Notes from the Melody Maker

I never really liked dolls as a child, but as an adult during the pandemic, I found that making dolls and their clothes was a really fun outlet for my creativity! I started with cloth dolls following the pattern for a Little Cloth Girl doll from Elizabeth Stewart Clark. If you can find this pattern it is wonderful! Extensively researched and based on original items from the 1860s.

My first doll, Emalie. She’s about 10″ tall. Made in 2019.

Of course, I found things about her that I’d like to fix, so I made a second doll from this pattern.

This is Mernie, my version 2 of the Little Cloth Girl. But, if you know me, you’ll already know that I just had to make another version!

This doll is named Dottie, and I finally dialed in on the making of these Little Cloth Girl dolls. I made her every view of the dress bodice, several pieces of outer wear and even a bonnet. Dottie was a gift for my sister, so I wanted her to be perfect. Since, then, I have never made another this size! :-) I did move on to the next version of a doll from Elizabeth Stewart Clark, and that is her Great Auntie Maude doll pattern.

This is Inez. She is about 15″ tall and I applied all my learnings from the previous three girls to make her the best cloth doll yet. I also made her a deep wardrobe, with nightgowns, multiple dresses, a wrapper, aprons, and a jacket.

Next came Nell. She is a Tasha Tudor doll and she kicked off a major obsession with these lovely reproduction dolls. I made a post about them here, and I’ve added more to my collection since then, so I’ll probably have to make a page at this point! Nell also got me into drafting my own patterns from original French magazines.

Next came Emma Tudor, who arrived in hideous lavender polyester. I see her as a youth doll so she is dressed that way.

This is Hannah, but technically her name is Meg Tudor. She just didn’t look like a Meg to me. I made Hannah from the muslin out and this is one of my favorite projects, and my first silk dress.

Next up is Lydia Kidd. She has a kid body which is why she has that last name. Her dress is based on 1860 styles and the capelet she is wearing is wool liked with cotton and I did all the embroidery. There was a while that I was getting up really early in the morning to take my daughter to school, and I’d have more than an hour before work so I just worked on dolls!

Next I built this Yield House doll Florence Nightengale and based her wool dress on original images of her. The Yield House dolls are about 15″ tall.

This is a Yield House Meg March, and while I purchased her already assembled, she was wearing a rather frumpy outfit. Her new ensemble is made from Japanese kimono silk for the skirt and silk charmeuse for the blouse.

This cutie is Merry, who I made as a Christmas gift for a friend. She’s about 10″ tall and made from a Japanese kit.

This little beauty is Caroline and I just love her dress. It is a polonaise style bodice over a bustled skirt. I made everything including her bonnet and handbag. All she arrived wearing was the necklace you see.

And here we have Ruby. She is a gorgeous antique doll who I restored from very dismal shape into the fashion icon she is today. Ruby is my cousin’s doll. She is wearing a silk dress based on Susan Sirkus patterns, and I made most of the accessories you see.

After Ruby came Julia Tudor, who I always thought should be a bride. She is dressed in the style of 1872 following original French patterns. Her gown is all silk and her veil is fine bobinette.

This is Martha Tudor, styled as a Colonial woman. Martha arrived in a box that had been crushed and I had to repair her chest plate, which is why I settled on a high neck dress for her.

I have many more dolls to work on, build and dress. I’ll update this page as I progress! I started with Emalie in 2019, and since then have expanded hers, Mernie and Dottie’s wardrobes extensively. These dolls are only the dolls I have completed and/or worked on. Dolls who I haven’t worked on yet aren’t on this page.