A lot can happen in a month

January is drawing to a close and after a rough few months and a lot of changes in my life, I am finally ready to reemerge. Although I have been busy with my Mom, an adult disabled brother, and my youngest who just went off to a high school for the arts, I also have been spending a lot of time working and thinking about my business. 

A lot of good happened this January. A range of dolls donated, new visions for my business (when my shop reopens you will see) and two visitors to my studio.

A few weeks ago, two ExtraSmall Phoebe owners came to spend the afternoon in my studio. You may remember Maggie, the talented young seamstress who stitched up dozens of gorgeous dresses for the dolls I donate? Well, Maggie and her friend Elena who's ExtraSmall Phoebe has her own IG account came to visit.

First I put them to work. They helped prepare and organize the dolls, wardrobe carry bags and dolls that were to be donated to The Shriners Hospital for Children—a hospital that treats children who are burn victims. Each girl doll had several of the gorgeous dresses and a sweater made by Maggie. All of the dolls (boys and girls) had a little hospital gown too. You can see the boy in front is wearing his.

Prepping doll donations

Next before the sun set, I showed them a few of my favorite photography tips. Their ExtraSmalls (Madeline and Scout) posed for a photo together. After this photo, Scout got a quick hair touch up. Incidentally Scout was the first ExtraSmall, so she's a bit historic.

Matching dresses by Maggie

Next Maggie learned a few new sewing tricks: sewing jersey and snaps, while Elena looked through my craft books (Elena is more of a crafter than a sewist)

Maggie and my 28 year old Bernina getting acquainted.

In the end, we had a day of sewing and creating (and cupcakes, it was Maggie's birthday) and hopefully the first of a few of these visits. These girls were just a joy. A big thank you to Maggie and Elena and to their Mom's who traveled here to bring them!

Photographs courtesy of my daughter Annabelle (who is pretty much their age) but rather photograph than sew. And the white doll hanger in the top photo was made by Elena on her 3-D printer.

The Zamora Moon bag

Marisa Martinez is both a Phoebe&Egg customer and the mother to eight year old  Zamora Martinez Lusinchi (Zamora Moon). Zamora is battling a rare form of childhood brain cancer called Diffuse intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). The tumor grows near the brain stem--the area of the brain that controls are most basic and necessary functions. About 200-400 children are diagnosed with this form of cancer each year. 

You can read more about DIPG here. And you can read more about Zamora right here.

Zamora named her much loved Phoebe doll "Forget" because she wants to forget she has cancer. And  her family and team are doing everything possible to try and make that a reality. She has travelled to Germany twice for immunotherapy and will be leaving this week for England for a chemo treatment that injects the treatment directly into her tumor.

Zamora's doll and her younger sister and her sister's Phoebe doll will all be accompanying Zamora to England, so I designed travel bags for them to make the trip easier and maybe a bit more fun.

The bag is made from a soft but sturdy brushed twill and lined in a bright cotton print. 

Inside there is a button up elasticized seatbelt for securely fastening your Phoebe doll in for trips. She won't fall out, but she can peek out over the top.

Phoebe is fastened in with an elasticized seatbelt.

Inside there is a pocket that closes with a button. It can hold her clothes and shoes for the trip.

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Each girl has their own color scheme.

I am hoping Zamora, her family and the dolls have a safe trip and that this is the treatment that cures her.

To support Zamora’s treatment, which will not be covered by insurance, please visit her Go Fund Me page.

To read more about Zamora, visit her FB page.

A Custom Elsa Doll

I have been asked to do a number of custom storybook dolls—something that I LOVE doing. I knew it was only a matter of time before I had a request for Elsa or Anna or both. Although both of these girls appear in the movie Frozen, they are originally storybook characters (Gerda and the Snow Queen) from the Hans Christian Anderson tale of The Snow Queen.

I am in the midst of creating both Elsa and Anna for someone. And I'm having a lot of fun. Of course their hair is inspiring, but I also like the trims and styles of traditional Northern European clothing. 

Here are a few more photos of Elsa.

Please follow along as these two come into their own.

Things I Love: Crosshatch Fabric

I have a collection of crosshatch fabric.

Maybe it's my fine arts background, or maybe it's my love of good basics, or probably both, but either way, I love this fabric.

I often prefer to us these almost solid fabrics, instead of a true solid. To keep things lively, but not too busy. I use it for PeterPan collars, lining, hair flowers, pockets and waist bands. 

There are several lines of crosshatch fabric. My pile happens to be from the Alexander Henry Heath Collection, which is discontinued but still available at Cias Palette, Fabric. com, and on Etsy.

But there are other lines of similar crosshatch fabric.

Architextures by Carolyn Friedlander for Robert Kaufman is also crosshatch, but on the diagonal, which is lovely. Right now a half yard set is on sale at Fabricworm. 

Timeless Treasures makes a line called Sketch that is similar. They also make a diagonal version called Hatch.

The best way to find lots is to do a search for crosshatch fabric on Etsy.

Having a small collection of this on hand is useful for doll clothing, quilting or sewing gifts. Below you can see a few ways I have used it just in the past week.

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Just what exactly is so special about a handmade doll?

Why buy a handmade doll? Handmade dolls are more expensive and harder to find than mass produced dolls. Yet, they have a growing loyal following. Why is that?

As a maker of handmade dolls, I felt too close to the subject to answer. So I asked a few buyers, not just of my dolls, but of all kinds of handmade dolls. And I asked one of my favorite doll-makers--Jenny Marshall of Little Jenny Wren. I was sure she would have thought a bit about this, and she had.

The reason that I heard the most is how the dolls feel (not their emotions) but the tactile qualities. Handmade dolls can be made from all sorts of materials: cotton, wool, linen, muslin, yarn. They can be sewn or knitted. All of those materials are nice to touch. One mother said she heard about handmade dolls from others in her cloth diaper group, but could not understand why these other moms would pay $200 for a doll. So she decided to find out for herself and ordered a handmade doll. She said when she first held the doll, she understood.

“There was no going back to store bought dolls from that point on and I can see many more finding a home with us in the future"

Jenny Marshall: To me the feel of the doll is as important as the look of the doll and I feel the body reacts more tenderly and gently to the textures and warmth of natural fibres, there is a softening response, a need to care for the doll. 

If you have not held a handmade doll, then you have not experienced the feeling.

Some handmade doll owners collect all kinds of dolls, handmade and mass-produced;  they are doll-lovers and appreciate all kinds of dolls. But there are many who are not keen on mass produced dolls. They value the uniqueness that is part of the handmade doll experience. They have the opportunity to create a doll that speaks to them, because the dolls are made one at a time, buyers can customize a doll. Hair, skin color, size and clothing can all be specified.

Because the doll took so many hours to make there won’t be many like it. Like those who hunt and collect works by a specific artist, when you find what you like, it is coveted. You cannot buy as many as you want. Handmade dolls are procured. Although with the internet, handmade dolls are easier to find.

One mom, with five girls described how hard it used to be to find handmade dolls,

"I've always bought my girls unique dolls, I hate the mass produced dolls. Years ago when my older girls were little, handmade dolls were very hard to find and the only ones they had were knitted dolls. I'm loving now that with my youngest, there’s all the gorgeous handmade dolls that are out there."

For some, buying handmade is part of supporting those who make them for a living, or the use of natural materials, or both. The purchase of the doll fits into a larger philosophy or world-view. One mother said, “I buy handmade because they are made with natural materials more often and are made with love by one person who is often a mother who is able to stay home with her family by making handmade to support their income."

Another mom said, " I don't buy too many toys for my children, usually waiting for special occasions and I always chose quality over quantity. I want to teach my children the importance of buying responsibly."

Others appreciate the relationship with the maker and the back-story. Doll-lovers can match themselves with doll-makers. A win-win for those who love to create and for those who love dolls. Doll-makers love to create dolls that they know will be cherished and doll-lovers love dolls that they played a role in making it special.

As Jenny Marshall so perfectly put it, “The fact also that the doll has taken so many hours to make and during that process has been touched so often by the maker, touched carefully so as not to roughen the doll, but touched and handled lovingly and you can feel that love and care when you hold the doll. Children feel it and adults too,” 

Five Decades of Beloved Doll Dresses

This also could be called my life as seen through doll dresses. There is one for practically each decade and stage of my life. Maybe I'm sharing too much and I will definitely date myself. 

Dress Number 1: Sewn for my childhood Sasha doll. The ultra-hip fabric was left-over from the ultra hip halter top I sewed to bring to sleep away camp. Both my doll and I were the coolest. I was especially cool for bringing a doll to camp.

Dress Number 2: Made for the same doll. I am a teenager now and should be done with dolls. But I'm not.

Dress Number 3: I have gone to college, done the yuppy thing and worked in graphic design in the city, married, moved out of the city, and had two of my three kids. Sewn for the same Sasha doll that was now my oldest daughter's doll.

Dress Number 4: I now have three children, the youngest a daughter. Took a day off from work to sew a wardrobe for her Ellowyne doll (an Uber-Barbie) and this was one of the dresses. The doll and the wardrobe were well-loved but very un-PC.

Also at this point I can easily buy fabrics on the internet. A good and a bad thing.

Last Dress: Made two weeks ago for one of the toddler Phoebe dolls. I am now definitely older, maybe wiser and my two daughters no longer play with dolls. But I do have a doll-making company, which so far is almost as fun.

Looking forward to seeing some of your dresses!

Click through the link below to the Beloved handmade Doll Dress Contest.

The Beloved Handmade Doll Dress Contest

When I was about six or seven my mother made Barbie wardrobes for my sister and me.  I loved every stitch of that gift, but I absolutely cherished Barbie's ice-skating dress, which was made out of flannel to mimic velvet and had a swirly skirt.

So many of us have "beloved" handmade doll dresses. We love them for different reasons.

Maybe the dress is loved for who made it,

or how we acquired it.

Or maybe it was a first attempt at sewing.

Maybe it reminds us of a child, now too old to play with dolls.

Or is connected with a memory of our own childhood.

Or maybe it is just the very essence of cute.

I am hoping you will share that dress and why you love it with us.  When all the dresses are in, I will put them on the blog and we can all vote on the cutest, sweetest reason, most amazing craftsmanship and best photo.

Everyone who enters gets a 10% discount in my Etsy shop and the three winners will get fabric and trim to use to carry on the tradition of handmade doll dresses.

Here's how to enter:

1. Snap a photo of JUST the dress, in other words not on a doll. Maybe on a piece of fabric, a quilt, a plain background. Whatever you think looks best.

2. Write 1-3 sentences why you love this handmade doll dress.

3. Email the photo and reason to me at phoebeandegg at gmail.com OR

4. Submit on Instagram with the hashtag #beloveddolldress and #phoebeandegg

5. Let me know whether you do or don't want your name to appear with the photo.

6. You can enter more than once. The more beloved-ness the better.

I can't wait to see all of these beloved doll dresses! And please please please share this post.

Contest will run until August 5, 2014.

The Fine Line Between Inspired and Overwhelmed

I am easily inspired. I am also easily overwhelmed. And the two often go hand in hand.

Some of my inspiration comes from real life.  Some comes from the internet. The unexpected juxtaposition of two fabrics in the wastebasket can be the inspiration for my next outfit.  

But, with a limited amount of time to sew and create, I really only need a limited amount of inspiration. Too many ideas and possibilities and juxtapositions can make me feel immobilized. I am unsure which idea to start on, which is better, will I remember all of them and...oh no.. time suddenly starts to squeeze me. I can waste time figuring out where to start.

I love Pinterest and it is great for inspiration. But it offers too much--an infinitude of gorgeous images and how-tos. The visual stimulation can be inspiring, or overwhelming. So many projects and so little time.

The trick is a small amount of inspiration, balanced with a good deal of focused craft time. It takes some discipline and planning to achieve that balance. Something I will always be working on.

My Button Obsession

I have a small obsession...buttons. Small buttons. The more the better. I started collecting small buttons before eBay and Etsy were around to offer "lots" of small buttons. And as eBay and Etsy came into existence, my obsession was just further enabled. 

What exactly is it about buttons? I like just the right amount of realistic detail on my dolls' clothes. Too much is "twee", too little is "blah". The right buttons on a doll cardigan or shoes makes it feel finished. Or if it doesn't, there is still the possibility of playing with the  color of thread used to sew the button on. Perle cotton of course.  

But buttons can turn a plain grey cardigan into classic vintage, or classic modern, or girly, or rustic. If you don't like the look, you only need to change that last step, the buttons.

Part of my button collection.