Doll Face

Once upon a time, there was a crafter who was so obsessed with the fiber and textile arts that she thought there would never be another project that could distract her from her knitting, spinning, sewing, and quilting. Then one day she wandered into a Goodwill store, one that she used to go to regularly because it was near her former place of employment, but now she rarely goes to the area in which it is located. But this hot summer day she had another errand to run in that part of town, so the crafter decided to stop in just to see what was there. She found a cute skirt that fit her perfectly and a beautiful accent chair for her friend to reupholster and put her in living room. Then she found a dollhouse. Not just any dollhouse. Certainly not one of those plastic monstrosities so many of her friends had when she was a girl. No, this was a solid wood, seemingly-handmade log cabin-style dollhouse. It was in near perfect condition, just needing some cleaning up and TLC. And it was priced at $14.99. She tested lifting it to see if she could carry it to the front of the store, but it was too heavy for her to lift easily. She walked away from it several times, trying to think of all the reasons she should not bring this dollhouse home with her. But every time the crafter examined it again, she found more evidence that it was lovingly made by hand: tiny nails driven in with care so as not to be obtrusive, a delicate handrail on the staircase, and a tiny vase of ribbon roses placed in each and every window. The crafter began imagining what it would look like all cleaned up and filled with beautiful handmade details, like felted wool area rugs on the floors and tiny hand-painted paintings on canvases on the walls. She began to think of how much a dollhouse like this would cost if purchased new.

So she bought the dollhouse for a meager $14.99 and brought it home. It now sits on her dining room table while she invests the needed time to restore it and while she makes big plans to fill it with a happy doll family and all the things that family needs to live happily in the house.

Truly, I did try heroically to resist buying the dollhouse as I have absolutely no need for another project. But when I called my friend to ask her if she wanted the chair I'd found, she convinced me to buy to dollhouse as well. It really is in beautiful condition and will require only minimal cleaning and conditioning of the wood. I'm trying to decide if I want to paint the roof and possibly stain and seal the logs on the exterior. It's so meticulously made. I'd love to know where it came from and how it made it to Goodwill. It looks to be approximately the standard 1:12 scale, perhaps a little smaller. With only four rooms, it won't need much furniture, but I'd really like to spend some time handcrafting some meaningful details for the interior. I'm also thinking about making the doll family myself.

My urge to make dolls is not a new one. I've been thinking for some time about making some Waldorf dolls, like these. I love their simple faces and that they're made of all natural materials. I also love the Waldorf philosophy. To ease myself into doll making, I've been planning to make a rag doll or two, something lovely and simple like the ones Marie Grace makes for her daughter. I'm working on a pattern of my own to keep for making dolls for future children. I think both girls and boys need dolly companions, someone to play and snuggle with. I'd love to make at least one doll for each of my children one day. So I've been doing my research, reading books from the library about doll making. I also have a Vogue sewing pattern I want to try. I feel like I need to make a doll or two or three to really get a feel for what I want and what I don't want in my own original pattern. If you'll remember, I have a little experience with doll making, but I still feel like a giant amateur. I think it'll be a fun adventure.

I guess we never stop being little girls, no matter how "grown" we get.