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My favorite zine-maker, Su Mwamba, came out with this delightful zine about doll-making earlier this year. And what fun! (You can grab yourself a copy over here.
First, I’d like to point out that attached to the cover are supplies to make your very own doll: one piece of cute babushka fabric and one piece of backing felt. I love these special touches Su adds to her zines!
I was also thrilled that she invited me to participate in this project. I designed this little felt Daruma doll (the full pattern is in the zine). If you aren’t familiar, Daruma dolls originate in Japan, where they’re used for wish-fulfillment (or goal-setting, depending on your orientation). When you get a Daruma, you set an intention and add one eye. Then, when your wish/goal comes true, you add the other eye.
You’ll also find a full pattern in the zine for this beautiful beaded doll by Robin O. Mayberry. As she describes them:
“…These beaded charm dolls are absolutely soaked with creative energy. When I give them away – only to people I really, really like – I know I’m giving them a hand-held power source. These little darlings aren’t just dolls. They’re talismans.”
In the center spread, there’s a mini-zine by Sarah Graham about guerilla doll-making. What a cool idea, leaving tiny handmade dolls in the wild for people to find!
There are also interviews with Claire Chambers about her Chickenpants dolls, and Tracey Meek about her handmade Russian nesting dolls and illustrations.
And more! See the back cover? It’s a Zen Doll by Penelope Harris that folds down to the size of an Artist Trading Card.
I have a few to give away, too!
While my Daruma is setting itself a new goal (to get out of the clutches of Pushkin), let’s have a little giveaway. To enter, please leave a comment below and do two little things:
- Make sure I have your email address so I can contact you if you win.
- Tell me about your favorite handmade doll ever.
I’ll draw three winners on Tuesday, September 6th at noonish PST. International readers, please enter away. Good Luck!
UPDATE: Congratulations to Glenys, msb3362 and lsmucker, who were our big zine winners!
As silly as it sounds, my most favorite handmade doll ever is this little crocheted stick person like figure that my daughter, who was about 8 and just learning to crochet more than the chain stitch, made for me…it’s nothing much, but I still have it, in a very safe space, and it means so much to me.
my favorite handmade doll is a set of hand-sewed matryoshka dolls i ordered from an etsy seller when my daughter was 3. they are so adorable.
My favorite handmade doll is a set of 3 hand-sewed matryoshka dolls i bought from an etsy seller for my daughter when she was 3. they are adorable!
My favourite handmade doll is the one my mother sewed for me when I was a baby. She said that when she first gave it to me, I was scared of it. Now, I love this doll.
Sophie
Mine would be the dolls made by Evangelione.
I really like those Daruma dolls – I want to use them with the kids I’m working with to teach goal setting. My favorite handmade dolls are a set of china dolls dressed in felt clothing from around the world, hand sewn on and quite accurate. They are very old and one of the few things I have left from my childhood. You can reach me at cooper at swva dot net.
My favourite handmade doll was actually a mouse knitted by my Mum when I was a child – I loved it to bits (literally!)
As a doll artist it seems my latest doll is my favorite. You can see her at (http://www.flickr.com/photos/chimerathreads/). That doll making zine looks really cute.
My favorite doll is a Holly Hobbie doll that my mom made for me for Christmas when I was 8 or 9 years old. She didn’t do much sewing or needlework, but she knew I was obsessed with all things Holly Hobbie. The doll has a hand stitched face and real mohair yarn hair. The neighbor lady across the street (who was a knitter) purchased the yarn for my mom from the local yarn shop. My Holly Hobbie doll has a calico dress, a white slip that can double as a pinafore, and hand stitched felt shoes. She is my favorite Christmas gift of all time and, 41 years later, she still has pride of place in the doll cradle in my sitting room.
Lovely zine, thank you for this giveaway!
Uhm, I remember that, when I was a little child, my grandma made for me some dolls with wool thread… they were lovely and a bit “seventies style” :)
I’ve also made some fabric dolls when I was a teen, for a charity “campaign” here in Italy.
Now that I’m 34 years old, well, I cant’ stop sewing softies and I’m learning how to make amigurumi (I want to make a crocheted babuska doll, soon)
silviatriv [@] gmail [.] com
My favorite was a set of little rabbit dolls that my mom made by cutting them out of rabbit-print fabric and sewing them to a backing with stuffing between. Mostly, I just like that it was my mom that made them.
-Rachel (rahchelle@gmail.com)
I love the Darumas! I’m going to try to make them with my students. My favorite handmade doll is a little stuffed cow that my grandmother made me. I grew up helping on her ranch and after bottle feeding an orphaned calf with her all winter I was heart broken to leave him. So she made me a little calf that looked just like him to take home with me. When you turn him over he moos.
morganmulkey(at)gmail(dot)com
http://morganmadeit.blogspot.com/
My favorite handmade doll was one that I chose from an antique shop in Cannon Beach when I was five years old. I was spending the summer with my grandmother at her beach house. The story was that it was the companion of a little pioneer girl who came to Oregon on covered wagon. Her warn, but lovely, flowered cotton dress was handsewn, as was her bonnet, buttoned shoes, bloomers and, indeed, “Bambi” herself. A stuffed cotton body, she stood about a foot tall. She had a porcelain face and real human hair (ewww). My mother sewed a whole wardrobe of pioneer dresses for Bambi. Alas, I brushed her hair so often she got split ends (double ewww).
Diane, what I love about this zine is the very different styles in it. Babushka fabric, Daruma dolls and that interesting folding zen project. I grew up surrounded by Daruma dolls in our house, in my Japanese relatives’ homes, and when I lived and worked in Japan as a reporter, watching newly-elected politicians paint the second eye after winning a seat in Parliament.
Great zine. And I just checked out Su’s shop and site. What a talent!
My Grandma gave me a holly hobbie type doll (hand made with a lovely embrodiered face) which I still treasure. However the hand made doll that is one of my more recent favorites is the one I made using a free Kate Erbach pattern Etta Mae from the dollmakers journey website. This looks like such a fun zine. I love to see doll making stuff out there.