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Welcome to the latest edition of Australian Dolls, Bears and Collectables. There are some divine projects in this issue, including the sweet little reborn Kaya, glamorous cloth doll Jaclyn in a Box, a wonderful bear, a fantasy scene base perfect for a mermaid, a cute crocheted sundress and bloomers for a 20cm porcelain doll, a delightful reborn named Zeki, and part 2 of the cloth doll project Lichen the Pixie. There’s an international doll and bear collection, and Lesley Hurford takes us along on her visit to a private German doll collection. We profile clever bear artist Debbie Everson, and meet some more lovely members of the Bundaberg Doll Crafters Club. Our team is committed to bringing you the best projects and profiles, and the latest news in the doll,…
Dear Ed I’m so excited. I’ve officially retired and my husband and I will soon be heading off to Paris for our ‘second honeymoon’. Thanks to the information in your magazine there’s one non-negotiable, husband-free visit in my itinerary – the Musée de la Poupée - to spend a few lovely hours drooling over the beautiful dolls, particularly the bebés and the celluloids. Cheers! Miriam, SA. Ed: We’re so jealous Miriam! Best of wishes to you and your husband for a fantastic holiday and wonderful visit to the museum. Dear Ed I’d like to say thank you to Rachel Bailey for creating cutie Lochie Lamb (DBC 21.6). I fell in love with him and have now made my own version, whom I have called Lorrali Lambie. Your project should have…
Today we are used to dolls that move or actually do things - just have a look at what is on offer in many toy shops. Automata, or dolls that move, have been around for a long time, with various levels of complexity in their ability to move. The example I am sharing with you today is one of the more simple automata – it is a crying baby which opens its mouth when crying. This action occurs when you press his tummy, which has a concealed bellows mechanism. Whilst we don’t have a definitive identification of the maker of this doll, he is most certainly of German manufacture, looking like a cross between a Patents Washable and a modified version of a Motschmann baby, with a date of manufacture…
We are very proud to announce that our Australian Alicia Toner has received an award as a Rising Star for her reborning and sculpting, painting her own prototypes and doing it all with a smile at the R.O.S.E. International Doll and Teddy Bear Exhibition at Denver, Colorado, USA. Alicia has been reborning for several years now, and started with learning to paint reborn sculpts she bought from overseas or from suppliers in Australia. Alicia was a fast learner and very quickly decided that she would get some clay and start to learn to sculpt. She started with tiny little mouse babies, so very cute (I have one of Alicia’s sculpts). From there Alicia began sculpting her own reborn babies, then having them made into kits in China, and started selling…
Debbie lives in an old school house in the village of Birralee, in northern Tasmania, just outside of Launceston. Here, in the front room of an old school house, Debbie makes her vintage bears in the heart of her home and in the heart of her life. “My studio space is in my home and I make my bears in the heart of all that goes on and sometimes I have mohair, and filling, and patterns all around the front room,” Debbie laughs. “I’m from the UK and after moving to Australia in 2002, we settled here in Tasmania in 2004. We just love the old school house and it provides me with lots of inspiration to make my bears, when I think of the children who ran around the…
MATERIALS Box with lid- paper mâché or wood – 10cm (4”) square- (width, height & depth) 10cm (4”) flesh coloured fabric, slightly stretchy- Head front, arms, upper body. Suggestions - Windsor Comfort or Monique 2 way stretch 10cm (4”) cotton fabric –body & head back 2 pieces = 10cm (4”) in different colours- organza or chiffon for sleeves 30cm (12”) satin or similar for skirt & bodice 15cm (6”) ribbon, width-1cm (1/2”) to hold box lid 35cm (14”) fancy braid for waist and head 50cm (20”) narrow braid for bodice 1.2m (47”) braid - 2cm (3/4”) wide for box 40cm (16”) braid 1cm (1/2”) wide for box lid 20cm (8”) beaded trim 2 - 3 thin chenille stems or pipe cleaners to wire fingers Assorted metallic threads –colours to suit…
