In 1985, I made a velveteen Inuit doll with a seal appliqued on its parka for my son, Peter. When you make something for a toddler, or anyone for that matter, you never know how it will be received. Will they actually play with it or leave it in the corner? I needn’t have worried, because Peter loved this doll to the point where its arms and legs had to be sewn back on several times. All these years later, I have 2 really good reasons to make dolls for a new generation, because a few weeks ago Peter became a father! So, it seemed right that little Eddie and his 1 yr. old cousin, Elias would each have their own Inuit doll to love.
I found the original sketches and patterns for Peter’s doll in my files and unearthed pieces of cotton velveteen left over from my doll-making days. The only material I needed to buy was some sherpa fabric for the fur trim. This post includes photos and videos that show the process of making the 2 new dolls for my grandsons, one decorated with a snowy owl and the other with a fish.
Back in the 80s, when practically every checkout line at the supermarket had a rack full of homey women’s magazines, I designed sewing projects for Better Homes and Gardens. Sewing projects are conspicuously absent from today’s version of the magazine, which is limited to home decor ideas, gardening, and recipes.
I mostly designed cloth dolls, including one with a prairie bonnet that they styled on the cover of their December 1982 issue. You can also see a crèche that Better Homes and Gardens published in 1981 here. When I submitted a photo of Peter’s Inuit doll to the magazine’s crafts editor, they asked me to design 3 dolls, which were included in the December 1986 issue.
During this early phase of my career, I enjoyed coming up with project ideas and making prototypes, even though the pay was dismal and I signed away my design rights (I was young and inexperienced). By the end of the 1980s, I was ready to move on to children’s book illustration, which came with its own suite of challenges.
When I was designing projects for the magazine, writing out step-by-step instructions was my least favorite part of the job. Describing what I’d done in words felt overly analytical and thoroughly anal! It took years to learn to show and tell how to make something in a way that intuitive and visual learners like me could understand. Then, I was ready to write my how-to book, Felt Wee Folk, which combines visual diagrams and step-by-step instructions for making little dolls. To find out more about my philosophy of sharing knowledge, please read this post.
Nowadays, I’m relieved to not have to explain in detail how I make something. Demonstrating my process through photos and videos is much more natural than describing every step in words.
I hope that you enjoy the following photos and videos that show how I embroidered the doll’s face, stitched and appliquéd the snowy owl, and sewed on the arm.
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