thickness of the stem arms will lend them strength beneath the batting. 
4. Now shape the torso and legs doing the same with additional lengths of chenille wire. Twist and wrap all ends around the torso. 
5. Using white school glue and unravelled cotton balls, layer the batting over the wire limbs, torso and button "head." Add more cotton batting wherever the wire armature needs more padding to craft a "fleshed out" figure. The final layer should end with a surface brushed with additional glue. 
6. Once the doll body looks the way you prefer, you can either paint it or sew a layer of felt over the armature. I sew on felt ''flesh'' when I am making a doll that will be dressed and undressed to change it's wardrobe. If I intend to make the doll's cloths permanent, then I simply apply a thick layer of glue, let it dry and then paint the body or seal it with Gesso, prior to sewing it's cloths on permanently. 

More dolls I've made using wire armature:

• Here is a simpler method for making even tinier wire armature dolls.
• Use chenille stems to construct an enchanted fairy doll...
• See how a restored a damaged wire body on a little doll from Piotrkow
• Here is a beaded doll made with wire for a child's necklace

Victorian Child Scraps for Making Paper Dolls

        These painted scraps from the Victorian era may be printed-out on a home computer so that young people can use them in their creative paper doll crafts. They were scanned from originals in my former collections. I have removed scratches and tears and restored these for this very purpose. Do not redistribute them from alternative websites, enjoy.

The rose laurel for her hair.

A furry winter's bonnet.

A boy dressed in a brown sailor's suit.

She wears a coral beaded necklace.

The newspaper sailor's hat.

Dressed for a carriage ride coloring page...

Description of Coloring Page: English wooden doll, jointed, carved, short arms, flowered dress, bonnet, painted features

Don't forget to drag the png. or jpg into a Word Document and enlarge the image as much as possible before printing it folks. If you have a question about this coloring page, just type into the comment box located directly below this post and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

Handcraft a sailor's valentine for your dollhouse...

       This craft is very old and seldom seen in antique shops today. Collections of sea shells were mounted inside shallow display boxes or frames with glue. Often the shallow frames were constructed in hexagon or octagon shapes. Sometimes two identical frames were hinged together so that a top and bottom could be made to close into a box with a lock.

Two versions of Sailor's Valentines for our dollhouse mantles.

       It is said that these Sailor's Valentines were made at sea during the long lonely hours by men on board ships for their loved ones. These love tokens of the sea have long since been connected to Saint Valentines Day for this reason.

Above are hundreds of strung, tiny sea shells.

Supplies Needed:

• white school glue
• scrap cardboard
• decorative papers: solid pink or blue, wood grain printed paper
• tiny sea shells
• hexagon or octagon templates
  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. In order to construct a small "frame" for your Sailor's Valentine students will need to draft a hexagon or octagon template. Trace around one of these two shapes on top of a scrap piece of cardboard.
2. Then glue a length of cardboard approximately 1/2 inch wide around the outside edges of your cardboard shape.
3. Decoupage the interior of the small frame using pink or white solid colored paper. The inside of such frames in real life were most frequently painted pink or blue by their ''sailor'' crafters.
4. Cover the sides and back of your frame with wood grain paper.
5. Now flood the inside of your display box or frame with white school glue and layer in tiny sea shells in a pattern or scene. Let dry over night before displaying your Sailor's Valentine inside of the dollhouse. Hang your creation(s) on the wall or display them on a fireplace mantel if your prefer.
   

Left, I made two hexagon shaped, shallow frames for my version of the craft. Right see here the
papers decoupaged to the outside and inside according to the directions. I began each patterned
display by gluing a single shell to the center of my design, but you may glue your shells inside the
frame as you wish! See here yet another version of this same craft at Thrifty Scissors. It is made
using paper shell printables.

Craft video by USS Constitution Museum Staff.

Victorian Lady Scraps for Making Paper Dolls

        I will include here the Victorian lady scraps that have been restored for personal crafts from the antique versions I have in my own collections. In the future I will post how I have made paper dolls from these over the years. Click here to see how I made paper doll lace cards for my sewing basket.

Blond lady in blue silk gown.

Dark haired lady in gold silk gown.

An exceptional illustration of a gypsy with gold coin trims in her garments.

 

The pink lady who wears a ruffled collar trimmed with lace.

Young Victorian Girl Die Cuts

        These antique "die cuts'' or scraps of young girls from the Victorian era come from one of my older blogs that is being discontinued this week. However, I will keep and upload those scraps that I feel students would enjoy using for their own personal paper doll crafts.

Girl in apron and ruffled hat.

Girl with bouquet of roses.

Girl with lace and ribbon collar.

Girl biting her nails and fidgeting.

Just a few cat Victorian scraps for crafting...

        I have fewer cats and kitten scraps than dogs, but perhaps I will find some more on my next trip the "flee market?" Not real ones though, there are many folks in my home who are allergic to these little beauties. How will you finish dressing them up for your paper doll collection? If you prefer, you could dress them in something like velveteen and hang them on a Christmas tree, just like the Victorian's did.

A tabby with pale green eyes and red ribbon collar.

A blue ribbon collar around this cats' neck.

Here is a little Victorian miss dressed in blue.
She carries a basket full of kittens.

Dog Scraps for Creating Unique Paper Dolls

        The following pet dogs are for students to scrap their own paper dolls. Why not make your own unique collection? I will eventually acquire more than the four depicted below. Perhaps I will find a breed that is just like the pet you have at home.

A Bull dog with toothy grin.

 

A black labrador holding a duck for dinner.

A black and tan terrier with collar.

A mixed breed looks wears
 a man's bowler hat.

Victorian die cut of a girl cradling her pet cat and dog in her arms.

Bird Scrap Heads for Making Paper Dolls

       The Victorians manufactured many die cuts for paper doll making, in fact, countless variations of them. Some of these were of humans and some of animals. I will compile a small number of these on this post as I find them. The first two scraps below are of birds wearing dressy hats with feathers and flowers. At the bottom is a Victorian child dressed in winter costume, holding a morning dove in her gloved hands. Student may print them out, cut and paste them onto cardboard to create some unusual paper dolls . . . 

Bird scrap head wearing a straw hat.

Bird scrap head wearing a bonnet.

A child in blue cape holds her pet bird.

Sew a doll sized yo-yo lap quilt . . .

The yo-yos above are first attached together at
both the top and bottom and from side to side.
Then the yo-yos are whipped stitched on top of
a bottom layer of fabric that is the size of our
doll's blanket.

       Fabric yo-yos or Suffolk puffs are fabric circles, that can be made any size, and are gathered around the entire circular edge, pulled taunt and tied into a ''cookie-like'' shape. Multiple yo-yos may be tacked one to another in order to shape a decorative blanket, pillow, table runner etc... Sometimes these yo-yos have buttons or bows tacked to their centers to further emphasize their folk-like charm.

       The term "yo-yo" was coined at some unknown time in America about 100 years ago. However, the earliest origins of these textile puffs originated in England during the 1600s and were called "Suffolk puffs". 

       For as long as I can recall, yo-yos have been primarily made by little children when first learning to sew. This is because only a simple straight stitch is used when constructing them and many of these little embellishments are needed to make a blanket, thus, requiring a young sewer to repeat the steps over and over in order to have enough to finish a project. By the time a student finishes enough of these, he or she has mastered the straight stitch.

       Many children make stuffed dolls and animals from their yo-yos. I will link to a few ideas below for these too.

• Here is a doll constructed from yo-yos . . . 
• Simplicity pattern 8225 shows how to assemble yo-yos into a dog, inch worm or an owl

Both ends of the thread used to do this are tied together forming a "puff" pillow shape.
Sometimes the puffs are stuffed with woolen batting in order to assemble a heavier,
warmer quilt but most of the time, this is not done.

Above are many sizes of yo-yos stitched and collected over time by a young child.
I chose the smallest ones to link together for our doll's quilt.
Some people do not bother to sew the yo-yos onto additional fabric but
 leaving them with open spaces between will cause
 the textile to tear and wear faster.

Yo-Yo Sewing Projects:

• Sew a vintage yoyo clown to give as a gift
• How to make Suffolk puff flowers, these are called yoyos in the states

Color a Japanese Paper Doll with Two Outfits...

       Here is a lovely, simple Japanese paper doll. She comes with two traditional fashions you can print, color and cut-out. The perfect activity for a rainy day when little ones have nothing to do! These printables are for personal craft projects only. Enjoy.

This paper doll is slender and sweet.
Color her clothing with brilliant markers

Your doll can wear a Kimono for a special occasion;
 she also has a wig with flowers.

A Lullaby by I. Bacheler

 A Lullaby

Sing a tiny lullaby tune
Of a little baby's silver spoon
That mama bit when she was small,
And that's the end and that is all-
Sleep, sleep, sleep,
Your mama once was a baby.

Sing a sleepy hushaby song
Of a little shoe about so long
That papa wore when he was small,
And that's the end an that is all-
Sleep, sleep, sleep,
Your papa once was a baby.

Dream my darling pretty dreams
As light and happy as the moon's beams
Of your fluffy dog and your new blue ball,
And that's the end and that is all-
Sleep, sleep, sleep,
Oh, you are my darling baby.

Craft a few decorative, heart-shaped pillows for St. Valentine's Day

       To make a selection of festive pillows like mine, you will first need to cut out a small variety of heart shaped templates from cardboard. Cut these to the sizes you think will look nice on the doll's sofa inside of your dollhouse.  

       The first set of pillows photographed below were made by wrapping both pink and lavender chenille yarn around a couple of cardboard heart shaped templates. There was no sewing involved in the process at all. I simple wound the chenille yarn around and around each shape until all of the surface under the yarn was completely covered. Plus I added a bit more yarn to make our doll-sized pillows nicely plump and cushy. When you feel your pillows are wrapped just right, clip the end of the yarn and tuck this end piece neatly under a few of the strands. You can squeeze out a bit of glue between the fibers at this place in the wrap to hold the end in place if you prefer.

Two finished and wrapped hearts in pastel pink and purple on our 18 inch, tweed doll couch.

Finished pillow arranged on a doll sofa.

       The smaller decorative pillows shown above were made by sewing together two identical felt hearts together. Sew around the edges using a blanket stitch, stuffing with cotton fiber through a whole at the edge, and then sew shut that hole with a few more blanket stitches. Tack on a ribbon, a flower and a bit of lace for further embellishment and soon you will have a playful cluster of pillows to liven' up any dollhouse for this charming February holiday.

• Crochet pattern heart pillow for a dollhouse
• DIY Heart Pillows for Dollhouse 
  

How to braid a heart-shaped rug for valentine decor . . .

A finished heart shaped rug.

       You will need only a few supplies to make this lovely heart shaped rug: a small scrap of felt for the backing of finished rug, yarn in your favorite colors, at least three colors are best. In addition to these supplies you will also need a needle and thread, one skein of embroidery floss and scissors, of course.

       This rug may become as large as you wish or be made as tiny as is needed for a dollhouse. I made my version to lay in front of the sink in our large 18 inch dollhouse, so it measures five inches across.

       To make a "heart" shaped rug you will first need to braid many strands of yarn together and sew or knot them end to end. This will take as much length of braid as you need to sew any size of rug from side to side with a whip stitch this is called "lacing" by rug makers. The thickness of the yarn used greatly determines just how much braid you will need. If you sew it together and it seems too small, simply lace in more rows to increase the size.

       The difference between the crafting of an oval or circle shaped rug compared to a heart is dependent upon the shape you start with. 

       For a traditional looking rag/yarn rug you simply stitch together the sides of the braid as you roll it into a flat circle or oval shape. For a heart rug you begin by sewing the sides of the braid into a boomerang shape or a slightly bent right angle. Then you sew the braid around and around this shape until you have made it into a heart.

• An example of a large round rug here - how to braid art video.
• Use the same technique for braiding miniature fruity potholders: strawberry and watermelon
• Watch a professional craft a miniature yarn rug for a dollhouse at Nasus Miniatures

Doll-sized yarn rug in front of the kitchen sink.
See the post about our family's restored kitchen set.

Valentine Clipart for Cards and Letters...

        Below is the Valentine printable made available for young students to craft their letters and Valentines with. There are hearts, flowers, cupids, heart-shaped harps, cupids with arrows and tiny rose motifs.

• Tiny Cherubim Printable Papers
• Old-Fashioned Valentines, cupids with arrows and treat box lids...
  

Print, cut and paste these sweet valentines onto cards, candy boxes and letters.

Waiting

 Waiting

In the woods I walked to-day;

The snow was deep and white,

It covered all the tiny flowers,

It hid the ferns from sight.

I hunted for the little brook

That sang in summer days,

But not an echo of its song

Rang through the woodland ways.

At last I found the fettered stream

And broke the ice so clear,

And heard the tinkling water say, 

"I'm hidden, but I'm here."

Fairies Tea

 Fairies' Tea

Five little fairies went out to take tea,

Under the shade of a juniper treee.

Each had a cup from an acorn cut,

And a plate from the rind of a hickory-nut

The table was spread with a cloth all of lace,

Woven by spiders the banquet to grace.

Oh, what good things they all had to eat!-

Slices of strawberry, - my, what a treat!

Honey the sweetest the wild bee could hive,

And a humming-bird's egg for each of the five.

Then they drank their host's health in their favorite drink,

Which was, - now, what was it? Can anyone think?

Why the dew-drop that comes from the heart of the rose

Is the drink of the fairies, as anyone knows.

Printable Primrose Doll Quilt

   Two very traditional quilt blocks: the basket and primrose, alternated here in brown, beige, yellow and green solids for a doll's bedroom comforts. 

       It can be enlarged to cover a 12 inch doll's twin or double sized bed in a dollhouse or shrunk for a miniature bed covering inside of a smaller dollhouse. 

• Watch Riley Blake Designs make a mini nine patch quilt just for fun!
• Gorgeous hexagon quilts make lovely doll blankets too! by Rita Streimer

Printable Palm Lily Quilt for Dolls

      The palm lily or cordyline fruiticosa depicted in this quilt block is highly stylized. It illustrates the bud version of the flower and the leaves have fewer toothed tips than the majority of palm lily blocks.  I think these attributes give this printable version a modern flavor. However, if the design elements were printed calico, I might think it more primitive. 

       There is much symbolism attached to palm lilies in southeast Asian culture. However, I am unaware of this particular quilt block being developed by anyone who grew up there and claiming to have based it's design on the plant life grown there.

       Lily symbolism in Christian culture represents victory over evil and there have been dozens of varied designs using all kinds of lilies in the western quilting traditions in the recent past. 

       This pattern can be made to look very different depending upon the placement of colors and in some instances the lily pattern might be lost altogether if one did not emphasize the motif carefully through contrasting fabrics.

• See these tropical palms quilted into designs by AccQuilt... - Their die quilt block would look lovely in a cradle quilt or you could use four blocks with boarders to make a doll cradle quilt.
• Brenda shares the same free palm pattern excluding flowers. This version could be constructed from four blocks, rotated to sew one large palm for the center of a doll blanket. Enlarge it by adding multiple borders or keep it smaller by binding after sewing only one narrow boarder to it's edges. She demonstrates a paper piecing method on a machine up close.

Miss Columbia Doll from the Chicago World Fair of 1892

Miss Columbia has traveled the world!

       In 1892, at Oswego Centre, a quiet little town in New York state, Miss Emma Adams originated the idea of making dolls with soft durable bodies, made of cloth, with hair and features painted on. Dressed in the fashion of their time, the dolls proved to be practical for children, and although started by Miss Emma for her own pleasure as a novelty, she and her sister Marietta, soon found that they had prospered and developed a growing business with their doll making.

       In 1893 these dolls were given a 'diploma of merit' at the Chicago World Fair, and at that time received the name by which they were always to be known, the Columbia Dolls. Miss Emma Adams painted the faces on the dolls herself, but after her death in 1900, the dolls were painted by artists who were engaged for the task. The faces of the dolls are very pretty. They were well made as to body, stuffed with cotton and excelsior, and so carefully costumed in clothes that could be taken off that they were dearly loved by the children who were fortunate to possess a doll from the skillful and painstaking hands of Miss Emma and Miss Marietta Adams.
       After Miss Emma passed on, Marietta continued the business. In 1907 she married and as her parents were no longer living, the doll business was not continued on so large a scale. A few dolls were made but gradually this stopped too. Although the Columbia Dolls were never patented, this doll is now in the Doll Museum at Wenham, Massachusetts. She received splendid publicity from the Press, and as a messenger of good will, as well as a very American doll in manufacture and clothing, has won her place of fame in the world of dolls.
       It is not too difficult to tell a Columbia doll. The sizes of these dolls varied from fifteen inches to twenty nine inches and costuming ranged from a pink or blue gingham dress to a plain pink or blue dress, a 'gown', a boys suit and a baby dress of white. The smallest doll sold for $1.50, and the largest for $5.00. There were a dozen dolls, numbered from one to twelve, according to size and orders were by number, and not by a description of the doll itself.

       Mrs. Gustav Mox reports a Columbian doll in the collection of Bonnie Jean Mox which bears the earlier label.

A FEW NEWSPAPER EXTRACTS:

       "Among the interesting dolls on exhibition at the International Collection of dolls in Boston last week was one named "Columbia,'' which was shown by Miss Emma E. Adams, of Oswego Center.
       Miss Adams, the originator of the doll, has a widespread reputation as a maker of cloth dolls which she sells to retailers in every part of the country.
       Miss Adams has several assistants at her Oswego home and persons who have visited the house have been enthusiastic over the many handsome dolls. - Oswego Times.

       '' This doll is distinctly American for every thing in her wardrobe is of American manufacture.'' - Boston Globe.       

       "Mrs. E. R. Horton, of Boston, is going to send "Columbia," a sweet little lady, around the world without a chaperon or guide book. However, the gem will be carefully watched over by express messengers, and every precaution will be taken to insure her comfort and safety. Little Columbia is a full grown domesticated doll. She was the star at the recent doll show. Now she is to be sent as a contribution to other exhibitions given in the interests of charity." - Boston Post.

       "Doll traveling around the world for charity is queen of them all. This beautiful doll arrived in Philadelphia yesterday from Boston in the first stages of her journey around the world. She is the queen of the International Doll Collection and destined to become the most famous doll in all the world.
       Miss Columbia" is pretty and well dressed, as well as good and famous. When she returns to her native shores she will have a story to tell.'' The North American, Philadelphia.

       "Columbia,' the gem of the International Doll Collection, is to travel around the world without chaperon or escort except baggage-men.'' Boston Journal.

        Columbia" is a pretty little girl doll, and has a tag pinned on to her which says she is not a bit afraid of the long journey. And she is proud of herself, for she is to be exhibited when she returns, and the money that people pay to see her will be devoted to charity.'' - The Pittsburg Dispatch.

       "Columbia,' America's doll, the one that is making a trip around the world alone and unchaperoned, after true American fashion, reached Denver this morning. Her face has been washed, her ulster brushed and she is ready to be admired, and it is quite possible her stay in this city will be marked by numerous functions in her honor. "Columbia has created something of a furore in the East.'' -The Denver Evening Post..

• Read more about Miss Columbia Doll here.

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