Sewing Doll Clothes

A couple of months ago, I was working on a project that I couldn't wait to tell you about. As some of you might already know, my second love and past time besides collecting fabrics and quilting.. (and is actually more of a business).. is designing and making doll clothes. I have really slowed down on the business end a lot, because it just seems like my time is getting divided up into so many different ways.. I have a hard time keeping at it. and I don't want to disappoint people who are waiting and waiting for me to finish something. But every so often I still get a request that I can't turn down. This fully jointed wooden doll was carved by Janet Cordell, a very talented doll artist, for a friend of hers, TC, who is also a very talented doll artist. You can see a lot of her amazing work here. TC asked me if I would be interested in dressing her, and I thought it sounded like a great opportunity. Especially since she would send the doll to me nakie (except for a little handkerchief wrapped around her), and I would get to have her here for a little while. And I would make everything for her, from her striped knit stockings,to her underpinnings, dress and her dutch girl hat.
This little doll has a very strong connection to Bleuette.. which is another doll I like to sew for.. so I had a lot of patterns and information to help me with her costume. I did some research and dug into my vintage stash for some fine linen and cottons. While she was here, she slept in the little green box with lavender sachet that Melanie sent me for Christmas last year.

I did mess up a couple times on the bonnet.. that was a tricky thing to make for such a small doll with a slippery round head and a bun carved in the back.
After three tries I got it to fit..and it doesn't even fall off.
Hitty is standing on the right below, and just a reminder, she is only 6 inches tall.
The first bonnet went into the trash. The second one was too small. Hitty was a very happy recipient of that mistake. ☺

I was really pleased with the way the costume turned out. And so was TC.. because as a little surprise she sent me this MOST amazing tiny piece of work... The big doll is my own Hitty.. I just put her in the picture for size. But look at the teensy tiny perfect little doll in her lap! She is so small.. I don't know if I'll be able to make a dress for her! Her limbs are carved from toothpicks, and her head is a cherry pit! Can you imagine?? I am smitten with her and named her Cherri.

Well.. I was planning on showing you more that I've been up to.. but it will have to wait until later in the week. This post got a little too long.