Allow me to introduce the Dovegray Dolls, whose kits are now available for pre-ordering!
These little dolls are entirely stitched by hand and made of wool-blend felt with wool or mohair-wool yarn hair (fiber content depends on which color you choose). They wear a (machine-stitched) camisole and bloomers made of cotton muslin, decorated with tiny silk ribbon bows. The dolls are about 14" (35.5cm) tall.
There are ten different dolls to choose from. Each doll kit has one of three skin tones (dark, medium, or light) and one of five hair colors (black, dark brown, red, auburn, or blond). Let me show them all to you and then we will talk more. Pictured above is Bridie, who has light skin and brown hair.
This girl above is Dorie. She has medium skin and black hair.
This girl above is Honey. She has light skin and blond hair.
This girl above is Mollie. She has medium skin and auburn hair.
This girl above is Sophie. She has dark skin and brown hair.
This girl above is Poppy. She has light skin and red hair.
This girl above is Hollie. She has medium skin and brown hair.
This girl above is Lucie. She has dark skin and black hair.
This girl above is Rosie. She has light skin and auburn hair.
And lastly, this girl above is Sylvie. She has light skin and black hair.
PLEASE NOTE that we are planning to ship all Dovegray Doll kits (and any supplies ordered to complete them) by MID-NOVEMBER 2019. After we get a good idea of the pre-order numbers we will be ordering the rest of the specific supplies we need to complete these kits and get them ready to go. I really did NOT want to guess on these numbers as I have no idea what people will like, so we want to make sure we have everything available for everyone for at least the next couple of weeks.
To make one Dovegray Doll, each kit includes:
For Doll:
- One 12" x 18" (30cm x 46cm) piece of wool-rayon felt from National Nonwovens in color TOY002-0615 (Champagne) for light skin, TOY002-0624 (Camel) for medium skin, or TOY002-2655 (Safari Brown) for dark skin
- 1 skein DMC 6-strand cotton floss for all body stitches in color 945 (for light skin), color 3863 (for medium skin), or 869 (for dark skin)
- Small amounts of various colors of DMC 6-strand cotton floss for facial features, including eyes, eyebrows, eyelashes, eye highlights, and lips
- 14 yds (14m) Brown Sheep Co. Lanaloft single-ply worsted-weight yarn in color LL41W (Buckwheat) for blond hair, LL69W (English Saddle) for brown hair, or LL03W (Black Bear) for black hair; or Lamb’s Pride color M-154 (Rooster Red) for red hair, or M-89 (Roasted Coffee) for auburn hair
- 3 yards (3m) DMC 6-strand cotton floss for tacking down hair in color 739 (blond), color 310 (black), 355 (red), color 3371 (brown) or color 3857 (auburn)
For Camisole and Bloomers:
- One 9" x 44" (23cm x 112cm) piece of 100% cotton muslin fabric
- 1 3/4 yards (1.6m) elastic thread
- 8" (20cm) 4mm silk ribbon
As well as:
- Stitching instructions with photos
- Embroidery tutorial
- Pattern templates
You will need a fair amount of supplies to make each doll. Check your sewing kit to make sure you have everything else, or order some of them with your doll kit and we will ship everything together.
You will also need:
- Dritz brand large-eyed sharp doll needles #D157, in three sizes from 3"–3¾" long
- Size #5 embroidery needle for stitching doll
- Dritz brand Fray Check seam sealant
- Water-erase fabric marker
- Paper scissors, sharp fabric scissors, and sharp-tipped embroidery scissors
- Hemostats for stuffing doll
- Sewing machine and thread to match Camisole and Bloomers
- Iron and ironing board
- 6 oz. polyester fiberfill
- Pink stamp pad and small, short-bristled paintbrush
- Spray bottle with water
- Tweezers
As I've mentioned, probably more than you can stand, all of the clothes designed for Dovegray Dolls and animals in my Little Animal Family are interchangeable and will fit all of the dolls and softies in these collections.
To accompany the Dovegray Doll kits, we are also offering the Peasant Dress, Pinafore, and Stockings kits in so many different prints and colors:
To make one Peasant Dress, Pinafore, and pair of Stockings each kit includes:
For Peasant Dress:
- One 18" x 18" (46cm x 46cm) piece of calico 100% cotton vintage fabric
- 1½ yds (1.4m) elastic thread
For Pinafore:
- One 6" x 44" (15cm x 112cm) piece of solid-colored 100% cotton fabric
- DMC six-strand cotton embroidery floss in various colors, including two shades of green and other colors to compliment dress and pinafore fabrics
- 2 snaps, 3/16" (6mm) wide (also called 4/0)
- 2 buttons, 1/4" (6mm) wide
For Stockings
- 40 yds (1g) lace-weight wool yarn
As well as:
- Stitching instructions with photos
- Embroidery tutorial
- Pattern templates
You will also need (not included):
- Dritz brand Fray Check seam sealant
- Size #5 embroidery needle
- Fine-tipped water-erase fabric marker
- 4" (10cm) embroidery hoop
- #18 darning needle or other large-eyed sharp needle (for threading elastic thread; can use medium doll needle if you have it)
- Sharp fabric scissors, and sharp-tipped embroidery scissors
- Yarn needle to stitch up back of stocking
- Size US5 (3.75mm) straight knitting needles
- Sewing machine and thread to match fabrics
- Iron and ironing board
- Spray bottle with water
- Ruler and rotary cutter
- Marker to match color of dress
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So, as you can see, there are actually TWO separate kits you will need to order if you want to both make a doll and dress her in this sweet outfit.
We are assembling hundreds of Peasant Dress, Pinafore, and Stockings kits out my personal stash of vintage calico cottons that I've been collecting from eBay and estate sales for years. These fabrics are just so lovely and they are getting very hard to find. I have spent hours and hours searching them out and have been holding on to this stash for a long time, intending to use them for these doll kits. I'm so excited about them. Here is just a small sampling of fabrics you can choose. Keep in mind that because these are all vintage fabrics (mostly Peter Pan and Joan Kessler fabrics, if you remember those names), there are a totally random number of each fabric combo available, depending on how much of that fabric we have. There are anywhere from 2 to 38 kits of each of the fabric combos listed, and they are first-come, first-served!
There are so many more. Look through all of them here.
We also have some new supplies that you will need in order to complete your doll (see the full lists of supplies needed above). We are taking pre-orders for these now and will ship them with the kits. They include:
Dritz Doll Needles in three sizes #157
Dritz Mark-B-Gone fine-tipped water soluble fabric marker
You will also definitely need hemostats for stuffing, and a #5 embroidery needle, and scissors and hoop, and other notions that we also carry. The supplies lists will link to all of the supplies that I also carry in my shop; check out my supplies page for everything I carry. I will ship anything you order together with the kits.
We do ship overseas! To place your order, you will be required to read this information, which contains details about international shipping and customs fees you may incur when ordering outside the U.S. (If you are overseas, the shipping cost charged by Posie does not include any further charges you may incur when importing goods.) To see the shipping-only costs for your order and location, just place the items in your cart and choose your location (or enter your zip code, if you are in the U.S.) and it will tell you how much the shipping is. As usual, I have a sincere request: Please check on and update your shipping address correctly in your Paypal preferences so that there is no confusion when we go to ship. If you do need to add things to your order or change your address after you've placed the order, just email me and we'll figure it out, no worries! I just like to remind people of this ahead of time, because it's a bit easier. International shipping has gotten very expensive so please check things carefully.
Yes, PDF patterns for both the dolls and the dress kit will be available in mid-November, when we are planning to ship the kits. I will make an announcement here, so please stay tuned if you are interested in those!
Also: The Dovegray Dolls are special and are not meant to be played with by unsupervised babies or small children who might swallow the small pieces of their wardrobes, or chew off an arm or a leg. Please use your judgement and watch your baby or child carefully when they are playing with handmade softies, or any toys with smaller parts. Thank you!
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I know there is an absolute ton of information in this post. Take your time and read through everything, and please let me know if any links are broken, anything is confusing, or if you have any questions. I've done all of this computer stuff myself so do let me know if you need me to correct or clear up anything and I will do it as soon as I can. Thank you again so much for your orders and your interest in what I do! It means so much to me that I keep getting to design these patterns and kits and I am sincerely grateful to you for all of your encouragement and support! Thank you! XOXO
Just ordered Birdie! My sister called me today and said the dolls were ready! We have been waiting, somewhat patiently, since you first blogged about them. Mid November can't come fast enough!!
I'm soooo excited! I've been anxiously awaiting these kits. I made a fox softie and a bunny softie for my niece a few years ago and enjoyed the process so much. I have my own little girl now, and am so happy to order a kit and make her something she'll hopefully cherish forever.
Hi Alicia - I am carefully reading through all the info on these wonderful dolls. Just noticed that Rosie has the description for another doll...
You can delete this message. :)
Thank you Vicki! Fixed! :)))
Squeeee!
The dolls are awesome, but I think the best is to create their clothes!
Oh my gosh, I thought the dolls were so cute by themselves but when i saw the clothes I was smitten! Beautiful work as always Alicia.
Soooo adorable! Your daughter must be having a lot of fun seeing them all and their clothes! Thank you so much for sharing your lovely fabrics! I think many of us have been waiting for these dolls to be announced - Yay! I'm sure it's a ton of work for you, but we appreciate it! You are very creative!!
Congratulations on a fantastic lineup of both dolls and outfits! Judging from my own household, this should be your most successful launch ever. Although a longtime fan, I had somehow always managed to bite the bullet in your tempting web shop. But within nanoseconds of showing this post to the other sewist in the family, we were already throwing things into our basket with reckless (for us) abandon. I know you've put a lot of hard work into these gems, and it shows...down to the sweet embroidered pinafore and lace stockings. You bring so much love and joy into our lives just by being you. Yikes, I'm starting to sound like Mr. Rodgers. :)
The fabrics are so beautiful! I want to order a dress kit just to have the fabric 😂 Realky lovely pattern you have created, great job :)
So adorable! I have my bunny, deer and kitty sitting out all fall and winter in their cozy boots, scarfs and frocks. Now "Honey" can join them, she may get a pair of boots instead of socks since I do not knit. Thank you Alicia for sharing your talent!!
Just wondering what level of experience is needed to put this doll kit together, and is a five year old girl too young for these treasures. I worry that after putting all that effort into making one that I wouldn’t be able to give it up. They look wonderful.
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks for your comment! So, I would say that if you have any hand-sewing experience and some machine-sewing experience you should be fine. I would not say this is a beginner project, though I have had people tell me that my animal softies (very similar to these) were the first thing they’d ever made and it went well. Doll clothes can be a bit tricky just because they are SO small. But the clothes here are pretty simple and all of the directions walk you through step by step.
As far as age goes, my daughter is about to turn seven and she has had these dolls since she was about three. She is JUST now starting to play with them quite a lot and she loves them. She’s not a big doll person but she does like to pretend with these in particular. (She has an American Girl doll she never plays with.) These are a great size for kids to hold in their hands and sort of “walk” them around. It’s pretty adorable. She is also a bit rough with them and they seem to hold up really well, though I cringe every time. But I’m pleasantly surprised at how well they all do together!
Warmly,
Alicia
Thank you for the range of skin tones and hair color!