Accidently on Purpose

Gail Wilson's Pincushion doll with a few tweaks

You know how it goes, right?  You make the bodice a bit bigger because in the past you have issues with clothing being a tight fit (you stuffed a bit too much). Then come to find out, you should have just left it alone and it would have fit perfect.  Then you add some darts in the bottom to fit it better and then the top half is just a tad to big.  To fix that, you add a bust with some roving laying around on the crafting table (see, there is a reason for not putting it away so fast).  And you gather up the top of the lace and voila, you have tweaked your creation to stand out from all the others.  Accidently on purpose. 

While you are checking everything over,  you hear that little voice say "I'd like a belt please".  So you pull out your tiny buckles  -  a treasure you found while on errands.  This is why you always keep your eyes peeled; searching for good doll sized items because you never know when those little voices are going to pipe up. 

 While you are poking thru the doll treasures box, the little voice leans over and says,  "Hey, doing anything with those keys"?  So you add some keys and even a small pair of scissors to the mix.  She might need those scissors and keys when she finds her new home.

  Finding that just right shade of pink in felt can sometimes be an issue.  Sounds like a good excuse to visit my favorite fabric store. They have a very large stock of felt and wool felt in a wide range of colors. 



And a lady always needs a hat. Sometimes with braids, or flowers, or feathers and sometimes with them all!

To see the Etsy listing, just click on the title of this post or visit my Etsy Shop at: http://www.etsy.com/listing/50698732/the-pincushion-doll-with-tweaks?ref=ss_listing



For more information about purchasing a kit for this pincushion doll, please visit Gail Wilson's website at:http://www.gailwilsondesigns.com/catalog/oldfashdrygoods.html

Thanks for visiting  - Julie

Just listed

I have finished the mulberry and teal Pincushion doll.  She turned out nice.  I was trying to decide if I should sell her or not and decided not to....then took her up into the sewing room to find a spot for her and realized  no room - she needs to find another home. So she is up for sale on Etsy.  Click on the title of this post if you'd like to go check out the Etsy listing.  Etsy sure is fun to look at. I can spend way too much time out there in Etsy cyber space!
If you would like to try your hand at making yourself a pincushion doll, the kits are available from http://www.gailwilsondesigns.com/   in the old fashioned dry goods section.  This is another site where I can spend time just surfing around. 

Enjoy the holiday weekend - Happy 4th of July to everyone - and have some doll fun while you have an extra day off.  Thanks for visiting - Julie

Pincushion doll hat

oh - I just found the little note I had written to myself - "post some pics of PC doll hat". I'm getting to that age where I need to remind myself with little notes here and there or I forget things. So sorry these pictures are so tardy. Better late than never.....

For those of you new to this blog - this is Gail Wilson's Pincushion doll. You can click on the title of this blog to get to Gail's site and just page down a bit to get to the PC doll. Just before Memorial Day, I was asked to post some pictures of an easy to make doll hat that I made for this doll. The hat is actually part of another one of Gail's Doll patterns - The Kate Greenaway patterns. The hat is for the boy, but I fussied it up a bit for the PC doll.

Here are a few more pictures so you can see -
The stand with thread spools on dowels. These are the ones that came in the kit, but when I have a project going, I substitute the threads I need to use.
This doll has a few extra items on her - just so class participants can see the possibilities. The chatalaine is a jewelry making item - part of an earring making packet of items.
And here she is fully loaded - ready for work. She has the kit laces around her neck and even the instructions tucked inbetween the thread spool dowel and her shirt. All my doll making tools are in her apron. She is a hard working woman!

I have another in process in teal and mulberry colors- just about finished. I need to hand sew the bodice down around her waist and then finally decide if I want her on a wooden stand or not.  I probably will put her on her stand. I have one painted in a shocking yellow that I want to use graining liquid on. If I can pull it off and it looks nice - she will stand on wood.  If I flub it, she stands on her own.  Then I think she might go up for sale on Etsy.....I have one too many!

Thanks for your patience waiting for the hat photos. I did manage to finish the garden beds - the last one around the house got planted today. Now I just need to get a few more  on the lot across the street......before the really hot weather sets in.

Thanks for visiting and have some doll fun this week.

If you can - call your dad and wish him a Happy Fathers Day! - Julie

Nice talking to you

Hi doll makers - I just wanted to take a minute and say how nice it is to talk to some of you when you call me while I am at Attic Window Quilt Shop. Thanks for the nice compliments on my blog and I am always happy to answer any questions that I can regarding the dolls that I make.

I seem to be getting lots of questions about the Pincushion Doll, so I thought I would post the answers, in case others are wondering.

The pincushion doll kit is available from Gail Wilson - the designer of the doll. The kits are wonderful with detailed instructions. The kit comes complete with all the things you need to make the doll including a silk screened torso/face/hair that you embroider. You cut the back out, pin it carefully to the front, and then sew before you cut out the front. It's very easy with all the nice instructions to walk you thru the doll making process.

If you think you may want to make more than one, get an extra silk screened torso, available separately. The kits come with or without fabric for the skirt. The skirt is stuffed and becomes the pincushion. There is an apron appliqued onto the front that has a pocket to hold your sewing tools. The REALLY NICE thing about this pincushion is that when you use it, your items don't get lost or buried under all your stuff on the work table. No more losing your scissors, or ruler inside your project. OK, I admit it, yes, I have done stupid stuff like that. I even sewed my shirt to the iron board ONCE. Now fess up - you have done things like that too....right?

The hat that my PC doll wore in class yesterday is not part of the PC kit or pattern, but is part of Gail's Kate Greenaway boy and girl patterns. It's the boy's hat, but I snazzy it up a bit for the ladies. It is very easy to make and has loads of WOW even though it is very easy. It would be a good first project for those who are new to doll hats. The process, once done, can be used to make hats of all sizes - just find a thing around the house that is the right size. (light bulb, plastic Easter egg, things like that).

The KG patterns are in the historical dolls section of Gail's website. I just make the boy's hat and then add some ribbon, flowers, or braided cord around the where the crown meets the brim and voila, a nice ladies hat.

I would recommend that you get roving with the kit - it is the best stuffing for the torso. It's hard to stuff well if you use the slick kind of stuffing that is available at all the craft stores. Gail's roving is the nicest that I have seen and if you want to use a more economical version of stuffing, use it in the lower skirt portion saving the roving for the upper hips and torso and arms. Gail's non roving stuffings are excellent too.

You'll want to have a large stuffing fork for the skirt area and a smaller stuffing fork for the torso and arms. Hemostats are also a nice doll making tool and I have found they sure are handy for all sewing! I now have several pairs - one by my machine, one in my take it basket, and several around the house.

My pincushion doll is the "work horse" of my sewing table. I hear the other ladies in the group say the same thing. Everyone has their favorite tools they keep in the pocket of the apron and we all have multiple versions of this doll for the sewing stations (you know, one on the sewing table, one near the couch in the living room so you can sew while you watch TV, etc).

Several of the ladies in the class are making second dolls that do not stand on the wooden stand (also available from Gail separately), but just sit on their bottom. I like the stand, I use the spool dowels to hold the thread for my project, so usually, all that I need is on the doll. She has my current doll kit parts either pinned to her skirt, or in her pocket. The lace and cords are usually drapped around her neck. The paint pots fit inbetween her skirt and the spool dowels, so I am all set - no more losing my kit parts.

So - I hope I have answered all the things you were curious about. If not, please add a comment and ask - I'd be happy to show and tell. Thanks for visiting and have some doll fun today!