China Doll

Poor little China Doll…. she was looking sad and forlorn for a while.

She sat alone in the garden for hours. Inconsolably sad.

I asked her what was wrong… and other than being upset that she missed the Cyndi Lauper concert, she finally admitted she was just lonely. "You never have time for me", she sniffed… "You just dress me up, paint my cheeks, knot my hair ribbons and leave me alone." Poor little party girl!

I could see it in her eyes. It was time for her to take a trip. As soon as I told her about my idea, her toes began to wiggle. She could barely contain her urge to dance!

I helped her pack her bags and paid her passage for an exotic adventure… to beautiful Ohio. 

"Do I look okay?" she asked excitedly... "What are they wearing these days in Ohio?" I assured her she'd fit right in, and helped her with her luggage tags.

Then I noticed… she was finally smiling! Beaming and bright.

She's now rooming with a dear friend of mine who will keep her entertained with stories of her world travels and exciting adventures. 

I'll miss you little China Doll. Your quirky ways made me smile for a little while.

{Our dear girl is a stuffed cloth folk art doll… and sports a vintage plastic bow button, vintage ribbon, rickrack and lace.}

Wild Rag Doll Rumpus!

Let me say this up front...  I have completely loved Portland artist Junker Jane (aka Catherine Zacchino) and her wild and crazy rag dolls ever since I saw her Misfit Circus dolls in Art Doll Quarterly last spring.

They are unlike anything I've seen by ANY other dollmaker and they instantly gave me inspirational chills.
I've been following her blog and Facebook page ever since and continue to marvel at the new creations she comes up with. They are sometimes dark and creepy, which is just exactly why I love them... and can't look away!

Junker Jane's Monster Tibby

Jasper... by Junker Jane

 There is no mistaking Junker Jane's style... so while many of us have no doubt used her technique notes in ADQ to try creating our own versions, there is just no way to capture the essence of an original Junker Jane. But, that didn't stop me from trying! I kept one eye on the ADQ spread and Catherine's "how to" notes while patching together the rag doll I made for the 6-yr-old daughter of a niece of mine, and mimicked the Junker Jane style as best I could.

**Please Note: I would only EVER make one of these to give away (while giving full design credit to Catherine). I'd never sell one or let anyone assume they were my own idea.**

"Sasha"

Ava loved her...right down to the blue pony tails & Junker Jane-style stitched mouth, which she thought was a "necklace". She named the doll "Sasha" and proceeded to include her while dancing to Lady Gaga!

Making this doll was fun and quick. The construction technique is to machine applique and hand-stitch everything on the flat base fabric surface, then stuff. I used vintage fabrics and vintage buttons for the eyes.



The end result made me happy, though I realized how far short it fell from the ideal of the original. (Which is as it should be, I suppose!) Mine is too cute, too tame... not quirky-weird enough. That is HARD to accomplish, believe it or not!

Another recent Junker Jane creation sparked my inspiration... her "Witch Marigold"...

Jane's "Witch Marigold"

I fell in love with this seriously intimidating witchy woman, and started pining for my favorite season (Halloween) to arrive. So, of course, I had to try to create a Junker Jane rag witch of my own.

Marigold's rather plain cousin, Mumphy.

As you can see, mine is more like Witch Marigold's mild-mannered, simpering cousin. This one was also given as a gift to the daughter of another niece of mine (again, with full credit to Junker Jane and never with intention to copy and sell). I bow down to the creativity and wonderfulness of the original Junker Jane. In my opinion, I haven't even come close!

I've learned a lot from attempting to re-create her style. I love the techniques, the upcycling of vintage bits... and just the overall grunged-up look. But, I've got a lot more to learn in just "letting go" of my need to make things perfect. Trying too hard gets in the way of creativity, and this was really difficult for me. I realized I needed to be able to let loose and access more of my spontaneous inner child artist, which is mighty hard to do at my advanced age.:) 

I can't wait to see more fantastic work from Junker Jane and hope you'll all check out her blog and her etsy shop!

My First Doll

This Holly Hobbie rag doll was made for my sister in 1974, the year she turned 11.  I was 20-yrs-old at the time living far from home in Monterey, California.


If you remember back, this was the time period that the Little House on the Prairie TV show was at the height of popularity, so this doll was very much inspired by that era.


The body is white muslin; the head is a white stocking, all stuffed with poly fiberfill. There is some slight needle-sculpting to give the head some shape through the eye area. The features are all embroidered, including eyes embroidered on covered buttons.

I used this Simplicity pattern for the doll and her clothing. My own pattern is long gone, but I just happened to find the same one listed on etsy.com and grabbed the photo. You can see how my rendition of the face/ head did not quite turn out they way it was supposed to! Not bad for a first try, though.


She has two outfits... two dresses, two pinafores and two matching bonnets, plus undergarments. I think she had shoes at one point, but am not sure. I'll have to ask my sister if she remembers. If so, they must have become lost. Poor thing... her French-knotted nostrils are a little lopsided after all these years. She may need some reconstructive surgery!

I was interested in posting "my first doll" here, and this doll came to mind, but my sister was unable to find her at first. She finally surfaced after months of searching. What fun to see her again. I am tempted to buy that pattern and make a few more Holly's.  Enjoy!