Dolls from the Past

A couple more little dolls that I have dressed.
Here they are before I set to work on them (I had already made a vest for the one on the right).

The first is a 3 inch baby with a diamond mark and  open/close eyes.
I do not know her maker.  She is probably a mass produced doll from the 1960's.

 

The other one is 2.7 inches long and is clockwork and crawls when wound up.  This is a really cute little doll.  I had a bit of a job working out how to dress her so that she could still crawl.  I am really pleased with the result, especially the frilly knickers.

The next job has to be making more Pud Bears.  The holiday season should be starting shortly  (if the snow and wind goes away), so the bear shops will be getting more customers and I have to be ready to restock when they sell some of my bears.  Also, the craft fairs start in May and I like to take a few Pud Bears along as I have a few return customers who are bear collectors. 

Hopefully I will be able to sit long enough to man a stall.  If not my husband will help out as he has before, so that I can have a break.  This darn arthritis and back problems make me so frustrated at times.  I used to be an active person and now a short spell on my feet, or sitting in one position for too long, and that is me finished for the day - and probably the next one too. 

Vintage Dolls

German Dancing Doll

I have been restoring and making Teddy Bears over the years and have never had a great deal of interest in dolls.
Even as a child I preferred my soft toys - a bear called Cuddly, a hand knitted Golly called Kakey (no idea where I got his name from) and a leather Camel that came from a School Fair Bric a Brac Stall.  Then there was my big sister's toys - Jock, a faded blue dog with no ears, another terrier type dog with no name and a little bear that I now know is a Merrythought Baby Bingie.
Of these toys I still have my Cuddly and my sister still has her Bingie (despite my attempts to steal him as I have always wanted him).  She did mention selling him :o recently so I may just give him a home if it comes to that.
I have no idea what became of the Camel, or the dogs, but was told that the Golly got the moths and was thrown away :(

Pair of National Dress Dolls
(any clue to the Country welcome)

Anyway, back to the dolls - I have purchased one or two over the last few months and find myself drawn more to the 1950's ones (as I am with bears), I suppose because that is the era when I was a child.


Eskimo and Dutch Girl

These dolls are available in my Etsy shop - www.etsy.com/shop/pollysvintagebears

I have recently aquired a box of miniature German dolls ranging from 3" to 6".  I am very excited to start sorting these out and cannot decide whether to dress them or to leave them in the buff.
I'm not sure if I could find knitting patterns for a baby doll as small as 3".  The 6" ones would be no problem though.
I love miniature things.  One of my ambitions is to own a large dolls house.  It must be great fun to furnish one as there are so many lovely miniature items that can be bought for them.  I have even seen a set of false teeth in a tumbler in dolls house size!  These items used to fascinate me when I used to do a lot of Bear Fairs in the 1990's.  The fairs were often Dolls, Teddies and Doll's House Miniatures all rolled into one.







The only miniatures I have in my Etsy shop at the moment are these flocked bears.  There are 5 different sets available.  They would be small enough to go in the Nursery of a doll's house.