Success!! Wow!!

Great Job, Diana! 30 dolls in 30 days! and I love every one of them!

Each is unique, and presents a little part of yourself. And that's what doll-making, as any other art, is all about.

Thank you for joining me in this little 'game'.

I, too, have learned a few things in the process, and am glad to call it done, as I will now feel free to spend more time on each one I create. Details do take time, trial and error, and thought. Sometimes I thought the hardest part was choosing the next design. I tend to want to dash off in all directions, want to try every last style and idea, and use every piece of fabric I have, or that catches my eye. Most of which will demand more time than I had for each of these this month. The possibilities are endless.

Again, thanks for helping to make this so much fun.

If there are others who have worked on the challenge, regardless of numbers actually accomplished, you are encouraged to send me photos or a link, and I will be delighted to post them here. Don't be shy about sharing.....

Happy Dollmaking to all! and Happy Valentine's Day, too. Vada
vada428@windstream.net

Diana's final 2.

Diana writes: This final photo is of the whole family, but one must have run away from home, or didn't want to be in the photo, as I cannot find her.

Thanks for letting me join in this challenge, as it has been a great learning curve, and I now know in what direction I'm going. I am definitely going to play with dolls; there is so much to learn. I have enjoyed doing this challenge, but pleased it has come to an end, as other things have been neglected. I would have liked to spend a lot more time on each doll, with stitch and embellishment, but this was part of the exercise, having limited time.

Thanks for the enjoyment, I love your dolls, and will continue following your blog. If you think of any other challenges, let me know and I will join in.

And here are the final two. # 29. Joan. Face adapted from Jill Maas' pin doll pattern. and #30. Jack, the elf.

Vada's 4th week...updated 30th

Jan. 30th #28. Qamani. #29. Roshana. #30 Serena. #31 Tamara. #32. Ula.

I gave up on the larger project, a quilting lady, when a cold 'caught me' a few days ago, and resorted to this little group of pin dolls, which I could sit on the couch and work on. So I included a couple 'extras'. Tomorrow is the 31st, (day of grace, remember?) and if I get ambitious and complete my quilter, I will post her. And of course, she will have to be named 'Grace'.

Jan 27th #27. Pearl. Made with Kate Erbach's free pattern, Celeste, Pearl is made of drapery and curtain fabric samples. Her hair is a scrungie. The design featured clay feet and hands, but I made them of fabric, as I did my first rendition of Celeste, which I made in December.

Jan 26th #26. Oh, Solo Meow. This earnest fellow was suggested by the fabrics. I wasn't sure what style I should make him, but like kids, they turn out how they will, so I'll call him done. Note, his claws are hair clippies. They make great little grasping hands. I draw the end of the sleeve up tightly around the backs of them, and also glue them in.

Jan. 26!!! Wow, I'm running out of days in the month before letters in the alphabet. Guess I'll have to choose which letters to skip, in order to do the ones I most want to include: p, q, r, and v.

Diana's Dolls, 2...Updated Jan. 29

Jan 29th #26. Josie, Button Doll. #27. Jessie, Peg Doll. #28. Jennifer, Pin doll.

Jan. 23rd # 21. Jasmin. A smaller version of Ray Slater's doll from her book Clothdolls for Textile Artists.

#22. Josie 23. Julie #24. Jill Pin Brooches.#25. Juliana, a pin brooch.

#17. Janna, #18. Jellica, #19. Jollica. #20.

Jan. 18. #14. Jayne, blue. #15. Jay, red. #16, Jaycee, green. Button Dolls.

Julliette...22inches. Adapted pattern of Patty Medaris Culea

Vada's 2nd Half-- Updated Jan. 25

Jan. 25. #25. Nikki's Nightingale. Nikki is one of the MerryHill Faeries, a series I created a couple years ago. You can see more of them, and their story on my cloth dolls blog, October posts. One of the faeries is featured in a book about them and their home. Nikki is 7 inches tall, seated.

Jan. 24th. #24. Maid of Hearts is from R. McGinnity's design Damsel in this Dress, Maid of Hearts- from the Heartland. All her main body parts are heart shapes. She is 19 inches tall, measuring from the tip of her hat.

Jan. 22nd. #23. Lydia (Lydia has a secret:)

She likes to play the lady, And follow fashion's trend.

But under it all, she's chamber maid. Indeed, the plumber's friend.
As a maid's might be, her lovely gown Is madame's skirt, redone.
And though she must be practical, She likes to have some fun!

Lydia is an adaptation of my own pattern, created many years ago, wearing a print pinafore and holding a basket of toiletries. 27" tall. Her hip-length torso has a tube inside, so it can slip over the plunger handle, or taken off the base, she will sit anywhere, and makes a good bed doll.

Jan. 20. #21. Jill, and #22. Kay-Leah. Shown here with Sue (City Sue), made in December, not counted in this challenge. This is the Jill Maas' pattern, City Girls. Jill also has a wrap, like Sue's, but she didn't want to wear it for the picture.

Jan. 18. #'s 19 and 20....Illgott and Gaynes, a pair of shady cartoony characters, for sure.
I've always wanted to create a couple of guys, along this line. I love the play on words, as you have probably guessed by now, and 'illgotten gains' just cried out to be translated in cloth.
They are 'cut-and-cross-your-fingers' designs, 13 and 14 inches tall. I used the head patterns from Keelings' The two of us, Tillie and Tom. Notice that Gaynes has an extra card tucking under his lapel. And somehow, he already has 5 aces. ??? And Illgott keeps looking over his shoulder.

January 15.

Well, it's the middle of the month. And so far, so good. I'm still a little ahead of schedule. But I've more detailed ones on my list, and will need every spare hour. If I wasn't wacky to start with, I probably will be by the end of the month. ;^)

This is #18...Hay-rietta. She is a modification of my old pattern, HorseFeathers!.

She's 18 inches tall, will sit, decked out in her jumpsuit, ready for the World Equestrian Games coming to Lexington in the fall. Meanwhile, she's thinking of attending the races, and maybe go shopping.

Horse-feathers! means nonsense. Feather means finery. Do horses have feathers? No, but some breeds have feather....that long hair on the lower legs of some heavy breeds is called feather. Notice , Hay-rietta has feather on her 'feet'. She's a little heavier than she'd prefer to be, too. She'll be cutting back on the oats for a while.

Diana's Dolls updated Jan.18

Jan. 15. # 13 ...Joanna

She is a 22" dummy doll pattern designed by Jill Maas. Joanna's skirt, bodice and hat are made from tea bags. She is the third doll from the same pattern which Diana has made for an exhibition which is being held next month. (Ellanora's outfit is made from vintage doilies, and Dora's is made from recycled brown envelopes.)

See the others at : http://www.stitch4stitch.blogspot.com/

Jan 12. #10. Jean #11. (in gold) Julie #12. (aqua) and Janet (in pink) 9" flat doll, free pattern by Stephnie Novatski.

Jan. 8... #5. Jolene, made from recycled items. #6. Jenny, 5" doll. #7. Jade, #8 Jude, #9. Jeanna, pin dolls. .

Jan. 5.... # 3 Judith... made from an old jumper. Adapted free pattern by Judith Prior.

#4.. 4-inch Dotee.

1.Jan ...9" pink doll with corded arms and legs. 2. Joelle ....4" button doll, will have different colored hair, but it disappeared, what I wanted to use. http://www.stitch4stitch.blogspot.com/

Vada's Dolls -- updated Jan. 14.

Jan. 14. #17. Granny Smith of Applehead Lane.
Ninety two, and still a-peeling.

Proud operator of Better Inn Cider Pie Shop.

I had this dried apple head and thought I'd try making it up. She could have been Willa Winesap, but she didn't want to wait for the 'W', in case I didn't get that far....and she does look just like a granny (for G). She's about 15 inches tall, standing, but prefers to sit, these days.

Jan. 13th. # 16. Frankie, the Flapper. She just stepped out of the dress shop, and ready to parr-tee! She's been practicing her charleston steps, and everything. 14 inches of roaring twenties energy, has anybody seen her guy.....?

Jan. 12. #15. Elfa McMoss, a little green forest elf, 9 inches tall. She is made using Sherry Goshen's free online pattern, Elfin. I have made this pattern before, as a pouty little fellow who stamped his foot and declared he didn't want to dance!

Jan. 10. # 14. And in the center ring..... the great DeMarco, the Tattooed Trapese Artist. DeMarco measures a muscular 18 inches, from head to toe. He comes from Australia, where he was designed by R. McGinnity, a pattern titled Fernando and Fabio of the Fabulous Flying Fancys.

Jan. 8th. # 13. Clara Beth the Clown is 23 inches tall. I just made her up as I went along, firstchoosing the fabrics from my diminishing stash .

January 7th. At right: #12....Botta-Lina, a Rainbow Sprite. Her body is a wine bottle decoupaged with crinkled white tissue paper.
Sparkly twiggy wings give her a sprite-like quality. 15 inches tall.

#11... Alice in WinterLand. 18 inches tall. She intended to go skiing, but got sidetracked.


Added Jan. 4: #'s 3, 4, 5: Three pin dolls done on January Third. I started a batch of 8, and will finish the others later in the month. These are made using my custom designed fabric, printed at Spoonflower.com. The features are colored in with crayon and paint. #'s 6 thought 10: The rest of the batch of eight.

Now, getting a little ahead of the game, I can relax and concentrate on something more elaborate.

This is George, named for my brother whose birthday is today, Jan. 2nd., and who's as hooked on photography as I am with doll-making. ;^). This fellow is 11 inches tall. I used Mary Tressler's free online pattern 'what a guy!' for the body. This is not my favorite face, but I did make him a neat camera, from a piece of eraser (painted black) and two bead for the lens. He's all equipped with gadget bag and tripod.

Right: Challenge doll # 1....Eliza. A bottle topper, with a fine wardrobe. January 1st.