~ waldorf-style dolls for baby ~

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***Thank you to my sister, Rebecca T. Jones, for photographing the dolls!***

For my cousin's first birthday, 

I decided that she simply must have her very own Waldorf-style baby.

And when Lela caught wind of my plans,

she wanted to make one of her very own to give as well.

~ copyright Rebecca T. Jones ~

Lela's doll is mostly handsewn by her.

She sewed two squares of linen, wrong-sides together,

then turned and stuffed with poly-fil.

(The linen was a destashing gift from my friend Julie!)

She formed the head out of more poly-fil inside an old baby sock.

I sewed a tube of organic cotton knit "skin"

(from A Child's Dream Come True)

and then she fitted the head inside and sewed it onto the body.

With her blessing, I made invisible stitches around the neck,

then reinforced with more invisible stitches on all her seams.

(We were backing each other up - we discussed the importance of safety around babies!)

*I chose poly-fil because it was easier for her to stuff and pack tightly than the wool.*

~ copyright Rebecca T. Jones ~

Lela was present for the sewing of the face,

though I made the actual stitches. 

She helped with eye and mouth placement,

and securing knots in the back of the head.

From her vision, I sewed a tiny gnome hat for her baby.

Lela gathered the sides to form arms and a puckered dress,

and went over her doll to look for any places that needed more attention.

Then I stitched on this tiny heart,

and she came back to oversee the blushing of cheeks.

~ copyright Rebecca T. Jones ~

I couldn't be more proud of her effort with her first doll!

And that it was a gift for her baby cousin......

I know she'll always remember this.

My doll is made from a pair of corduroy pants that belonged to me as a young child.

The heart is denim, made from the hemmed remnants of my Papa's jean overalls.

I thought it would be special to give my baby cousin something 

made with the fabric from her great-grandfather and her cousin.

~ copyright Rebecca T. Jones ~

I am so pleased with how this simple baby turned out.

The corduroy is soft yet durable, and her body is like a warm little pillow.

As I was working on her, my mother and I kept passing her back and forth for snuggles.

I do believe she wants one of her very own. 

~ copyright Rebecca T. Jones ~

 The dolls were so satisfying to work on.

 I need to make some more!

~carrie~


p.s. I just shared this post with Linda over at Natural Suburbia for her Creative Friday.
p.p.s. I also shared this with Nicole at Frontier Dreams for her Crafting On.

dollmaking workshop

(This post contains pictures of Waldorf doll in various states of construction.)

Saturday, I had the amazing opportunity to participate in a friend's dollmaking workshop with other members of our co-op!

~ receiving instrution on forming the head ~

~ needle felting the head ~

~ having fun ~

~ making a head cover ~

~ head with stockinette ~




~ my doll ~

As I anticipated, getting the eyes, those soul-windows, just right was the hardest part! I was pleased overall with everything, but I believe I prefer more rounded eyes and a bit closer together, like the one below.

~ Tanya's doll in progress ~

~ women enjoying each other's company ~

I will be finishing up my doll in a couple weeks! What a beautiful day, in a beautiful home, with other beautiful women of all ages.

Peace,

Carrie

The Last Two Weeks

Happy Holidays from all of us!

It is an understatement to say that the last two weeks have been most hectic and stressful for our slow-paced family. So a sampling of pictures will have to do while we are in recovery mode!

Dec. 16 - Laurel and Olivia are THREE!

~ Liv opens a gift from Aunt Bec, penguin from NovaNatural ~

Dec. 16 - That very night, there were fevers in three of three daughters.

Dec. 16-20 We all got sick and the girls felt quite ill for four days, and were up most of the night. Suddenly, our plan of quiet evenings making Solstice gifts was upended. We stayed up all night, taking 30 minute chunks of time between comforting feverish children. That Momma and Daddy weren't more ill than they were is a miracle of sorts.

~ sick chickens ~

Dec 21 - The fevers finally break just in time for our family Winter Solstice celebration. All got a new dress for their doll. Lela got a new teeny doll, Laurel got a wooden wagon/stroller, and Liv got a balance bike, painted glitter red! And their big gift, of course, was the wooden kitchen made by Daddy!

~ happy girls love their Momma-made dresses for their dolls ~

Dec 24. - Happy Birthday Grana! Happy Birthday Aunt Virginia! We love you!

Dec. 24 - Then just three days later, snuffles and coughs still a nuisance, we travelled to Virginia to be with family for Christmas. There was still snow on the ground and it was so beautiful on the farm.

~ Loving Gran ~

Dec. 25 - Christmas Day, we gathered to eat, play the gift exchange game and have a great time together.

~ Four Generations ~

Dec. 26 - Happy Birthday Grandaddy/GP! We love you!

Dec 28 - We left the rural Piedmont of Virginia by way of mountainous Blackburg, where one of Mike's brothers lives. We spent the day with Grandma, Uncle C and cousin A. I didn't get any pictures, but the girls had fun and there was quite a bit of snow on the ground and flurries.

Dec 28 - We arrived back home a few hours after dinner, and plopped the girls in bed.

We are still recovering and will be for a few more days I expect. Hopefully, after the long weekend, we will feel like ourselves again. :)

Peace,
Carrie

P.S. This post and pictures are made possible by the external harddrive my parents gave me for Christmas. Now I have somewhere safe to store my beloved pictures. My computer is completely filled - not a single picture could be uploaded. It is also nearly 6 years old. Gratefully, we received funds to buy a laptop! I hope this will happen in the next few days, and that by soon after the New Year, I will have a shiny new toy. :)

birthday crafting and preparations

Last night I finished up Liv and Laurel's 3rd birthday gifts - teeny Waldorf babies.

~ Livvy's doll ~

Their outfits are made out of their own worn-out-and-outgrown stretch pants. I do believe that they will recognize that little detail.

The only thing left to do is make them a little diaper, and of course, create their birthday tables. This year I think I'm just going to give them each an end of the hearth. At any rate, Mike and I have a fun night of getting ready!

~ Laurel's doll ~

They have requested a birthday breakfast of French toast and a birthday dinner of pizza! Luckily I made bread so breakfast will be simple, and Mike makes the best French toast. I need to mix up the pizza dough today so it is ready to cook tomorrow.








I'm so excited for them to wake up tomorrow morning and receive their gifts, from us as well as their grandparents and aunt.

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Of course, a brief look back at birthdays past is in order!

~ Birth Day ~

~ First Birthday ~

~ Second Birthday~

I have one more day to enjoy two year old twins!
Peace,
Carrie

Catch Up!

To paraphrase the Red Queen in _Alice in Wonderland_ - You have to keep on running just to stay in place.

The spoils from an early April hail shower.

Interesting hail stone in a little hand wrinkled from picking and eating them.

I found a creek pixie today - Liv enjoying some quality time with a friend's special doll.












The above pixie has been spotted in the azaleas playing faeries on Beltane/May Day!




A Beltane faery has been spotted.

Laurel enjoying some delicious raw broccoli from the Farmers' Market.




Liv enjoying the same!

Waldorf Dolls for All

Today is the day that Liv and Laurel get their very own Waldorf dolls, a gift from my parents. Lela already has hers, Marina, from NovaNatural.

Lela with Marina, Laurel holding her Peppa in the background.

Lela wearing Marina in a playsilk wrap, ruck under bum.
The little girls both got a nonny doll, which is adorable, but is apparently a poor substitute for a beautiful Waldorf doll. Liv is in love with her big sister's Marina, but Lela is not willing to share. (Laurel never risks the wrath of her big sister.) Liv is always plotting on ways to get some time with it. She eyes it, waits for Lela to leave the area, then takes it and runs into another room. She may have it for a few minutes, but then Lela the JayBird swoops in and takes it back - 30 minutes of broken-hearted crying begin. Even nursing, she will stop every few seconds to cry.

So today, they are both getting dolls like Marina, but with different hair. Thank you Gran and Pop!


UPDATE!


Here they are! There is so much more P-E-A-C-E in the house now that everyone has a special doll. Although, Liv still cries over Lela's "Marina" and seeks out opportunities to have all three dolls.


Laurel with her Gran, and her new doll, Julia.




Liv with her doll, Ima.