Primitive Folk Art Dolls

This last month and this month have gone by in a whirl wind and it doesn't seem to be slowing down much.

I thought it was past time that I gave you a update, so here it is.

These photos are of some of the dolls I've been working on, there are several more in various stages that are being made that aren't pictured at this time.

The first girl is Ruby and her Dolly. The second girl is Daisy and her Dolly. Ruby and Daisy are 2 of my favorite black dolls that I have made to date(I think) They turned out beautifully. Their big brown eyes seem to hold a bit of that childhood innocence. They look as thought they are going to have a tea party with their dollies. They are bout 23" tall and their dolls are about 8" tall. Both Ruby and Daisy have wire in their arms so they can hold their dollies.

The next little fellow is a Halloween character doll. I named him Pumpkin Head. He has his own jack-o-lantern. His arms are bent so that he can hold it too. His face is needle sculpted. He was inspired by the old Halloween decorations of the 20's and 30's. He is a unique character for sure. He is approximately 14" tall.

Next is a Raggedy Annie and her Baby. Raggedy Ann dolls never go out of style, do they? She looks like the perfect mother, Her needle sculpted face has so much personality she will definitely win your heart. Annie is about 13" tall and Baby is about 8" tall.

Last but not least is Booker and his Pup. Every boy needs a pup and Booker loves holding this little one. The pup is button jointed. Booker has wire in his arms so that he can hang on the that squirmy little pup too. Booker is about 23" tall, Pup is about 8" long. He has the cutest stubby tail too!

If you want to see more photo's of these dolls 0r to read a better description please visit the Doll_Shoppe_Prims Photo Gallery.

Booker Daisy and Ruby are sold (I think, I am waiting for confirmation on that.) It is possible that the Annie doll is sold too.

There are several more dolls in the making. Including, the Fairy - Her wings are all painted now! A Older woman, possibly a church lady or a farm lady, we'll have to see how she turns out. More elves, another version of the Pumpkin Head doll, a brother for my Belindy dolls, and more. Yes, I have been very busy!

I have a busy weekend ahead of me, will be leaving tomorrow and be back Sunday evening. Then back to work on those dollies!

Thanks for stopping by.
Please don't forget to visit my Doll_Shoppe_Prims Gallery.

What's New? More Primitive dolls !

It's been a while - a long while since I've updated. Guess it's about time!

I've been working steadily lately to fill orders for primitive dolls that have came in.


The first photo is of Elf dolls in progress, is it ever to early to think of Christmas? These are a different version than the 2008 Elf Dolls. These will be button jointed at the shoulders and hips.

The 2nd photo is of Belindy dolls. Everyone seems to love Belindy. These 4 dolls are in various stages of painting. The other doll that is in with the Belindy's will probably have a paper clay face added to her. I am not sure what I want her to be yet, I am thinking of making her into an old fashioned style doll of the 40's - you know, with the side glancing eyes and cute little nose.


The 3rd photo is of 4 Patriots, 1 Mammy and one Snowman that are in the making. I do the patriots are already all spoken for.
The Mammy will have a paper clay sculpted face, I haven't yet decided if her hair will be sculpted or if it will be rooted mohair.
The snowman, I think, will be really cute when he is done.


The Olde Primitive Sisters site has moved, and my Doll*Shoppe has moved along with it! Please visit me at:Doll*Shoppe Primitives and Collectibles I only have 2 dolls for sale in there now, but am working on more so please visit often.

Thanks, and Have a GREAT DAY!!!

This Week At The Doll*Shoppe

I was finally able to get the old fashioned primitive pet doll - Ophelia listed on eBay.

I have some new idea's brewing for some other primitive dolls. I'll get to work on them this week. I also need to get to work making some more Victorian style bunnies as the last one of those has been sold.

I NEED to make some clothes for the Izannah Walker inspired doll this week. She will be dressed in shades of blue to match her eyes.

The part of the mystery doll I have shown you today is the arms. It has l-o-n-g wicked fingers. I am going to be doing quite a bit of needle sculpting on this one. Since I am not planning on having it finished until the end of September, I will have plenty of time to add a lot of details. Any guesses what this mystery Halloween doll is is going to be?
Thanks for stopping in - please come back again!

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.

Big-Eyed Annie and Her Baby

She's a cutey. Here she is - NOW available at: The Olde Primitive Sisters Online Market Place.
She is $45.00 +$7.00 shipping to the lower 48 United States. If you would like a shipping quote outside of the lower 48 states please email me.
Annie's arms are bent perfectly to cuddle her little Annie. Both dolls are jointed at the shoulders and hips. The big one is about 14" long and the little one is about 7" long.
They would look so cute displayed in a little rocking chair.
I also have a great Primitive Victorian Style Rabbit Pull Toy there that is available for $43.00 + $7.00 shipping to the lower 48 United States.
While you are at the Olde Primitive Sisters Online Marketplace browse around - there are a lot of talented primitive artist's selling their wares there, you never know what you might find.
Have a great week! and Thanks for stopping in.

April 27,2008 Update

Hello All,

This last week has been a whirl wind. I can't believe how fast time goes by.

I have not listed anything on ebay this week.

The Izannah Walker Inspired boy doll is at the ready to paint stage. He will be about 19" tall. His little boots have square toes and are needle sculpted. I can't wait until he gets to the stage where his personality really comes out, which is usually in the painting. I also have another girl and her doll in the making.

I have a beautiful piece of dusty blue homespun material that I will be making his clothes out of.

I still have not got to play in the clay yet. Hopefully this week I will have time for that.

Am going to open my spot up at the Old Primitive Sisters Marketplace by May 1st. So I am trying to get a couple of things done to list on there for sale.

I will be posting photo's mid week of the works in progress. Please check back in and see what's happening.

Meet Aunt Eula and Her Pesky Pet Crows

I finished the black doll and have listed her on ebay. Her name is Aunt Eula and she is a gardener.

Her favorite flowers are sunflowers so I made her a basket full of them. There are 6 sunflowers made of muslin with stems of wire wrapped in cotton floss. She has 2 pesky pet crows that have taken up residence on her hat brim and built a nest there.

At first I had her dressed in a simple cotton dress that was light green with polka dots and a yoke of small pink flowers - but it just didn't have enough personality for this lady. So I found a piece of material in my stash that had crows and sunflowers on it, and made her a new outfit. Then I methodically "ruined it" LOL - I sanded it thin, dyed it with coffee and patched it. It looks and feels like a very old comfortable gardening dress.

The 2 little crows are made of muslin too, I thought about sculpting them or carving them out of wood but decided if the flowers were made of muslin the crows should be too. They turned out really cute.

The Izannah Walker inspired doll was purchased by someone from New York, so she will go live there soon.

I am thinking of making a boy along the same lines as the Izannah Walker inspired girl dolls. I don't see many old fashioned boy dolls being made and I think it would be a fun project. So that is on my list for the near future. I will probably start on him this week. I can see him now in a fancy little boys Victorian outfit with cotton lace looking so proper and well behaved.

I am really itching to sculpt something or someone. It has been months since I sculpted anything. Sometimes I just wanna play in clay. So I am thinking I will start sculpting something this week.

I would like to thank all of those who have recently visited my blog and those who have emailed or left nice compliments on my dolls. THANK YOU so much!

Izannah Walker Inspired Dolls Have Been Listed On ebay

Hello All,

I just listed the 2 Izannah Walker inspired dolls on ebay.
They turned out nice.

I am going to miss them when they sell. You get kind of attached to them after a while.

I didn't do the pleated dresses that I had contemplated before, Instead they are dressed in cotton and homespun, in a style that was popular in the mid 1800's. Both dresses have been trimmed with cotton lace and stained with coffee to make them look old.

I put a lot of work into these 2. I named the bigger one Louisa May and the small one Polly.

I dressed them in split drawers, a camisole that has faux pearl and loop closures and a skirt slip - all these are made of muslin and trimmed with cotton lace.

I gave Louisa May a high brimmed bonnet and Polly a runched bonnet.

I also added faux pearls to Louisa May's boots.

Louisa May also has a over skirt that attaches to the dress with 2 pearl shank buttons.

After I finished making these outfits I found my Godey's Lady Book of Styles, that is where I had seen the picture of the pleated dress, no doubt I will have to make another one of these dolls someday so I can make a dress like that!

I seriously thought of making the pleated dress from memory, then decided against it - so this time I just I found a picture of a dress from the mid 1800's on line to make Louisa May's dress from. I really like the runched sleeves, and the buttons that close with loops instead of button holes.

Time for me to kick back for the evening - Tomorrow I start all over again, LOL. I think I will finish the black doll this week.

Dollies in Progress 3/27

So far this week this is what has been accomplished. The Izannah Walker inspired doll is coming along. She will be 18 or 19 inches tall. I have needle sculpted her little old fashioned boots. I think she will turn out nicely. I imagine her (at this point) with brown spiral curls and brown eyes. Of course that could change as she comes out in the making. As to how she will be dressed I haven't decided yet, possibly - maybe something with tucks in the bodice and a sash that ties in the back.

She will have a dolly of her own. I needle sculpted little ears and fingers on her - she is about 7"-8" tall and will be button jointed at the shoulders and hips.

The character doll is funny, I still don't know who she is. I sculpted her shoes on her feet. And put a decoration on the shoe toes. I have made her so she will hold something cradled in one arm.

The Uncle Sam is sewn in red striped ticking, blue cotton and muslin fabric. I still have to sculpt his face and paint the face and hands. He also needs cuffs and collar added to the jacket and, of course I will have to make him a top hat.

I still want to make the primitive Annie that I have in mind. She will be a unique and unusual primitive doll, made of muslin and dyed with tea and coffee. Hopefully I will have time to do her up before next week starts.

I want to tell you all that the OPSG (Old Primitive Sisters Group) has their website up and running are selling their primitive creations. Please take a look there and see what this talented group of artist's have to offer. OLD PRIMITIVE SISTERS ONLINE MARKET PLACE

As of now, joining in this market place is still on my list of things to do.

Well, back to work for me. Have a great day!

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.

Raggedy (Ann) Doll Update - She's a Cutie

Thought I had better give you all an updated photo of the Primitive Raggedy Ann Style Doll since in the photo I posted yesterday looked all wrinkled . I am sure there are those of you who thought I'd lost my mind thinking that ugly little face could be turned into a cute Raggedy doll.

I don't have her clothing done yet. I'll be working on that tomorrow. She has mohair roving hair. I wanted to give her string hair but I am out of the rusty orange dye that I use. The mohair seems to suit her very well.

She is approximately 14" tall. Her knees are bent so that she can sit nicely on a shelf or little chair. She is made of muslin then painted in layers, sanding between each layer, and lastly stain is applied. This gives her an aged - antique look.

She is jointed at the shoulders and hips with vintage metal buttons. Her eyes are vintage buttons also.

Well, I just thought I'd let you know she is past the ugly stage and is turning into a real cutie.


The Yankee Doodle Dandy boy is coming along. I am going to have to wait until my new felting needles show up to put his hair on him though. They are in the mail and should be here sometime next week.

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

The Rabbit Pull Toy and Sawdust Sisters

Wow - what a week.

I managed to finish up the rabbit pull toy, I hope someone else likes him as much as I do. He will be up for sale on ebay later this evening. I stained the wheels and axles with walnut stain they match the bunny nicely. The pull chord I made out of hemp, I braided it and added a wooden bead on the end. It looks pretty authentic, like a vintage toy.

I went ahead and aged the sawdust sisters even more than they were.
Then I made cute little muslin dresses for them and crudely embroidered flowers around the skirt bottoms, then stained them with coffee. I sanded the dresses - yep, took out my frustrations on these, they have some thin places and some places that I sanded all the way through and made little holes. I thought about putting patches on them but decided that would make the dresses look too busy since I had embroidered them.

I gave each sister a aged brass heart and tied it to the bodice of their dresses. Instead of making the tiny hand stitched button holes that I usually make I used rusting safety pins to close up their dresses in the back. They are very sweet, very primitive looking.

The Sawdust Sisters will be listed on ebay later tonight. I do hope they find a good home with someone to love them.

I will be working on the things I didn't get finished this week - plus a few new things. The ideas are endless.

Miniature Dolls

For a while I was stuck on making miniature rag dolls. It's a great way to use up all those tiny pieces of material left over from other projects.
Most of the little ones I made were under 1 1/2 " tall a few were as big as 3 inches. I made raggedy dolls, cowgirls, indians, topsy turvy dolls and even a gollywog.

They were a lot of fun to make. The indian has a real leather dress. the cowgirls have little boots that are painted on.