Little Miss Penelope

Introducing Little Miss Penelope. She is 1/2 of a 2 doll set.

Available on eBay now through Monday, Oct.8th. Click here.

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Penelope is such a sweet little wonder. She’s super ready for trick-or-treating & she has one goal: CANDY!

Penelope is my original design. She is 30" tall & made of muslin. I’ve stuffed Penelope with fiberfill. Her lower torso is rag-stuffed & bean filled in order to weight her little bottom. Penelope has been painted from head to toe. I then sanded her, painted her from head to toe again & sanded her again. I treated Penelope to a series of paint washes that make her look oh so vintage & maybe, just maybe, like a dollie some little girl loved so very long ago.

Penelope’s facial features (nose & bottom lip) have been needle sculpted & hand-painted. Her little bottom lip pouts. Her upper lip is simply painted. She has the rosiest cheeks & detailed eyebrows. Penelope’s features have been painted with premium acrylic paints & have been accented & shaded with oil pastels. Penelope has been sealed top to bottom with clear, glossy acrylic sealer so that she may be preserved beautifully over the years & kept a lifetime. Penelope’s gloved fingers have been needle-sculpted. She sports painted white gloves.

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Penelope is also sporting some of the coolest vintage wingtips! Maybe she found them in her dad’s closet when constructing this costume. She has painted on laces & even hand-painted tread on the bottom of her shoes. Penelope is wearing white painted socks. Penelope is wearing a white muslin undershirt with a fluffy white voile collar. Penelope’s little bib skirt is made of vintage pink striped fabric & white muslin. I’ve dyed Penelope’s clothes in a coffee, lavender bud & vanilla bath. They do not smell however. I simply dyed them in those substances to obtain the proper color. I then hand-washed all her clothes after achieving the hue I sought. Penelope’s bibs are fastened in the front with two brown, vintage buttons.

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Penelope has the coolest balloon! It was made from muslin, stuffed, painted, sanded, painted & sanded, then attached to a wire. The wire is wrapped & stitched securely to Penelope’s wrist. Her balloon has been stained & sealed with clear glossy acrylic sealer.

Penelope holds a banner that shows she means business. Candy, candy candy. That’s what this little girl wants. Penelope’s banner was made from a set of vintage stamps I acquired some time ago. Each letter is stamped onto taupe card stock with black ink.

Penelope’s hair is 100% raw wool. It has been lightly glued for extra stability & then carefully needle felted to her head. Her pigtails are fastened with little chocolate ribbons.

Miss Naoma

Introducing Miss Naoma, the better half of my ‘Couple in Autumn’ dolls.

Like Virgil, her companion, Miss Naoma has been entirely hand-sewn. She is made of muslin fabric & stuffed with fiberfill. Naoma’s lower torso has been rag-stuffed & bean-filled. She has been painted & sanded, painted & sanded again, which gives her a leather-like feel. I treated Naoma to a series of washes to give her a beautiful, deeply aged patina. Her facial features & fingers & toes have been needle sculpted & hand painted with premium acrylic paints. Her wrinkles have been accentuated with oil pastels. Her hair (authentic, raw wool) has been lightly glued & then needle-felted to her head. Naoma has also been sealed with glossy acrylic sealer so that she can be preserved beautifully over the years.

Naoma’s clothes have been hand-sewn & treated to a lavender bud/tea bath. She sports bloomers, a blue print apron dress & linen undershirt. Her neckerchief is a vintage hankie with crochet trim & is fastened with a vintage clip-on earring.

Naoma carries a sunflower which has been treated to the same process. It was hand-sewn & hand-painted & sealed with clear glossy acrylic sealer.

Naoma is a big doll, measuring 34 inches.

Together, they make a lovely couple!

Virgil Cane’s my name

I just completed one half of my ‘Couple in Autumn’ dolls.

He is made entirely by hand. A sewing machine didn’t come near him! He is made of muslin and stuffed with fiberfill. I rag-stuffed his lower torso & filled him with beans. I enjoy old ways of doll construction & try to employ those methods when it is possible & sensible to do so. ‘Virgil’ has been painted, sanded, painted & sanded again & then treated with a series of washes to give him a truly beautiful aged patina. I needle-sculpted Virgil’s nose, eyebrows & mouth & hand-painted his facial features with premium acrylic paints. His wrinkles & highlights have been defined with oil pastels. Virgil’s fingers & toes have been needle-sculpted as well & his fingernails & toenails have been hand-painted. Virgil has been sealed with glossy acrylic sealer so that he can be dusted occasionally & kept for years. Virgil’s balding head of hair (authentic, raw wool) has been securely needle-felted to his head & his clothes have been hand-sewn. He wears a ‘wife beater’, flannel shirt & denim overalls. Virgil’s clothes have been lightly aged in a tea & lavender bud bath.

Virgil has harvested a large pumpkin which has been entirely made by hand. It was treated to the same process as Virgil–painted, sanded, repainted, sanded, highlighted, detailed & sealed. Twisted wires form the stem & were sewn onto the pumpkin. A bit of burlap forms the base of the stem & I tied a raffia bow at the base of the stem.

Virgil’s pumpkin is not attached. It is designed to sit in his lap.

I had so much fun making Virgil & his companion, Naoma, which I hope to complete tomorrow. (Aren’t men always ready before women?)

Virgil is completely my design, will never & can never be duplicated as I sketch my patterns directly onto fabric as I go. He required many, many hours of hard work & hand cramps but was such a delight. His little face cracks me up as he looks so much like so many old men I’ve seen!

Virgil will be available on EBay soon!