Monday, January 12, 2009

Ready for the Maypole

Take a gander at this little cutie I made over the weekend. Isn't she a gem? A good friend of mine is having a little girl in the end of February, and every little Johnson girl needs a Swedish doll, doesn't she?

Apart from the concept of sewing the hair, I made her up all by myself! Needless to say, I do feel a bit attached to my little prototype. I think I'll make several with different traditional costume/dress and see who wants them. I'm imagining kimonos, dirndls, Dutch caps, Inuit hoods, and more.

I found the fabrics used in the dress and apron at JoAnn Fabrics for a pittance, and to my untrained eye they scream Sweden. I also attempted some simple "embroidery" on her vest to fancy her up a tad. She stands about a foot tall and is very content.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, so cute! If we have a girl, maybe you can figure out how Danish dress is different from Swedish dress and make another.

MeganBritt said...

seriously fantastic!

Anonymous said...

hey johnson girl does need a swedish doll. the closest i got was Kirsten from American Girl. this is so adorable.

Alissa said...

Oh she is just so CUTE!

Sarah Pead said...

I love it! How adorable is she! :)

trcdkk said...

If you were trying to suck me in by posting the word "Dutch", it worked. I may have to invest in a good Dutch girl for my semi-dutch niece. I mean, she HAS been tainted with some Swedish and Mexican blood, but I've forgiven her for that...

Email me-let me know what I need to do to get my hands on one of these!

Kari said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love your little doll. Good work!

simplicity said...

Have you considered leaving your day job and pursuing craft making as your career? You'd be great and you'd have a line of customers right behind you. Between your dolls and blocks and blankets and clothing, you'd have quite the business going.

I LOVE this doll. She is SO cute and will look lovely in any girls (especially a Swedish Johnson girl!) arms.

Melissa said...

Hmmmm. Methinks Simplicity is on to something there... ;)

This is totally cute. I, for one, would put an order in for a flamenco dancer doll if I ever had a little girl. :D

Anonymous said...

She's lovely...I have some of that yellow fabric too and I love it:)

Amy and Andrew said...

You know I love her. I love the simple, stylish design. I also like your idea of doing dolls of different cultures/ethnicities. I think it's great for kids to be exposed not only to dolls who look like them, but also dolls who don't. It could provide so many teaching opportunities, don't you think? Who knows? You could end up sewing dolls for nurseries and pre-schools!

Anonymous said...

So cute!

VeggieAmanda said...

Wow- wonderful job on the doll! It is very adorable and well made.

Unknown said...

There is an adorable little 9 month old in Anchorage who would love a native Alaskan boy doll. Let me know how much I owe you.

Ann-Marie said...

How do you not do this for a living? I am amazed at your gifts!

Karen said...

Are you kidding me? This is the cutest thing I have ever seen, and you thought of it yourself??? You do have some mad talent, girl! I love the idea of changing up the outfits to match different ethnicities. Very inspired. I know a little girl in CT who would love one of these. Taking orders?

jk said...

This is so cute!!

Kelly said...

Lovely little doll!

Rachel Burton said...

So fun, and I love the bright fabrics! I'd be an easy sell on this!

amylouwhosews said...

This is adorable. I'm seeing lots of cute dolls and animals lately and I'm starting to think I need to add them to my to-do list! You did a great job. I'd want one with a kilt. How cute would that be?! I like the scandinavian dress too.

THE ISAZAS said...

You are so out of control talented!!!

Anonymous said...

Hey, I remember seeing that episode of Martha Stewart! lol Your doll is adorable! Nice fabric choices. :)

Anonymous said...

Your darling doll belongs at 17 Wiley. A swedish doll deserves a swedish home. Are you taking orders? She could live next to Cal's green quilt. eb

Anonymous said...

Wow - you are so talented! I can see these dolls in upscale baby boutiques across the globe! Keep showing off your work here - it is amazing!

Bobbi said...

She's a cute little dolly! You did good girl.

Swedish Colombian said...

Colombia! Where's Miss Colombia?!?!

:D

In my list of blogs-to-do, I have a faboo picture of Kirsten shoving her spokesmodel into her trunk!

Swedish Colombian said...

So, randomly surfing along today, I found this flickr group and thought you'd appreciate their pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/make-a-long/pool/
I thought at first it was just like your dolls, but they're a little different.