How to make a head for a Waldorf style doll

Since I was feeling very energetic this week I wrote a third tutorial. This one is about how to make a head for a waldorf style doll. It has all the information on how I make my sweet dollheads. I know there are many books and tutorials out there. But over the years I have found that there is information missing. I hope folks will find my tutorial useful and have this: Aha-moment (Oh this is how it's done) when they read it.

Maybe you have tried to make a doll and got frustrated because it didn't work out. I hope my tutorial will help you make a better head!

And then of course each doll maker has their own style and technique. In my tutorial I reveal my very own personal way of doing things. If you are curious you can get this PDF file in my Etsyshop now!

Biggest Ball of Twine

Well, I have had it. Whenever I turn around or leave my little studio unattended invisible hands appear to be reaching for my dollmaking twine/thread and steal it. Or am I just imagining this? Fact is that supplies keep shrinking. Yet when I ask the family: Who keeps taking my dollmaking thread - nobody wants to admit to  being the guilty part. But how come the ball is getting so small?

I say: People, this is serious business! If I don't have any thread I can't make dolls. Big dolls, small dolls. They all are made with this stuff. It's like taking the flour away from a baker...Grrr....

So this weekend I went out and bought me the biggest most giant ball of thread I could find. I am not sure how many thousands of meters this thing has. It is HUGE! There is no way the kids and husband can take it all.

What are they using it for anyways? I know some of it went to dog leashes for various stuffed animals. Then there was this tennisball in the yard. It had a whole in it that went all the way through, from one side to the other. Did they shoot the ball? Somebody had tied some of my dollmaking string to it. I suppose it was used as a weapon of some sort....It's a good thing I don't have my eyes everywhere all the time. Ignorance can be bliss.

So from now on I will just not worry about it. They can take all they want. This giant ball will last forever. I am pretty certain of it...

Where is Waldorf? Or The Essence of Doll

When I look at the assortment of dolls that are labeled "Waldorf" on various sites these days I am always amazed. It looks like people are more and more getting away from the original idea of Waldorf. What is that idea?

The two main ideas behind waldorf style toys, I would say, are: Simplicity and Nature.

I have been making dolls in the Waldorf tradition for over 10 years now. It is an old tradition of making cloth dolls developed in Germany, where Waldorf Schools were started in 1919. According to the Waldorf philosophy, dolls should be made from what nature has given us: natural fibers such as sheep's wool, mohair, and cotton.

The dolls have a unique inner head construction which gives form but not detail to the face. The dolls have very simple features, sometimes no features at all. Strict followers of the Waldorf education principles believe that giving too much detail in a toy stifles a person's imagination. When a doll's face is left blank the owner has to fill in the doll's expression. The child fills in whether the doll is happy or sad. If there was a permanent smile painted on the dolls face, it would be hard for the child to imagine a sad doll...

When I encountered my first Waldorf doll in Germany I was instantly smitten. How was it possible that a doll this simple was so beautiful? How could it be that something so basic held such great attraction to a child and the child in me?
This first Waldorf style doll I encountered, made by a mom for her own child, had a simple line for a mouth and two dots for eyes. Her clothes were equally simple. She had a simple dress withouth any thrills.
And the best part of it: She was warm and huggable. Not plasticky and cold.

When I look around at the wide array of dolls sold as Waldorf style these days it makes me kind of cringe...
Often I see dolls that are not made of natural fibers. Sometimes people stuff with fiberfill or use synthetics for the clothing and accessories. I see noses big and small, I see eye browes, dimples, freckles, belly buttons, fingers, toes, and elaborate hairstyles.

I guess some people just prefer details. Does a doll without a nose somehow strike people as crippled or incomplete? Does it offend when a doll has stumps for hands or is missing a belly button?

Hmmm. Wasn't that the original idea? Are you able to fill in the blank and make your imagination soar? If your answer is yes, you may prefer my kind of doll.

I suppose I could add all those details. I have made dolls with noses but it feels weird. I think my reason I am here is to preserve the original idea of Waldorf. I want to stay true to my German roots and a more traditional approach to dollmaking. I don't want the simple dolls to become extinct.

To me less is often more. So I'll keep creating what I perceive as the "essence of doll".

Doll Heads/ Puppenkoepfe

I am so sorry, dear reader! I do apologize if I bored you with my musings on soccer. But when you are German and a soccer fan, it just can't be helped... I promise I will not mention soccer again! Or at least for while...Just once more, for the records sake I have to report: Germany came in third in the World Cup. What a great game against Uruguay! Did you know that Uruguay has only 3.5 million people? Do they all play soccer? What a great team but Germany persisted. Millions of Euro spent on the sport can't lie...

Congratulations to Spain who won the title in the end! But boy, that was one ugly game! 13 yellow cards! Plus there should have been at least one red card for the carate kick by a Dutch player... Not much fun. Now I have to wait four more years for the fun to start again. Aren't you relieved I won't be talking soccer any more?

Not sure where the next World Cup is going to take place. Anybody know?

During the breaks in the games I worked on some doll heads. I admit it is not my favorite kind of activity. But I was all out of heads, and what is a dolly without a head? Doll heads are so much work. Making a number of them really hurts my hands after a while. But somebody has to the job of rolling the wool into smooth even round balls. I have no helpers or elves. Christmas is on the horizon. Curiously kids and husband refuse to be roped into this project...Sigh.

I think I was able to make 13 nicely shaped wool balls between watching free kicks, corner kicks, and goals. The secret is to get them perfectly smooth and make sure they do not have any holes or gaps, for once you stretch fabric over the wool any such gaps will show!

Voila! The perfect head! Now I just have to do it 12 more times...

Custom Doll Clothing

Happy November! It's been busy in my little doll studio. After an eerily quiet October and September, all of sudden the orders started pouring in... Christmas is on it's way.

I am having a hard time with some requests I am getting this time of year though. I receive many an email these days, from people who want to buy my doll clothes for dolls they ordered from another Waldorf doll maker. I find that it is just about impossible to change or adjust a pattern to make my clothing fit another doll. Let's say, even if a doll is the same height as my doll: I don't know if the limbs are skinny or chubby, shorter or longer, or whether the torso is the same length? The shoulders may be wider. The doll may be more chubby around the waistline... Handmade dolls are very much like people in that way! They are little individuals and you must try on the clothes to make sure they fit. Unfortunately I cannot invite the dolls into my home to try on the clothing. The clothes I make pretty much come in one size: The size that perfectly fits my 12" doll model. So I mostly discourage people from buying my doll clothes for other dolls since I cannot guarantee the fit even if they give me the measurements of their dolls...

I am really feeling bad for all the poor dolls who'd like to wear my rather fashionable doll clothes. But I'd rather not have the sale than an unhappy customer!

Finally New Dolls! Yay

Finally I managed to add some new Christmas dolls to my store! I am so proud of this year's new Gingerbread Girl. I love her sweet face and wheat colored hair. I made it of a lovely Italian mohair that is just just so soft and wonderful!

I am also happy that I got to use my felting needles for this project. I take the needles along when I go to the endless Nutcracker Practices that my daughter is in. She was chosen yet again to be a parrot in this year's perfomance. So I have time to stab away and made the cute little gingerbread man. Hope he doesn't run away! I'd cry my eyes out with all the work that went into this little guy...

I still have to make a number of custom items. I have not managed to catch up on them all but I am working down my list. But here and there I must create things of MY OWN. It is hard to be a slave to custom orders. Sometimes one just has to be free and create what one wants...

Like this little guy you see below.

I made this cute boy doll Walker. I fashioned him after the son of friends. Love his wilde mop of hair. He is so cute the children want to keep him...But one has to make a living.

Doll Clothes for Christmas

I have been working so hard on custom orders that I have not been able to make any Christmas themed dolls or clothing so far this year. That makes me kind of sad because I really enjoy playing Santa...

Last year I made a few angel dolls, but my Gingerbread Girl was the biggest hit. I am so happy I found more of that cute gingerbread men fabric. I am looking forward to making cute stuff with it!

If you have a spare moment please check out this supercute shop called www.mamakopp.etsy.com

She makes the greatest wooden toys. She also has a contest for one of her fine pieces going on at the moment.

Check it out:http://www.livenlearnnow.com/weblog/2008/09/mama-contest.html

Hope you are having a very creative day!