Small Dolls

While last week was all about flowers and flower garlands, I have spent this past week making dolls.  One of my handful of customers (and a dear friend) who bought my first gnome rattle encouraged me to make small figures. I had been imagining gnome people -- little guys you could play with in the woods -- and had even ordered a book that seemed to have patterns for them.  So, I dove in (long before the book arrived, of course) and began to invent, adapt, experiment.  Here are some of my new friends that came into being this week.

We have the Baby Gnomes of course, a whole rainbow of them (my purple guy didn't make it in the picture)!  Truly sweet and marvelous for small hands.  I have decided, in the future, to make these with knitted heads because I will be able to make them more quickly - and be able to lower the price a little.  I am still working on a prototype for a "Mama Gnome" with an opening, to carry around all the little gnomes.

With Sarah's encouragement, I began to work on figures with legs.  These have some internal structure (to make them a little pose-able), as well as some stuffing.

My first, rather chubby elf.

Then, by request, his sister.

And finally, my first fairy.  I really want to make Tooth Fairies to sell.  Even though the kids like the dollies better, I love this fairy.  I spent a LOT of time & creativity on her - for me, she verges on the craft/art borderline.  I had thought to give her a flower pocket for a tooth, but her skirt insists I leave it alone.  I guess she isn't a tooth fairy!  She wants to be a flower fairy.

 She is very small, just over 5 inches.  I don't know if I can sell her.  I will have to sleep on it a few days before I decide.  It's also hard for me to decide how much to charge for her. She is so very small yet she was still very time consuming. Of course, none of my prices make sense when I consider the time I put into the items!  This isn't a very good business model!

Now, I have some crown orders to fill.  Thanks for looking.