A mini doll - say 'Hello!' at Instagram

This little Spring Fairy was my Mother's Day present for my Mom, and I share her photos with you to announce, (tadadadaaaa...can you hear the drums?) that I created an Instagram account for Puppenka some months ago. 

It seems that Instagram is the platform where I can share glimpses of my dollmaking the most frequently, somehow it feels more comfy and friendly for me to share bits ad pieces of my planning, sewing, crocheting, and sometimes, everyday-life-beauties as well. I also found lots of inspiring makers there, checking their photos always means a creative push for me. So if my dolls rouse your attention and you have an account as well, you can follow Puppenka at Instagram to be informed at first about new posts, as well as other little bits and pieces of my creative journey. 

Spring Fairy - a natural handmade mini cloth doll by Puppenka

My little Spring Fairy is 8,5 cm high, her head and hands are made of cotton jersey, her green dress is made of micro-corduroy, and her crocheted mohair scarf closes with a tiny wood button. Her mohair wig is braided into little pigtails, with tiny chenille chords on them. She also have a little white, wool-felt flower in her hair. She was a complete joy to work on!

Spring Fairy - a natural handmade mini cloth doll by Puppenka

Spring Fairy - a natural handmade mini cloth doll by Puppenka

Spring Fairy - a natural handmade mini cloth doll by Puppenka

Spring Fairy - a natural handmade mini cloth doll by Puppenka

Spring Fairy - a natural handmade mini cloth doll by Puppenka

Spring Fairy - a natural handmade mini cloth doll by Puppenka

Have playful days!

Majorane and Laurel - two little handmade natural dolls

These little babies had to wait so long to introduce themselves.

They are cousins, Majorane is the older one. She is a secret - fairy. Her ears are elfin-ears, but she prefers to hide them under her braids. Majorane keeps it a secret, that she is a fairy. She lives at a small village, a farmhouse with a large vegetable garden and goats, chickens, goose, pigs, rabbits, dogs and a cat. She loves to play outside and always hums when she catches a glimpse of a birdie.

Laurel lives in a small town, but he loves to visit Majorane at the countryside. He collects leaves and little flowers, and loves to press them down, and keeps them in a secret scrap book. He loves books, although he didn't learned to read jet, but he loves turning over pages of any books, especially picutre-books. When Majorane visits him they love to go to the playground, because they can play with the sew-saw!

Majorane and Laurel were gifts for my niece and my little son. The photos were taken at their last weekend together, when they were strolling at the nearby forest. It was such an exciting learning process to create them. They are my first little dolls, I planed this pattern to fit in the hand of the smallest ones.

They are just 23 cm tall, they have a simpler body, made of brown cotton-jersey, stuffed with clean wool and their facial features are embroidered with cotton threads. Majorane has a mohair wig, shining brown eyes, and a double sided apron dress. Laurel has an embroidered hairdo (my first one) from merino, dark brown eyes and double sided dungarees, matching Majorane's dress.

I'm planning to create these small dolls with colourful or patterned cotton jersey, with much more simple hairstyles, permanent hats or caps and just some symbolic clothes in the future.

Have playful days!

I found Puppenka! - a new logo for my handmade natural dolls

Poor little Majorane and Laurel got ready so-so slowly, because I was working on a new logo and blogdesign for Puppenka. I was not completely satisfied with the previous one, but I wanted to start the blog and focus on doll sewing rather then primping the layout forever. And now I feel I find the real logo for Puppenka.

The bloglayout is not totally ready jet, Blogger tricked me at some point, but I am so so delighted with this swinging little girl. She represents everything for me, what I want Puppenka to mean.

Kindness - I wanted her to be pure and sweet, having a smile hovering over her lips. For me, she is kind as an innocent always heart upon her sleeves three year old little girl.

Playfulness - swinging is one of the most basic ways of playing, a great way of calming a baby, and also develops lot of skills such as sense of balance and movement coordination. Hence it has an effect on body and soul.

Simplicity - I want my dolls to be simple but delicate. I think simplicity does not means that it has to be unexacting as well. She has simple facial features, a simple but pretty hairdo and a nice dress. I'm not fun of too much ruffle and glitter. 

Connection to nature - Swinging is usually an outdoor activity, which connects kids to nature. When you swinging you hear the birdies, feels the warm rays of the Sun. You experience the effect of gravity, and the flourishing of the wind.

For all this, she is Puppenka.

I kept the thread and nail trick at letter 'P' as well, referring the way these little dolls are made. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Little Majorane and Laurel has to wait just a wee longer, but I promise to introduce them soon. In advance you can find pleasure in the photos of their spring walk.

Have playful days!

Valais Black Nose Hairdo - handmade wool weft for Lonka, a natural doll

I have mentioned before, that Lonka is a special doll for me. I tried out several techniques, while creating her. Creating her hair was one of the most significant experience for me. This is not a tutorial, but you can follow more-or less the whole process from cleaning the wool to sewing on her wig.

The wool, I made her hair of, was originally the possession Pimpa, the Valais Black Nose Sheep.

When I started working with the wool, I cleaned it from plant - pieces and other contaminations. It means I picked every single dirt by hand, paying attention not to damage the beautiful curly locks. During this process, I also made groups from the locks, separating the too short or shaggy ones. To be honest, I watched a million tutorials, and searched as much info as I could, but it was more difficult, than I had imagined.

 

After a long long time, I managed to get a queue of semi-cleaned locks. 

Then I heated some water (it was not boiling), put in some detergent (I used shampoo), and rinsed the locks in it.  Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture on this step. I tried not to agitate the locks too much to avoid felting. I picked the locks out and laid them carefully on a towel.

The next step was dying. I used red and normal onion-skin, approx. the skin of a dozen onions. I boiled them in not too much water, turned off the heat, and soaked the locks in it. As far as I remember, I re-heated the liquid two times, to make the process faster. To fix the dying, I used approx. 1 dl vinegar. When I was satisfied with the color of the locks, I laid them on a towel again, and let them dry. This part was maybe the most exciting, I didn't go for a color, since I never painted wool before. I used onion-skin t paint easter eggs or a few times, but that was all my experience. I love that she turned out to be ginger!

When the locks got dry, I sewed them together, to create a long weft. I crocheted a cap to serve as a base for the weft. Since I couldn't find wool-yarn in a matching color, I dyed the yarn as well.I used 100% wool one stranded yarn, what got the color much faster, than the raw wool. I crocheted the cap, and hand-sewed the weft to it. It is possible to crochet the weft into the cap, but I was not sure, whether I had a long enough weft for this. As a final step, I sewed the cap on Lonka's head. However I really love how she looks, I won't do self-made wefts too often, I'm sure.

Following these steps you may be able to create your own weft, but as I mentioned, this is not a proper tutorial, I neither I took proper photos of each step, nor wrote detailed instructions. If you have any questions concerning Lonka's hair, I'm happy to answer, if I can.

Have playful days!

First snow - adventures of Lonka and Simon, two handmade natural dolls

Lonka and Simon were really happy about their new cloaks, they love to play outside, but I didn't let them to wander in winter without warm clothes. Since I couldn't accompany them, they were just playing in the petite garden of our house. After hours of play they arrived home, and went into raptures over this little garden.

 - It is completely different, when snowed under! - said Lonka.

And they started to share everything they have seen and done out there.

 - We found a snow-slide, that was so high and fast, we slided down for a million times - continued the little girl. 

 - It wasn't a million - said Simon - you couldn't even count to million! But I felt like a bird - he said - the slide was so fast, that it seemed we are flying.

 

- We laid down to gaze the dance of the snowflakes as they falling down from the sky, there were all different! Like lots of beautiful little laces! There were small ones, hardly visible, but there were also huge ones, that seemed like some cotton candies - chattered Lonka.

- We also made some snow-angles, and I found some orange flowers - said Simon. - Do you know their name? -he asked me. - How magical! Flowers under the snow! They are maybe some Zinnias or African Daisies - I answered.

- Then we took a rest under the running-everywhere ivies. They our so beautiful semi-covered with snow! - continued Simon.

Since Lonka is a freezing type, she was really happy about her hand-knitted wool scarf. 

- I love this scarf! It was warm and comfy, when playing outside, the wind couldn't blow through it! Can we make snow every day? - asked her.

- I'm sorry Lonka, but we can't make snow. You know, snow is made of water, falling from clouds, just like rain, just frozen, if the temperature is low enough - I answered.

- Snow isn't like rain! How can you make a rain slide? Or build a rainman?? - asked this little girl uncomprehendingly, and she run away to figure out their upcoming adventures with Simon. 

I hope we will have some snow in February, so these two can have some more fun playing outside with these so cold, but also soft and white frozen - water - flakes.