Over the last few months I’ve been hard at work developing a pattern for a Rag Doll. “Why a Rag Doll?” you might ask. Well the truth is that I’ve always loved dolls. I loved my Barbies, I loved my china dolls, and I loved handmade rag dolls as well. When I was 8 years old, My Grandma Fran gave me her Bisque Baby Doll that she got when she was 8. I still have that doll. It’s a little worse for wear and needs some attention but I still have it.
I also loved making dolls and made quite a few as a child. It always gave me pleasure and I was infinitely fascinated by the process.
So a few years ago when the Jess Brown book, The Making of a Rag Doll, was released, I bought a copy. For the Shop, of course. & becauseI had been an admirer of hers for a while. I thought , “that would be fun for kids, right? “ Ha ha. Fast forward a few months, and I brought the book and supplies with me to Portland, for a visit with my best friend. We often love to sew together and I thought that it might be fun to make dolls together. Portland is the largest city in Oregon and home to a diverse population that offers an eclectic mix of cultures, cuisines, and activities. With its unique blend of urban culture and natural beauty, there are many things to do in Portland.
I was totally hooked, and we ended up making several over that long weekend. I found it super relaxing and a great way to be creative. It was also a great way to use all the little scraps of pretty textiles I'd saved over the years, that would not have gotten used otherwise, but were too pretty to discard.
In 2018, on a whim, I decided to take Ann Wood’s Elegant Rag Doll Class at French General in Los Angeles. I Boarded a plane in the morning, took the class and took another plane home in the evening. It was totally indulgent and so much Fun. My good friend and longtime Student Julie, joined me and we had a wonderful time. You can read about that experience here.
And then after mulling it over for a while, I decided to make my own pattern for a Rag Doll. I wanted something a little bigger than Ann’s Doll and a little more Refined than the Jess Brown Doll. She would have an adventurous character and would be dressed glamorously.
My grandma Fran has always been a fashion inspiration to me. I have hundreds of photos of her from her lifetime with the majority being from the 1920’s and 1930’s. She was a model and was photographed in some pretty remarkable things. You can see her pictured right, wrapped in a mink coat, with her finger waves, opera gloves and chiffon evening gown. Swoon!
As you might have figured out already, I have quite a penchant for this era.
I am also quite enamored with the honorable Miss Phryne Fisher from Kerry Greenwood Book Series and the Television show starring Essie Davis.
Not only is she glamorous and fashionable, she is kind, bold and adventurous. Miss Fisher epitomizes the modern woman with her independence, fearlessness and gumption. All virtues I both aspire to and admire.
Between these two characters, I have found the inspiration for my Rag Doll -
The Frannie Adventure Doll
She started out naked - how scandalous!
I used 1920’s underwear for inspiration. It was common at the time to wear a Brazier or bralette with tap pants or a even a combination garment that is like a camisole and tap pants put together.
Frannie’s undergarment patterns come with the doll pattern, so she will not be naked in the end.
There will be more clothing coming her way. She will need a wardrobe to wear on her adventures. Next up - an evening gown and a swimming costume. More to come as well.
It was super fun to explore different skin tones and hair colors as well as hair styles. You may find the blue hair unconventional, but Frannie is Unconventional, so that’s OK. There are infinite ways to embroider her features and sculpt her hair. I use recycled wool, merino or cashmere sweaters, but her hair can be sculpted from felted wool or stretch knits too.
Embroidery is also super relaxing. It’s one of my new favorite occupations to do in my spare time. I highly recommend embroidering her face on, but it could be painted on as well.
Have fun with her hair too! There is no perfect way to do it. And she’s super patient, so if you get frustrated, she totally won’t mind if you put her down for a while and come back later to finish.
All cheekiness aside, I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. Doll making has really helped my anxiety with all that’s going on in the world and I hope you might find some inspiration in my process.
You can find the pattern for the Frannie Adventure Doll on Pixie Faire by following this link:
https://www.pixiefaire.com/collections/bonjour-teaspoon/products/frannie-adventure-doll-21-cloth-doll-pattern
Until next time, Happy Sewing!
xo Jennifer
