Winter Annie

Winter Annie was a primitive rag doll I made before Christmas of last year. It was very cold outside so - of course she had to have a warm coat and a hat to match. She was about 21" tall. She was made of felt that had been dyed and stained with tea and coffee. Her clothing also had been dyed, stained and patched.
Poor old girl, she looked as if she had been through one to many rough winters.
I finished off her outfit with vintage and antique buttons,a brass jingle bell the tiniest real pine cones I have ever seen. She held 2 primitive flannel angels. She turned out very well and was adopted into a new home before the holiday arrived.

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.

Where Do I Begin?

I have been making dolls of one sort or another for most of my lifetime. I can remember my Mama giving me a needle and a small felt needle book to keep it in and letting me have my way with the scrap bag. (Which was a pillow case filled with all the extra scraps she had from making our clothes.) I was about 7 years old then.

Although I never really played with my dolls I liked making them and creating new things.

I opened a doll shop in my early 20's and operated it out of my house. Selling to retail stores and at various craft shows. I sold rag dolls, primitives, teddy bears and original sculpted works. After a few years I got into making porcelain dolls. Now I am in my mid forties and have settled back into making mostly primitives and patriotic dolls.

I currently sell on eBay and have been pondering the idea of opening a online store.