Just in time for Halloween

I’m not really a big fan of Halloween. I mean, I enjoy dressing up in costumes on occasion and I won’t say no to the occasional Twix or snickers, but usually, in my mind, Halloween is the holiday we have to get over before we can get to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Be that as it may, I have a bit of a Halloween themed doll to introduce you to. Of course, Harry Potter is not only about pumpkins and spooky things but it certainly came to mind with this doll.

I didn’t set out to make a Hermione Granger doll, but as I was pinning her bushy brown hair in place, the boys were listening to a Harry Potter audio book in the background and the idea came to me. Hermione is definitely my favorite character in the books. I always identified with her a bit- not because I’m really brainy or particularly bold (I’m 99% certain I’m a Hufflepuff) but I was always kind of a teachers pet and enjoyed raising my hand in class almost as much as Hermione. (With not nearly as many right answers, mind you.)

Laying that aside, we all know that Harry wouldn’t have gotten very far without Hermione. So I decided to base a doll off of her, figuring that there might be a few other Hermione fans out there.

Her Hogwarts uniform is pretty self explanatory. A pleated, gray, wool skirt, crisp collared white blouse, a soft knit vest and knee high socks with sweet, buckled Mary Janes.

Then, of course, she proudly wears her Gryffindor colors in a tie around her neck, as well as lining her soft black cloak. And let’s not forget her wand. She has a tiny loop in her hand to enable her to hold it, as well as in her cloak- for safe storage when she’s not out saving the wizarding world.

So there she is! Yes I’m aware that this reveals a nerdier side of myself, but I don’t really care. I hope you like her as much as I do. She’s on my shop tonight!

Now please excuse me- I’m off to carve some pumpkins. Happy Halloween!

28Sep2018

Things are a little topsy turvy around here

Posted in dolls, Waldorf doll by Climbing Vine Clothing

Oh hello dear blog that I once upon a time kept up with. I’m afraid that your faster and more convenient social media competitors have relegated you to a back shelf. But I thought I would like to do a post on these most recent dolls of mine.

Having spent most of the summer delving into the world of needle felting and waldorf dolls, I took a little rabbit trail into waldorfs that weren’t needle felted. Easier, less time consuming and more cost effective for my shop, I thought a simpler, more small-child friendly doll would be a good addition.

So I started these. The first one I posted sold in hours, the next two had interested buyers before they were finished. Then I had a few custom requests. The interest was not just in their simplicity and lower price- but in the fact that you get two for the price of one. They are topsy turvy dolls- a pretty vintage idea (and a pretty strange one, I’ll admit) where the doll is in fact, legless and two headed. These strange deformities are, however, well covered by a generous skirt, so that, with a simple flip of the dress, you get two dolls in two costumes.

To make things even more fun, I’ve taken some inspiration from Disney and produced a set of fairy tale topsy-turveys. Cinderella was an obvious first choice- servant on one side, princess on the other.

But what about Sleeping Beauty? Disguised peasant girl wandering the forest discovers that she is really a princess- then ends up being cursed anyways, but gets a lovely crown and princess gown (not to mention a prince) to compensate for her losses. (And yes, I know her dress is blue and gets changed to pink later, but I already had a lot of blue dresses!)

It was easy to jump off from there. Next I tackled a struggling waitress from New Orleans who finds herself in love…wait for it….with a frog-

And then a long-haired, purple-clad, tower dweller who sacrifices her golden locks when need demands, replacing them with a cute brunette bob.

And of course the mermaid who wanted to be where the people are. I had a really hard time figuring out a way to make her fins look convincing. These dolls take a fair amount of creativity. We’re going with these for now with possible improvements in future.

And last but not least, a poor and obscure village beauty who longs for adventure and finds it (and a famous golden dress) right in her own back yard!

You guys- these were so fun to make. And my brain is swimming with other ideas and is more than open to custom suggestions. They are soft and cuddly and very sturdily made and even some of my boys love playing with them (on the sly, of course). I don’t need to tell you that my daughter has claimed every single one as soon as it is done. 😂

They’re all on my shop tonight! Let me know what you think and if you’re interested!

13Jun2018

Brown eyed girl

Posted in dolls, Waldorf doll by Climbing Vine Clothing

Hello friends. I’ve been a little busy of late with summer VBS, several family birthdays and a triple order for some customized dolls but I wanted to take a quick minute tonight to introduce someone else to you.

This is Hazel. She’s my fourth attempt at a Waldorf inspired, natural fiber art doll and I’m finding each one to be a little easier. I’m never quite sure which direction that little starting sphere of wool will take me. It’s part of the fun of needle felting. After a few hours of sculpting, it appeared that Hazel was going to end up with some lovely, round cheeks. So in keeping with that look, I decided to add a few dimples and sculpt more of a smile into her slightly wider mouth. She ended up looking so cheerful and rosy and brown! So I figured brown with a hint of blush would be her theme in the clothing department as well. Her skirt is as full as I could make it and her rosy pink bolero and green belt accentuate the floral motif of this particular calico quite well.

Her hair, in my humble opinion, is the best I’ve done yet. It’s taken me a while to figure out the best way to do these cotton jersey wigs, but I think I’ve finally figured out a better method. Not the easiest of course, but it just hangs more naturally on the head and is easier to style.

Here are a few shots, in no particular order. She stands a little taller than her sisters- about 15 inches.