Hola! Thought I'd introduce myself and share what inspires me to sew for dolls...
Well....My mother and grandmother were seamstresses, sewing everything from school clothes, jackets, and lingerie, to quilts, curtains, dish towels, and doll clothes. I was in awe and as a young child, I of course, wanted to follow their footsteps.
I was born in southern California, but grew up near the gorgeous Lake of the Ozarks.
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| Ellowyne Wilde enjoying the country! |
Each year, my sisters and I got excited around Spring time. A shopping trip! This meant picking out a yard or two of our very own fabric at the department store, Oh my! Then the magic happened! Our mother would dust off the old Singer treadle sewing machine and start humming away... That machine was over 100 years old, and didn't use power, but operated by a foot pedal. Although we owned an electric sewing machine, my mother preferred the soothing sounds and sense of accomplishment from that beautiful piece of history. And what did we do with the scrap fabric? Doll clothes!
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| 22" Tonner American Model doll modeling an outfit I had named, "Sunday's Best" |
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| Tonner Ellowyne Wilde loved Hawaii too! |
After high school, I joined the Navy and spent most of my enlistment in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
After the military, I purchased my sister's old sewing machine (A vintage mint green Sears Kenmore with built in cabinet) making rag dolls, quilted pillows and stuffed animals -- I placed an ad in the newspaper (The Thrifty Nickle) and hired a woodworker to design doll chairs and beds so that we could sell together at a craft mall.
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Vacuum cleaner doll cover
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Afterwards, I was offered the opportunity as a private contractor to sew all of the Ronald McDonald clown costumes for the McDonald franchises throughout west Texas! (I also still have some of that yellow and red fabric somewhere in my stash, proving that I'm a fabric hoarder! And thankful for that! ;)
We eventually moved to southern Texas and my family became volunteers at an 1800 Living History Museum (Just like Little House on the Prairie) This meant I needed to keep us dressed like our ancestors...
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| American Girl Marie Antoinette design |
I stayed busy for more than 10 years sewing pioneer dresses, bonnets, and colonial gowns as well as designing costumes for numerous festivals and theatre shows such as, Alice in Wonderland, A Christmas Carol, and School House Rock. Historical clothes became a huge influence on my designs and inspirations for doll clothes!
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Pioneer Dress with matching outfit for American Girl doll
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| American Girl doll in Marie Antoinette gown |
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| 1800 gown with jacket and bustle |
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| Pioneer Barbie and Ken |
My first Barbie sale was on Ebay and my interest in doll fashions started yeeeears before Pinterest, so I've been dusting off old computer folders to locate my earlier designs to pin and save. Some of my original photos were scanned from a printer!
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| Barbie outfit scanned from printer |
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Well, I've always wanted an antique treadle like my mother... but I'm pretty happy with my hand crank sewing machine! She's almost 100 years old!
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Fortunately my daughter shares the same enthusiasm for dolls and sewing, and we both had a blast attending a Tonner Doll Convention in Chicago. Our next goal is to attend the National Barbie convention (they sell out quick!)
Traveling, shopping for fabric, and meeting other amazing doll collectors from around the globe is what makes my world go around and around and around!
What inspires you?
