Little Patriot - Drummer Boy

More primitive Americana!
Here's the newest Little Patriot, The Drummer Boy.
He is approximately 13 1/2" tall. He is the first Little Patriot with straight legs.

His clothing is made as a part of the doll then painted on. He has little buttons up the front of his shirt and on the sleeve cuffs. His breeches are painted in a brown shade, they too have buttons on the sides of the cuffs. His little belt buckle is made of metal and has been aged. He also has little buckles on his old fashioned shoes. The shoes and stockings are also painted on.

His tri-corner hat was made separately and can be removed from his head.

His painted on hair is a lighter brown than the other brown haired patriots, it has a bit of a reddish tint to it.

His eyes are blue, his lips red and his cheeks have been blushed.

In his hands he holds his drumsticks, these have been carved out of wood.

His drum is made of muslin, painted in layers and sanded just like the doll was. On the front of the drum I have painted an American eagle emblem like the one on the Seal of the United States. It is complete with 13 stars , 13 stripes, 14 arrows and an olive branch. The ribbon in the eagles mouth has E Pluribus Unum written on it, which is Latin for "Out of Many, One."

This little fellow is $75.00. If he is hasn't sold by Sunday 7/27/08. I will be listing him on eBay.

More photo's will be available of Little Patriot Drummer Boy within the next day or two. You will be able to view them in my gallery at: Doll*Shoppe Primitives and Collectibles Gallery

More Old Fashioned Pet Dolls

This is Mary and Emma.
Both of these sweet girls are part of the Old Fashioned Pet Dolls series, inspired by the pet china dolls of the late 1800's.

Mary is approximately 23" tall.

Emma is a petite 12" tall.

Both girls have a painted shoulder head, lower arms and lower legs. The paint is applied in layers and sanded between each layer, then stained. This gives the doll a lovely antique look. This process also makes the painted parts have a feel to them that is much like the feel of leather. Their clothing is aged by sanding. patching and staining with coffee.

If you would like to see more photo's of them and a more in depth description please visit My Marketplace Store or my Photo Gallery later this evening.

The newest of the Little Patriot Series is still in the making. He is a little different than the Little Patriots that have come before him. This one has straight legs instead of those that are bent at the knee. He is a drummer boy so he is carrying his drum instead of a flag. I will have him finished, and pictures will be posted by the end of the week.

Other exciting news this week, I finally purchased THE sewing machine that I have wanted for years. It's a 1940's model Singer Featherweight. If you are a doll or quilt maker, you know the machine I am talking about, everyone wants one! I have a 1963 featherweight that I use consistently to make my dolls but I have drooled over the earlier versions of the Featherweight for the last 25 years. Unfortunately the average price for one in the shops is between $600.00 - $700.00. More than a little over my budget.

I got this one from a fellow who was moving and just wanted to sell his Granny's old machine that had been stored for years int he attic. He gave me a great deal on it, (a FANTASTIC deal) - so I am the proud owner of a awesome old Singer Featherweight, and it runs like a dream and is in perfect condition.

More dollies are in the making! I am going to start another Annie doll (maybe 2) this week, sew some clothing for one of my Izannah Walker inspired dolls, and hopefully get around to working on some other's that I have been thinking of for a while now.

Have a great evening and thanks for stopping by!

This Week

I haven't yet made a decision on what I will be making this week. I did cut out another Little Patriot yesterday. So maybe I will work on him.

I scheduled the Frontiersman Patriot on ebay to be listed at 4:00 p.m. Mountain time today. So I thought I would put a few more photo's of him on here.

If you want to see more photo's of him scroll down to my previous listing.

It is very hot here today so I think I will just relax for most of the day, and dream up new things to create. Like the list I have isn't long enough - LOL.

A comment on the previous post said. "I wonder who taught you how to make these?" In answer to that question, I am pretty much self taught. I have been sewing painting and sculpting since I was very young. I picked up skills here and there and put them all together to make my dolls. My Mama was a seamstress, sewing mostly clothes, but around the holiday season she took orders for basic rag dolls and later on cabbage patch look a likes. My Daddy taught me how to make a face in playdough when I was 4. I have always had a desire to paint and draw. that just comes naturally. I started making real dolls when I was a teen, and have been through a gamut of changes over the years, cloth, ceramic, clay, paper mache' , wood, porcelain, ect. Now I am back to cloth. I tend to think in 3-d so the designs are not hard for me to come up with, I just let my imagination take over. Sometimes I dream of how to make them. LOL , that makes me sound a little nut-so. But it there is something I can't figure out, I tend to get the answer in my sleep from an old doll maker. Maybe a alter ego, my muse, maybe an angel. I don't know who he is but I'm glad he's there.

Have a great week, and thanks for stopping in.

SNEEK PEEK - Primitive Frontiersman Patriot

He is finished, And what a cute little patriot he is.

His little outfit makes him look as though he is straight off the frontier - ready to defend his country.

The technique that I use in painting my dolls gives them the feel leather, so it suits this little fellow very well.

I painted his clothing in shades of brown to emulate buckskin. His lace up shirt has double fringe across the front and the back. His pants have double fringe down the sides. His little boots lace up the sides in the old fashioned style.

He has brown painted hair and eyes.

He is made of muslin, stuffed with fiberfill and jointed at the shoulders and hips with lightly rusted tin buttons.

He is carrying a 13 star Betsy Ross style American Flag that is made of canvas and hand painted on both sides.

His hat is also made of muslin, that has been painted.

The doll an flag have underwent an aging process to give him that wonderful look of a antique toy from another era.

The Patriotic Frontiersman will be listed on ebay this coming Sunday June 29th.

Work In Progress - American Frontiersman Patriot

This is what I ended up working on this week in my spare time. He is an American frontiersman patriot. It has been a very busy week so ..... he is still in the early stages.

I am very happy with the way his face came out, he is going to be a handsome little fellow.

He is made of muslin and has a layer of gesso painted on him. There will be several layers of paint on him before he is finished.

He is dressed so it will look as though he is in buckskin britches, a lace up shirt with a fringe yoke, and boots. And of course he will have a little tri-corner hat. to go with the outfit. I debated on the hat - tri-corner or a coonskin type hat, I decided for the Little Patriots, they all should have the tri-corner hats.

Hopefully I will have the time to finish him this week.

I would like to thank those who took the time to leave comments on my blog and those who took the time to email - it is appreciated, thank-you!

Little Patriot - a Revolutionary War Primitive Patriotic Doll

I just listed this little fellow on ebay. He is a cutie - if I do say so myself!

The up coming 4th of July holiday has me in a patriotic mood, so I am celebrating by making a little Americana folk art!

He depicts a patriotic American from about 1765.

He is wearing breeches, a off white shirt and a tri-corner hat. I kept the colors of his clothes plain and natural. No blues or reds on him, but the American spirit is in him as you can see.

He is carrying a Gadsden flag that became popular during the Revolutionary war. I drew and painted the rattlesnake on both sides of his flag.

His hair and eyes are painted - his face is needle sculpted.

I even put the little buckles on his shoes. He also has a metal belt buckle, and buttons on his shirt front, cuffs and breeches cuffs.

I think he is a great representative of the American spirit.

Once again he is made from my own original pattern.
Because my dolls are made one at a time and from my own patterns there are no 2 alike. He is a one of a kind.

He is button jointed with lightly rusted tin buttons.

I am not really sure of what I will be making this week, but you can be sure I will be working on something. I'll let you know when I do decide.

Have a great week - and don't forget, you can always view my items that are available in my online store at Doll*Shoppe at the OldePrimitive Sisters online Marketplace and my ebay auctions are listed at the bottom of this page.

My All American Girls

I have been on another patriotic kick lately.

These 2 dolls, America and Liberty are pet dolls with their names written across their fronts. These dolls were inspired by the pet china dolls of the late 1800's.

They are made of muslin and stuffed with fiber fill.
Their head and shoulders, lower arms and lower legs have been painted in layers, sanding between each layer and finally stained. This process gives them a wonderful antique look and the feel is much like old leather.
They are both approximately 22" tall.

There clothing has been aged, sanded,patched and stained with tea.

I tried to capture the persona of our country in these two. They both look as though they have been through some tough battles and have survived through the ages.

America and Liberty will both be posted to ebay Sunday afternoon- June 8th.

I have another little fellow I have been working on. He is a patriotic fellow - I do believe he is a member of the Sons Of Liberty.
He will be jointed with tin buttons, and have his clothing painted on. Hopefully I will be able to finish him by June 15th. I will post pics of him sometime next week.

Thank you all for peeking in! Keep coming back - you never know what is happening next.

I will be gone June 5th - through the 8th. So........ if you have any questions for me or would like to place an order go ahead and email me and I will get back to you on Monday the 9th.

This Weeks Auctions

I listed on ebay today the Raggedy Annie Doll, The Camel With Wrinkled Knees and the Yankee Doodle Dandy Boy.

I am already missing the poor old camel. LOL - he IS quite the character.

I have 4 more dolls int he making and a great idea for a primitive Raggedy Ann type doll that I want to do this week too.

The largest doll that I am currently working on will be similar to the Izannah Walker dolls. She is not made of stockinette like Izannah's were. She will be made of muslin. I have given her applied thumbs in true Izannah style though. And I will paint her face and hair similar to the old Izannah Walker dolls. She will be button jointed at the shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. She is kind of cool and I am a little excited to see her finished.

Another of the dolls I am working on is more of a character doll. I haven't yet decided what she will evolve into, but she has a very interesting needle sculpted face.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!
and thanks for peeking in on my blog.

Happy Spring! - What's New

We are having a wonderful spring day!

I finished the Camel With Wrinkled Knees. What personality he has. I think I have become attached to the little guy, we have been conversing for several days now - LOL. I really will miss him when he is sold.

He has shiny black button eyes. He is made of a natural flannel and stained with coffee and has patches sewn here and there. I made his halter out of muslin and painted - sanded and stained it. Of course he can't stand up and is a bit floppy to pose but that only adds to his charm.

Although I didn't purposely design the camel to fit with the Raggedy Annie doll I made last week, she fits perfectly on his back. They make quite a pair.

I dressed the Raggedy Ann Primitive Doll in cotton gauze clothing. I sanded her clothing thin and made holes in it, added patches and stained them with coffee. On the front of her little apron I embroidered the words: Always and Forever, Annie.

My felting needles arrived and I was able to finish the Yankee Doodle Boy patriotic doll. He has blond mohair hair felted into place, and tied in a pony tail in the back. He has been painted in several layers - sanding between each layer and stained. I added a metal buckle to his belt and buttons to his shirt, and breeches. I made his flag out of cotton canvas, and painted, sanded and stained it. I attached the flag to a dowel and stitched it to his hand.

Yankee Doodle has been around since colonial times, so I had to make him a little tricorn hat and put a feather in it - of course.

What's new? I have started another doll this morning, making the pattern as I go - (that's what I usually do) I really haven't decided on a persona for it yet, we will have to see wait and see wh0 she ........... or he turns out to be. I have several ideas swimming around in my head for the up coming Mothers Day Holiday - I may have to get started on that while it is fresh in my mind.

3-13 New Dolls in the Making,

I am fighting allergies this week with bouts if vertigo so things aren't going as fast as I had planned. I don't know if I will have any listings to add to Ebay this weekend of not.

I am making another Old Fashioned Roller Bunny, and 2 painted muslin dolls. One is a Raggedy Ann style doll, the other I think will be a Yankee Doodle Dandy Americana doll.

The Raggedy Ann doll is in her ugly stage, LOL, she reminds me of a wrinkled new born.

Both dolls are jointed at the hips and shoulders and have needle sculpted faces. They are scupted and have the first layer of paint on them , and have a start of the second layer.

The Yankee Doodle Dandy Boy is going to have his clothing painted on. He will be wearing a shirt, belt, breeches and shoes. He will also have a hat that is not painted on but is made separate and will be removable. I will sew a little dress, bloomers and apron for the Raggedy Ann Style doll.

I got a great deal on a piece of natural flannel, I haven't quite decided what I will be making with it, I am thinking maybe a wrinkled knee camel to go with Raggedy Ann Dolls. If I do make a camel he will not be painted but instead will be tea and coffee dyed.

The Bunnies that I had listed on ebay last Sunday sold over night. It was a nice surprise to wake up to Monday morning. They are now all residing in Canada. Yes, I shipped them Monday and they got there today. It seems packages going to Canada this week are moving much fastser than those going from state to state.

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by and peeking in on what's going on in the Doll*Shoppe

3/6 Mid-Week * What's Goin' On

The medium sized Victorian Bunny is finished. Her head is slightly turned to the side, it gives her a inquisitive look. I made her feet slightly larger than the last medium sized Victorian Bunny. She still needs a basket or a backpack.

The rest of the bunnies are all in different stages of being finished. The largest bunny still needs her eyes painted, the smaller ones need sanded and painted some more.

Little ducky is in a the sanding stage. I chose to paint him in vivid colors, as most of the old toy ducks I have seen were at one time very brightly colored. Of course after he is antiqued the colors will look more vintage and time worn.
I can see a lot of improvements that can be made on the next ducks I make. I will add some more needle sculpting and possibly I will lightly stuff the wings and give them a quilted look in the future.

I am seriously beginning to worry about ebay. I have read that a new CEO is on the horizon and that his plans are to move ebay to a fixed price platform. That kind of defeats the purpose of ebay - doesn't it? That along the fee increases and feedback changes has me looking into other venues that I may pursue in the future.

Other news? After receiving an invitation to join - I am now a member of the Olde Primitive Sisters Group, this is a great bunch of ladies who are all talented artist in their own rights. We all sell on ebay - If you type in OPSG into your ebay search there you will see a wide variety of primitives and collectibles that we create. Everything primitive from ornaments to primitive dolls, toys, folk art and Americana art.

I am getting tired of bunnies, again. Next week it will be something different - I think.

Thanks again for reading my blog!

Sunday's Update

I will be listing my Uncle Sam saw dust dolls on ebay today. They are the perfect Americana bowl fillers for the primitive patriotic collector.

I will also be re listing the Mama Bunny and her babies. I was a little surprised she didn't sell the first time out, but sometimes that happens. She is so cute in person, the pictures really don't do her justice.

All of my other bunnies and the little duck have the primer coat of paint on them and are drying as I type this.

I hope to have a productive week in the creativity department.

I forgot to mention the other day, the Roller Bunny Pull Toy has found a new home in Illinois where he is loved very much and will be well cared for, I am sure.