Squirrel sees pictures or samples of dolls in the store or in a magazine, and if it blonde haired and blue-eyed, she swoons over them, saying, "It's just like ME!" I thought that a doll would be a lot of fun for her, and love all those handmade dolls I see on places like etsy. In my mind, I had a vision of this silly shaped plushy doll, and so I decided I would try to make it myself. And you know what? Aside from a caboose that is a little bigger than I might have hoped for (story of my life though, really...), she turned out almost exactly like she looked in my head!
Meet "Dolly" (she's had several other names, but Squirrel finally seems to have settled on that one...):
I wanted her to be made out of something soft, but still washable, and figured chenille, although a little pricier than some other fibers, would hide the dirt and wash well. I had to find a tutorial for the yarn hair (which was probably the trickiest part) and had a bit of difficulty figuring out which pieces to put together before stuffing or after, but in the end, she came together and I was pretty darn proud of myself. I also managed to make her three outfits with matching cloth diapers and a sling for Squirrel to wear her in. Originally, I was going to make some matching clothes for Squirrel too, but as it was, I was coming in under the wire--maybe when its time for her birthday party.
At any rate, I don't think Squirrel minds Dolly's imperfections too much...what do you think?
That's amazing Kierra! I love the doll. I would be very proud of it. I am wanting to make some things as well, but I am not very creative and don't have good internet site searching abilities... do you have any blog/sites for some ideas?
ReplyDeleteImpressive! Where do you get your ambition? And can I have some?
ReplyDeleteVal--hit totallytutorials.blogspot.com. They have TONS of step by step directions on how to make adorable things from EVERY category possible. Each tutorial is a link to someone's blog or site which usually has dozens more tutorials. It is a great place to start when you feel crafty, but you don't know what to make. I LOVE it!
ReplyDeleteKierra - you are SO talented! Complete with clothes, cloth diapers, and sling??!! AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteThanks, everyone!
ReplyDeleteVal--I visit lots of blogs, and spend way too much time on etsy.com--it is so full of so many amazing handmade items and I "borrow" inspiration from lots of artists there.
www.dana-made-it.com is a favorite site for crafts, as well as www.rufflesandstuff.com
http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/ also does some awesome craft round-ups, where she gathers a bunch of tutorial ideas all together. But beware, blogs and tutorials are totally addicting! It's so easy to disappear into the world of all the things I wish I were doing! ;)