making patterns

Hello there, it feels like it's been a while since I checked in with you. Thank you for all the wonderful comments on my last post, it's really great to have so much support!

Anyway, I have been missing because of Joa who has been ultra destructive of late and broke yet another computer keyboard. Finally we got a new one today and I thought I'd share with you my latest crafting.

One of my aims of this year was to develop a new pattern for a Waldorf baby doll. I made four dolls like this last year using the tutorial here. I paid the lovely creator of the pattern to allow me to sell the dolls I made using her pattern. However, although the dolls I made were nice, I was still not 100% happy with the pattern.

Last weekend I took the time and sat down and developed my own baby doll pattern: This involved making and remaking separate parts of the doll until I was completely happy with the look and feel of each part, and now I have a pattern that I am completely happy with and that is mine. I think now the dolls will truly look like Under Rainbows dolls.

This is the first doll I made with my new pattern. I am so pleased with how she came out. She is weighted in her body and in her head with organic millet. The grain is sewn inside a little cotton bag and this is wrapped tightly in sheep's wool (so that you can't feel the grain at all).

I don't know exactly how much she weighs (my scales are broken...I feel at the moment like every piece of technology in our home is broken or breaking, it's driving me batty!)

Her fingers are detailed and her eyes are open.
I also tried a new hair style. She has a knitted cap of mohair boucle yarn. This is stitched onto her head and then I brushed the bejesus out of it, which turned it all soft and fluffy and very baby like I think, I could even catch a few wisps into wee bunches :-)

Her little toes are detailed also. She is a jointed doll which means that her arms and legs can move. She sits up by herself and looks really sweet lying down, like a newborn. She also wears newborn sized clothing, I found this sweet little newborn outfit in a bag of hand-me-downs. I do like all my dolls to be warm and snugly so they all get something hand knitted to wear.

Having a new sized doll also means that I need to write new knitting patterns too.

I finished her little bonnet and she also has wee matching yellow booties:

I hope to finished her cardie in the next few days and then she will be ready for sale.

I have really enjoyed making this pattern and doll, it has been one of those wonderfully satisfying crafting experiences (don't you just love those!)

I'm linking in with one of my favourite bloggers this week, but I don't think that I'm managing the 'keeping calm' bit very well, but I'm definitely crafting on :-)