My grandparents had a room full of dolls in their Doylestown house. When I was little, I dreaded going to the bathroom in the middle of the night because I had to walk past 'the doll room', and they watched me. For many years, I continued to do my best to ignore dolls. Then I had kids. Annabel mostly has Haba dolls, designed in Germany. They're cloth dolls with satisfied faces and cute outfits. And they don't seem to keep their eyes on me, so they're okay. I always preferred stuffed animals to dolls growing up, which is probably why I started making sweater animals for the kids instead.
Recently, I came across a lovely book entitled, "We Make Dolls!" by Jenny Doh. In it are patterns for animals, mermaids, strongmen, even a mini Frieda Kahlo. I decided upon Little Red Riding Hood, by Suse Bauer of RevoluzZza. I mentioned her in an earlier post, as the pattern for the two little bunnies I made for the kid's Easter baskets was from Suse's web site. Annabel picked a purple material, which I used for the 'hood.' I chose the rest of the fabric. I'm pleased with how my first doll turned out. The pattern was easy to follow, and the step-by-step pictures were enormously helpful. We named her Annika — a combination of Annabel and Karin. She will likely have friends soon!
Annika on the piano with a row of black and white family portraits. My grandmother (far left), Annabel (center), and me (right).
