Making dolls

“I still remember making my first doll – my breath was shallow as this little doll came together and I worked into the wee hours until she was done. I still have her – lol – I remember how hard it was to figure out what to use for skin and my trip to the wool shop asking for stuffing. I was so proud of her – Lillian .. she sits on my window sill in the workshop. I couldn’t believe that out of fabric and wool and yarn this doll had been ‘born’. Something was ignited that evening – I felt as though I was on a high – in a bubble where time and space didn’t matter – in the ‘flow’. It was pure magic.”

“Sewing with this pattern was so completely different from sewing a Phoebe or an Egg doll. I found that oddly refreshing. I made the dolls out of a soft brushed twill. There are only three simply shaped pattern pieces to the doll. She was simple to make. My biggest challenge was turning her tiny thin arms inside out. But it was so worth it, because those thin arms are key to the doll's elegance. [...] The real fun came with making the doll clothing. The clothing pattens are simple. The dress pattern is two pieces, the pants are one. But what I loved most was Jess Brown's approach. No time is spent on fussing with the traditional finishing details. Things are not hemmed, just some stay stitching here and there. No sleeves to fit into armholes, no linings, no gathering. Nothing to fuss with, nothing to mess up, and nothing to possibly redo. No fitting adjustments. No hand hemming. This was so liberating.”