Gail Wilson Designs Halloween Sale

6-1/2" Tall PumpkinMan
A Cotton Batting Kitor Finished Now Ready

Gail Wilson Designs is having a Halloween sale today, Wednesday October 30th, beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at midnight (Eastern Time). Click HERE to visit the sale page.

Gail has one of THE best wooden sculpting tools ever, carved from apple wood. I have bought extras of this tool, because I am afraid of losing it (which happened once before when a son borrowed my tools). I read her description and was skeptical, but am not anymore. Based on this one experience, I've decided that if she says something is really good, then I believe it!

So now I want some of the little scissors she says are the BEST for doing knit-over coverings for dolls.

I don't get anything for posting this plug for her sale. Just a recommendation from one doll maker to another! ~ Dixie

A Babyland Rag Doll BODY Pattern

A long, long time ago I bought a 30" Babyland Rag doll to make a pattern from her.  I took me about 5 years to finally get the body pattern done, as I focused on other things like my Izannah Walker pattern.   The PDF pattern includes both the 14" doll and the 30" doll pattern for a cost of $15.   Read more here.

An Interesting Cloth Folk Art Doll

I posted about this doll on the Izannah Walker Chronicles, but she is worth showing here on MAIDA as a great examploe of a cloth folk art doll.   I called Skinner's and asked for some additional images, some of which are shared below.  I got a notice about this doll because she was listed as "possibly Izannah Walker". The hands are different than the typical Izannah Walker dolls, as are the legs.   These may be later additions to the doll torso, it's hard to tell from pictures.  Blacklight of this doll shows no repaint, but that can be questionable, as I know someone who owns a Philadelphia Rag Baby which was repainted by the Martha Chase Doll Company. That early repaint doesn't show either.  There are no molded ears on this doll. 

  

I'm inclined to think of this doll as a great eaxmple of a well loved folk art doll.  Perhaps there is an Izannah torso there. The shape is right. I wonder if there is an Izannah head and torso underneath the doll that is there. Or perhaps someone made a doll inspired by an Izannah Walker doll some time ago. She is INTERESTING.   I have seen another Izannah doll that had a stockinette body covering, so maybe that was something Izannah did for a time, or others did to hold an old doll together.  

In any case, this doll is coming up for auction by Skinner's soon.  Here is the link to the item page:

http://www.skinnerinc.com/auctions/2680B/lots/184

31 Days of Doll Making Blog Series

Both doll collectors and doll makers visit this site. There is often an overlap between the two groups. If you are a doll maker, please visit my blog for my 31 Days of Doll Making blog series. ~ Dixie

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