Category: Art Dolls

The Free Folk is Scaling Back

As I organize my life in a smaller space and shift my focus towards my writing, The Free Folk will be scaling back.

I haven’t had as much time as I would like to put into my Etsy shop or work on creating new dolls for quite a while now, and so I will be shutting down my Etsy shop and promotional Facebook page. This site will remain up, with occasional updates if I have more time to create in future.

I have one available doll left for purchase: Marietta. If anyone is interested, I can renew her listing on Etsy for purchase or work something out through PayPal.

Additionally, I will leave up my upper tiers of custom doll options, and would be happy to work out the occasional request for custom work. Unfortunately, as I will not be keeping materials on hand, the lower tiers of custom options will no longer be available.

I appreciate the welcoming and supportive community I’ve found through my doll-making work, and will continue to follow along with others’ success and ooh and aah over their creations!

New Mouse Art Doll, “Mrs. Thistledown”

miniature mouse art doll in a small box

Mrs. Thistledown, my new anthropomorphic mouse art doll, is inspired by the works of Beatrix Potter.

I began work on Mrs. Thistledown while I was still in Seattle, before my big move to NYC. This past week, I finally finished up her last few details and was able to get her listed in my Etsy shop.

Mrs. Thistledown is a kind gentlemouse with a snug little home in the forest. On market days, she takes her basket to the Forest Faire for fresh toadstools and seeds.

 

 

Mrs. Thistledown is sculpted from Paperclay, with a stuffed cloth body.

Mrs. Thistledown is about six inches tall. She has a stuffed cloth body and head, hands, and little boots sculpted from Paperclay. She was painted with watercolors to give her the same gentle look of Beatrix Potter’s illustrations.

 

Mrs. Thistledown wears a tiny outfit inspired by the clothing of Victorian ladies.

Mrs. Thistledown’s Victorian dress is made from vintage ivy-print cotton, navy velvet, and lace trim. Though her dress is not removable, her little velvet cape and bonnet are! She carries a wicker basket filled with handmade Paperclay mushrooms and a tiny glass jar of seeds.

handmade box for a mouse art doll, top reads: "Mrs. Thistledown"

Mrs. Thistledown comes in her very own handmade box.

Mrs. Thistledown’s box is covered in butterfly-print paper. A black and gold frame surrounds her hand-written name on the lid. She fits snuggly inside – ready for her journey to her new home!

Mrs. Thistledown is available now in my Etsy shop.

The Making of Minerva: My Most Advanced Art Doll

paperclay art doll bust of historical doll

There’s a special project I’ve been working on for a long time but never shared with the world.

Though I began sewing Minerva’s outfits and testing patterns for her body over a year ago, it took me a long time to get everything just right. And once I had, it took me a while to then decide I’d be ok with letting them go! I spent so much time working on Minerva and using her as a model for her miniature dresses, that I now feel more of a bond with her than I have with most of my dolls. I’ve made up a whole string of stories about her pretend life, and when she goes to her new home I’ll miss her knowing smile!

hand stitched victorian doll dresses and handmade doll accessories

Minerva is the most advanced art doll I’ve ever created, with a sculpted head, hands, and feet, jointed cloth body, and three removable outfits and several accessories handcrafted just for her.

Minerva’s body is made of cotton flannel and stuffed with natural wool roving. It’s made from a pattern designed just for her, and has soft-jointed limbs. Her head, hands, and feet are sculpted from Paperclay and painted with watercolors, and her carefully styled curls are made from alpaca locks. I love Minerva’s strong eyebrows and knowing smile – I think she’s keeping a secret!

Minerva’s three outfits are inspired by Regency, Victorian, and Edwardian fashion.

 

Her Regency-inspired gown is hand stitched from porcelain blue floral print fabric, and trimmed with delicate lace and blue ribbons. There are three tiny pearl buttons in the back. Her straw hat is decorated with coordinating lace and fabric flowers. Muslin ribbons secure it under her chin.

 

Minerva’s Victorian brown silk dress has lace cuffs and velvet ribbon at the hem. Tiny pearl buttons adorn the cuffs and bodice.

art doll sculpted from paperclay, with historic costume of linen and lace dress and straw hat

antique linen doll dress with delicate hand stitching, lace, and pearl buttons

Her Edwardian linen and lace dress is my favorite of the three. It features delicate stitching, a lace collar, cuffs, waistband, and hem, and little pearl buttons. I spent almost a month putting this dress together, making sure each element was in proportion and properly antiqued.

tiny handmade doll stockings with roses and white victorian boots

Minerva also comes with cotton underclothes, two petticoats (one linen, one silk), and two pairs of stockings (one black, one pink with rosettes). Her purchased white boots have pearl buttons which can actually be done and undone.

Minerva’s handcrafted accessories contain clues to her backstory.

antique doll teacup and handmade pocket watch

Minerva’s pair of “blue willow” teacups were sculpted from Paperclay, painted with watercolors, and rimmed with gold gilt. Her tiny watch features actual gears and hands, and a watercolor portrait. The title of her miniature leather-bound book might be familiar to some! Minerva’s new owner will also receive a decorative card printed with pieces of her backstory and a tiny tale about her life.

Minerva is available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Her clothing and accessories will be packed carefully in tissue paper and boxes for a safe journey to their new home!

New Project Sneak Peaks

Over the past month I’ve been working on and off on my new Wind in the Willows project, stitching up the dolls’ bodies and stock-piling fabric for their outfits. I really love the willow-printed fabric that I found on Spoonflower!

two tiny handmade jackets for the Wind in the Willows dolls

I have two tiny jackets finished, and will be working on the others when I get a chance. Toad’s and Mole’s jackets are made using soft lines and watercolor pastels, which I plan to use for all of the dolls, to evoke the nostalgic illustrations that I love so much. They each have tiny embroidery on one of their pockets.

I took a break from that project for a few weeks to work on something else – an extra-special collaboration with another artist! This children’s doll was made as a gift for my niece, in collaboration with her mom, who is an illustrator who runs a children’s magazine! I’ve included a sneak peak of Mariposa below, and I can’t wait to share more about her and her role in the next issue of my sister-in-law’s magazine!

cloth children's doll with two braids wearing a Mexican dress

Three New Miniature Art Dolls: Miss Emily, Agnes, and Beau

I’ve been wanting to restock my Etsy shop with some new miniature art dolls for a while now – these tiny dolls are always my most popular creations! I took a break last week from stitching up bodies for my Wind in the Willows project to create a new trio of mini dolls.

Each of my miniature art dolls are sculpted from Paperclay, from their itty bitty facial features down to their tiny boots. Their arms and legs are jointed, and their bodies are painted with watercolors and sealed. Each doll’s hair is made from mohair curls, and their outfits are painstakingly created from cloth scraps, bits of lace and ribbon, and tiny beads. If you’re interested in learning more about the process of creating a mini doll, or in trying your hand at making a doll of your own, visit this previous blog post.

This time, all three of my new miniature dolls are Victorian themed, though each is very different!

Miss Emily

hand holding a miniature victorian doll

Poor little Miss Emily is at that in-between age – too old for the nursery, and too young for balls and parties. She can’t wait to be all grown up!

Miss Emily wears a tea-stained linen and lace dress over a lace petticoat. Faux pearl seed beads became her dress’s tiny buttons. A pink ribbon holds back her dark brown curls.

close up of a hand holding a miniature art doll of a victorian girl, to show scale

Miss Emily is available for purchase in my Etsy shop here.

Agnes

miniature art doll dressed as a maid, with lace cap and curly hair

Agnes’s mother always said that tidiness is next to godliness. If only Agnes could keep her curly hair as neat as she keeps her employer’s house!

Agnes the maid has bright blue eyes and wild curls under her lace cap. She wears a tea-stained linen petticoat and a blue print cotton dress with cuffs made from lace and ribbon, and buttons made from tiny beads. I really enjoyed creating her miniature linen apron, with its tiny tuckers and ribbon apron strings! Agnes is proud to carry her employer’s key ring – two miniature keys are sewn to her apron.

hand holding a miniature art doll in period clothing, to show scale

I imagine Agnes would take very good care of someone’s doll house! She’s available for purchase in my Etsy shop here.

Beau

miniature doll of a victorian gentleman wearing a suit with a rose

Beau is my very first gentleman mini doll. Beau is here to steal hearts – or at least to attempt to!

As my first male miniature art doll, Beau proved to be an interesting challenge. The creation of his clothing involved considerably more work than that of my previous mini dolls – his plaid suit was entirely constructed and stitched by hand before he was dressed. Underneath he wears a linen shirt, a lace ascot, and a green print vest with a tiny pearl button. I especially love Beau’s rosette that he wears in his buttonhole, and the debonair curl falling over his forehead! He reminds me a little of a young Charles Dickens.

hand holding a mini doll of a victorian man to show scale

Beau is available for purchase in my Etsy shop here.

Art Doll Postcards – New in My Etsy Shop

Sets of 2 – 3 art doll cards are now available for purchase in my Etsy shop! Each of these postcards are professionally printed, standard 4 by 6 cards, and have otherwise blank backs printed with my shop name and information. These are perfect for sending a note to a friend, but also high quality enough for framing as mini prints.

I wanted to bring some variety back to my shop, and offer a few more affordable options for my customers. Right now I’m offering five different sets of cards, each featuring a different doll. I’m offering the sets of two cards at $5.50 plus shipping, and the sets of three at $8.00 plus shipping.

The Mary Poppins Postcard Pack

Three postcards with images of Mary Poppins flying through the sky with her parrot-headed umbrella!

The Peter Pan Postcard Pack

Three cards showing my Peter Pan art doll soaring through a sky of stars.

The Mad Tea Party Postcard Set

These two postcards each feature one of my Alice in Wonderland art dolls attending the Mad Tea Party.

The Fairy Tea Postcard Set

These two postcards are my favorite! They feature images of a miniature fairy tea party that I once set up in my backyard.

The Secret Garden Postcard Pack

Three postcards featuring images of my Mary Lennox and Dickon art dolls created for a project centered around Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden.

Shop all the postcards here.

Create Your Own Custom Art Doll

marketing graphic of featuring custom art dolls created by the free folk

I’m going to have some extra time this summer for creating custom dolls!

I’m currently working as a teacher with an arts academy, which means I’ll have the summer off to focus on my art and writing. This will give me some extra time to work on custom art dolls for my customers. If you’ve been thinking about commissioning a custom doll, now’s a great time!

Each of my art dolls are their own, one-of-a-kind characters.

Every art doll that I make is completely unique, and often inspired by my favorite stories. I love coming up with a doll’s character and personality as I work – it’s this that makes my dolls feel alive, almost like magic! If you have a character or idea that you’ve been dreaming of bringing to life, I’d love to create someone for you.

Take a look at the custom order options listed here on my site and in my Etsy shop. Whether you’re looking for an affordable miniature doll or a fully articulated art doll, I offer several price points and options to choose from.

Commission Your Own Miniature Doll

marketing graphic featuring custom miniature art dolls by the free folk

In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be whipping up a new batch of mini art dolls to restock my shop. Now’s a great time to commission your own miniature doll – I’d love to make a one-of-a-kind character just for you! Each of my mini dolls are sculpted at 1 inch scale, perfect for life in your dolls’ house or miniature diorama. Additionally, through June 30th these dolls are 15% off when purchased in my Etsy shop.

View the options available here, or head over to my Etsy shop to commission your very own doll.

The Free Folk is Having a Summer Sale

summer sale graphic feature art dolls by the free folk

To celebrate Etsy’s 13th birthday, I’ll be running a special summer sale in my Etsy shop from June 18th through June 30th. For orders placed during this time, you’ll receive 15% off any purchase of $25 or more. I’ll also have some extra time off to spend on creating this summer, so now’s a great time to purchase if you’ve been thinking about commissioning a custom piece!

Happy shopping!

Sculpting and Sewing My First Art Doll of 2018

Victorian art doll with a cloth body and paperclay head and hands

Marietta is my very first art doll of 2018.

Marietta is a young Victorian servant to a country family. She’s taken advantage of washing day to dangle her bare feet in the river, and lie dreaming in the sunlight. Her head, hands, and feet were sculpted from Paperclay, while her cloth body is hand-stitched from a new pattern I made just for her. She’s just been listed in my Etsy shop and is available for purchase here.

 

Marietta’s sculpted head, hands, and feet were sanded several times, painted, and sealed.

I like using watercolor paints for my dolls because they give me the ability to build up subtle layers of color to create realistic skin tones. Marietta is tan and freckled from her time spent in the sun. Her attached wig is made from natural brown mohair.

 

I created a brand new cloth doll pattern for Marietta’s body.

For Marietta’s body, I created a new pattern based on a modified version of the pattern I typically use – one that allowed me to created threaded joints that give her a more realistic range of motion. Marietta’s body and limbs are hand-stitched, and stuffed with soft, 100% natural wool. I’m really happy with how her cloth body turned out, and plan on using it for more dolls in the future!

period art doll depicting a Victorian girl servant

Marietta’s period clothing is completely removable, another first in my dollmaking.

Marietta wears a Victorian pastoral-inspired drawstring linen petticoat, red cotton shirt with tiny glass buttons, and striped seersucker skirt. All have been antiqued here and there to make them appear as if they are actual items of clothing that are worn every day.

shows sculpting paperclay doll hands and hand-stitched period Victorian doll clothing

Marietta’s linen apron features antiqued lace, and has three tiny miniature clothespins pinned to the bodice, so that they are near to hand on washing day!

ooak art doll with sculpted head and hands, cloth body, and period Victorian outfit

Marietta is available for purchase now in my Etsy shop.

She will ship with her very own miniature wire hanger and a signed certificate of authenticity. Though she can be posed and have her outfit changed, she is not intended for children or playtime.

period doll outfit for a Victorian servant

Though I’ve been MIA for most of winter and spring of 2018, I’ve been working on a very big and special project, which I will be sharing details of on my blog soon!