Hi there,

I am blogging over here now.

This blog will stay but it won't be added to.

 I felt it was time for a change as there are many things that have changed for me.

I made another waldorf doll

Wendy my first Waldorf doll.  Notice the black hair has been replaced with wool

Hello to you if you have happened across this blog, and Happy New Year to those who have returned.

It has been a busy start to the year and so January

is already passed.  I did make another Waldorf style doll. I am not sure if I enjoy making them.  

I like the concept, but somehow they are restrictive.  There are a lot of rules around waldorfs.

The body fabric should be high quality low pill cotton stretch, in fact all the materials should  be natural fibres. The filling must be wool.  The facial features are minimal to encourage imaginative play.  They must be child safe, no buttons, small beds or anything that a small child can swallow.   They should be washable.............

If you have googled Waldorf or Steiner dolls, you will have found that there are some doll makers who make these dolls as collectable items.  They are therefore very expensive.  They can be quite beautiful and the higher end dolls look like children.  They have freckles and messy hair and  eyebrows.  Some of the faces have needlefelting to create a more realistic face.  That is why I wanted to try my hand at making this style.  But mine seem to have a heavy chin - even with needle felting, I have not mastered the face shaping.

I try so hard to keep making dolls in the spare time I have and when I am not exhausted from work and family committments.  I dream of the day I will have a special studio that I can let my creativity grow naturally.  I feel like I have missed the boat.  Many, many dollmakers are selling on Etsy and they are on facebook, instagram, twitter and Youtube.  I am a babyboomer and I cannot justify spending so much time on social media.  I just want to sell my dolls.  I have an etsy shop, but am in holiday mode while I decide what to do.  I have not had one sale.  I know it is because I have like 24 friends on facebook and 15 on instagram.  I do not have the inclination to post photos every day.  I am shy to contact other dollmakers as their creativity overwhelms me.  I feel like a small fish in a big pond.  I am putting this out there because maybe someone has been in my position and has some advice.  The reality is, I am still finding my niche and until I do, I will not be noticed.  Let's see where this journey is taking me.  I feel like time is a wastin'...............Maybe I need a  mentor???

I made a Waldorf Doll!

Yes I know..............I keep chopping and changing and trying new things and it seems I am not really finishing anything.  Well that is sort of true.  Lately when I have a couple of spare hours I will work on a bear or a mask face or clothing or shoes, or knitting doll socks.  I am all over the place.
But it is happening again, I am busy working (bookkeeping) and have less time to create dolls. 
That is okay with me for now, because I will always be able to fall back into creating.  It will always be with me.  I have always been this way.
So the latest challenge I decided to attempt has been to make a sweet faced waldorf doll.  There are some amazing artists out there making this captivating style of doll.  I accidently discovered Fig and Me and Lali dolls and Little Dollhouse (that has youtube tutorials). 
If you Google Waldorf dolls you will find so many pictures and some history about why the dolls are made in this way and how to make them.
I just think they have the sweetest innocent faces with so much expression.
So here is my first attempt, made with a pattern from Lali Dolls.  Given time, I would like to make a few more................

I must say, I was not really happy with this face.  Her chin was too heavy and her eyes were not quite right.



So I gave her a sulky lip, did another layer of satin stitch on her eyes and another lash, and some freckles.  Now she is much improved.

The thing is, her hair will not be this Angora.  I will be using a red wool to keep her more true to the waldorf style.

I believe the Bamboletta dolls are more  like the original Waldorfs. 

I have needle sculpted the face under the cotton jersey skin to enhance the features.

I will take some progress pictues for my next one.  However, I should finish this girl first.  I have knitted her some socks.......

On my worktable

 A new doll........... not quite finished.  If you saw the last post I had a bit of a disater with the last mask for this doll.  This mask was sewn on twice. 

I have to say, this dolly is so accident prone.  She has fallen down frequently, split her seams, had to have a spot wash and had her clothing unpicked and resewn.

And she is not quite finished.  She needs shoes and socks, and an accessory item, but I am giving her a rest so we can both settle down.  I think her expression is a bit peeved or sad or fed up.

What do you think?









Now as for the mask...............I managed to salvage the paperclay. After removing the fabric, it just needed a good sand and it is ready for a new face to be drawn.  Of course I had to tea dye the cotton knit and I hope the colour is the same.  Who would have thought something so simple was so complicated!

As much as I have enjoyed the challenge of making these paperclay masks, I do want to create a mask that is lightweight.  I have a mask which is just layers of felt and cotton knit, and it seems to be a strong enough mask to hold the features. 

Soft mask - no paperclay

The features will be much softer and from memory the doll in the Blue dress and jacket named Kym is made with the softer mask.
(See my thumbnails on the right.)







And on to the other thing I have been working on - The Pants!  And a Shirt!  Now I know these look a bit rough and they are still pinned and unfinished, but I love the character this clothing gives the bear. 














I am so inspired by various Russian bear artists. 

Olga Zharkova

Philomena Kloss









And I have discovered that ageing a teddy is "a thing".
So more on that later.  At the moment I am back to making things.  Check my Etsy page and press on like.  I feel a bit lost amongst all those talented makers.

Etsy, Pants and High Tea!

 Hi everyone,
I have listed a Hare cloth doll on my etsy site.
MinikinsBySandy
I am determined to make and sell my work.
This is now my job, and I do enjoy the freedom of creating.















I made this a long time ago and I like the quirkiness of the style.  He is 22" long and his ears are 18".
I doubt I will make him again.  At he time I was making a female version and so I will probably sell that and that will be it.

I am in love with Russian Teddy Bears and I want to make this style.  Take a peek at this pintrest page -   Pintrest dressed bears

Today I decided I wanted to dress a bear in pants with pockets.  But it took my brain a little while to work out the pattern to fit the bear. Sewing bits together suddenly created a pair of pants.
I was so pleased with the results.   So I will be working on these type of bears.
After getting over the stress of trying to design the pants, I really enjoyed sewing  them up and I can't wait to finish them.

But I had to go to High Tea this afternoon with my sister! It was so enjoyable.  A glass of champagne to start then a personal 3 tiered tray of delicious delicacies.  And of course a pot of tea in beautiful crockery.

Just to take time out from daily routine.  If you have never taken High Tea, give it a try.

We went to a city hotel and there were no other people taking High Tea  Stamford Adelaide High Tea, so it was very private.  There were people coming in for coffee or beers, but there was plenty of seats in the lounge and people did their own thing.  It was lovely.  We are going to do it as a thing for special birthdays and get togethers with my other sister who is returning to Adelaide after living interstate for 15 years.  So there are a lot of changes happening around me lately.  Its all good .....I think  😏😏😏

Oh, I did a bad thing

I am one of those people who has to unpick 20 rows of knitting if I make a mistake.  I need to do over something if I know an error is there.
So in my determination to fix this face I did a bad thing.....
You see it became obvious to me, the glue had lost its tackiness and when I attached the knit overlay, there were spots of loose fabric.  I had painted the face and already sewn the head to the doll body - twice- but could not stand knowing that the loose fabric was there.  It would create a wrinkle on the face if gently touched.  So I removed the head, pulled out the knit from under the neck and started to prise the fabric from the paperclay mask.  Well, you guessed it ................I tore a hole in the chin.  I was just getting to the loose bit and bang  BIG HOLE.  So the face is ruined. 

LUCKY  I had another head ready for the next doll.  And I can salvage the mask and just glue and paint another face.  They say every cloud has a silver lining, so it is not that bad, but it really was bad, because each face when painted is a little different.  Lets see who I can come up with for the next face.

Well I finally did it!

So here is my first doll listed on Etsy.!!
It has taken me quite a while to stop fussing with her and just get her up on the site.
It seems I joined Etsy in 2011.  That is 7 years ago! Not active for 7 years!
I have made some purchases from Etsy, however, I have to admit I find all this social networking daunting,  There are thousands of sellers out there and I am terrified of being judged or compared. But I really would like to have a doll making business, I think what I make is sweet and unique and could make someone special smile.
The more you do the better you get, and already I can see the improvements I need to make.  Being creative is a blessing and a curse, especially when self doubt creeps in.
I will try a few different doll making styles  -  you know I have tried many different methods!
After working for so many years in many different jobs, I just want to spend my days creating and sewing, not having to answer to anyone and just do my own thing.
I have been supported by a few  keen followers and yet I am shy to comment on others sites.
That has to change or I will be having a very solitary life creating and sewing by myself.

So thank you to all those who look in to see what I am up to and giving me encouragement.
Being a small fish in a big sea means you have to do something to be noticed.  I have plenty of time,
just need the something special to happen.

Stalling.............but not at the market

Oh my, I am so out of touch.  Years ago I started blogging.  I wanted to try it.  I would add photos revamp the layout and just blab to anyone who may have come across my blog. 

Then life happened. 
I have seen some people share way too much information but then some who keep to their blog  theme.  I prefer to just post about my theme subject.  As much as people want to connect I am very aware that the internet is a possible worldwide source but I do not know who is reading my stuff,   Do I really want to share personal stuff with people who do not know me?   I have read negative comments on blogs and Youtube and I would fall apart.  Fear of criticism.  So there is nothing to say about 'life happening', it is just how it is.  You may say there are very supportive people out there who could help and make you feel better.  And that is true, but in the end, noone can give you the feeling of happiness.  Often you do not know you even are in happiness, until you are sad.  Then you have to find your own happiness again.  Anyway....

Next I want to  overcome my fear of failure and criticism and get my stuff onto Etsy.  Here are a couple of pictures as teasers.  It is going to happen.  I just have  a few items to put up.  And I need to connect to some like minded people.  There are a lot of doll and teddy makers out there that I would like to contact.  It is a plan.

My blog needs a spruce up and I have to update sites and links.  There is so much out there in the information highway, it is like starting all over again like years ago.

Well I did it!

Hello to you in Blogland,
Thanks for perservering with me and dropping by. 
Slowly slowly I am starting again - for the upteenth time!
In my last post, I said I just wanted to be happy.  Working had started to drain me and my happiness, you know, work/life balance.....
So.............I quit my job.
I gave 2 weeks notice and Thursday was my last day.

Now I will have heaps of time to make and sell my dolls and bears.
Here are some photos of some I prepared earlier, but did not quite finish.  So the plan is........to finish them and get them onto Etsy.
Let's see how long this actually takes....................
By the way, the little bear is already adopted, he won't be going up for sale.  But there will be some others - more than one!!
Wish me luck................

Where Have I Been?

Hello my dear friends,

Slowy, slowly I am creeping back.  I really want to make a start selling from my Etsy shop. (I would link that, but there is nothing there to look at at the moment).   I have been working on some dolls and bears.  And I just dream about spending my days creating and making and selling my wares.


The reality of life is we need to have money to have a roof over our heads and food on the table.  So everyone at some time in their life finds themselves in this position.  As children, all we want to do is be grown up, so we can eat as many lollies as we want and buy whatever we like.  But there it is, how are you going to be able to buy lollies - you need money - unless you turn to a life of crime!

That being said, you also need a reason to get up in the morning.  I discovered the joy of walking into the sewing room and being greeted by a lovely creation that made me so pleased with myself.

So if you have to get up in the morning to do something, it would be so nice to work on something that gives you great pleasure and satisfaction. Noone can do that for you.  You have to work out what you want to do, and how you are going to get there.  I am at that stage now.  So very gradually I will be starting to do something........
You can see I am making little changes, slowly, slowly......................