Happy Spring & Easter!! It’s been a long while since I had a moment to post~ I was away on a trip in Europe with my family for many weeks. I’m still unpacking and catching up, but thought I would first share this photo I made of a lamb that was less than two hours old when I made the pic.
Just born…
The whole tutorial is on the on Living Crafts Blog
In Feb 2012, I had a tutorial and giveaway on the Living Crafts blog for a Felt Valentine Garland. As it’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow, here the tutorial so you can make one!! http://www.livingcrafts.com/blog/giveaways/felt-valentine-garland-and-woolhalla-giveaway
Hang it over a door or against a wall~ LOVE!
There is a great post on Eclectivity called “Willow” Dolls which shows the making of some very adorable bendy dolls made with bendy doll bases like those below:
http://www.beardancecrafts.com/wood_figures.htm
They are so adorable, I know I said that already, but I really, really mean it!! Go check out the whole post there are lots of great photos where Chautona shows you how she made hers~ how they went from the above blank doll base to this:
Making Bendy Dolls http://eclectivity.wordpress.com/2012/12/15/willow-dolls/
While you are visiting her blog you can check out all her card making stuff and more! And, I really do mean more… she also has a site with her writing & book info too: http://chautona.com
Two doll knit makers Laib Yala and De Witte Engel make doll fabric (aka tricot, interlock or doll skin) in 100% cotton.
How does Laib Yala compare to De Witte Engel?
For LY I used the lightest tone in two weights; the stretchier and softer knit on the face, and the more rigid knit on the body. For DWE I used colour T114, which I call “Sunkissed”.
Using the same pattern I tried to make each doll to resemble the other as much as possible for the comparison. The LY doll ended up with a longer slightly narrower body than the DWE. The LY stuffed up nice and firm, but with the lighter tone you could see the stuffing more easily and I found I had to spend more time re-stuffing as a result. Each doll used about the same amount of wool. When sewing the LY didn’t seem as flexible going through the machine, the edges liked to curl a little, and I found I had to pay more attention when sewing~ but that could also be because I am new to using it!
With the same kind of handling the DWE pilled more; I didn’t try to prevent pilling, I intentionally handled both dolls a lot while making them just to see what the difference in pilling would be.
However using the 2 different types of LY knit (one for face and another for body) is noticeable, so perhaps just using the one type for the body also for the face is the way to go. You will sacrifice softness though, the DWE is softer. Also with the DWE you could make a much more plump doll. I tend to make mine more traditional “Waldorf” shape, so this was not a concern for me.
So, the verdict? LY is less stretchy and less likely to pill; and I think it’s also more dirt resistant, but mine only played in the snow (see below). DWE is softer, more likely to pill, and easier to stuff~ which would come in handy if making a chubbier doll for sure.
Is there a winner? Both make nice dolls, I think it comes down to preference in texture and colour. They both like to play and even made snow angels after they were done hanging out in the fir tree…
Both dolls like to play!
Here are some precious dolls that were made by Red Raven Crafts:
Dolls by Red Raven Crafts
The hat! That hat is way too darling!! But, of course Red Raven Crafts makes “Cute and Quirky Children’s Hats” and has an Etsy shop you can check out too. If the shelves are bare you can go and drool in the ‘sold’ section… I did! So lovely!! Thank you so much for sharing your photos~
Felt horses by Amelia-Grace Boxshall! Thank you for sending in the photos of the horses you made from my pattern~ they look so great!! I love the blaze on the forehead, I always think to do them in felt and this is a great idea to embroider:
Horses from Woolhalla Horse Pattern
While the horse with the blaze is super cute… I must say I am having a certain fondness for the bluish-purpleish one in the back. They are all super adorable though, thanks for sending the photos in Grace!
Recently I added some photos from a customer showing her first and second dolls: http://www.woolhalla.kics.bc.ca/first-dolls-by-customer/
Here is the next doll! He is in the Vanilla Beige skin tone and has the cutest alpaca hair. The outfit is from Weir Dolls in the US. I hope he is liking his new home!! So cute!!
Doll Number 3
I love seeing all the dolls that customers make~ there’s also a great page on facebook for people making dolls called Dolly Stitchers . It’s a group where you can ask for help or show your WIP. It actually doesn’t have anything to do with this customers photos, I was just thinking of it so decided to mention it!
Seriously, these are the cutest reindeer EVER!! They are really from the deer family pattern, embellished into amazing holiday wool felt reindeer by Susan Ray:
Gorgeous wool felt reindeer
I love all the wreaths and bells and stuff… they are inspiring me to whip up a new set for my season table in time for the holidays.
First doll by customer
These were sent to me a while ago, my apologies for the delay! I love to post customer photos and here are a couple of dolls made with supplies from my supply business. The doll in the blue dress is made with the “Vanilla Beige” doll knit. The top photo is a first doll and the second photo set is the second doll that was made. Aren’t they so sweet?
Second doll by customer
People ask me frequently “So… what do you do with all that felt?” I then proceed to tell them I make felt animals, doll clothing and the like… and then usually say something like: “But you should see what some people do with it, it’s amazing”.
Susan Ray is one of those amazing people who takes a sheet of 100% wool felt and transforms it!! Here are The Muppet characters in felt by Susan:
Felt Muppets
Are they amazing or what? Muppets + wool felt = Perfection!
