Originally I thought making doll clothing was the route I wanted to go but my heart never got into it.
For the past several weeks I had been making bags of all types. As a result I’ve gotten comments about them. A lot about wanting to buy them. So here we go. Ellen Elaine is now in the bag business.
So keep an eye on on this space.
Much of my life I’ve had a keen interest in history. Everything from American history to the history of science and technology with a handful of anthropology thrown in. Women’s roles in American history in particular.
But beyond the obvious of Betsy Ross and Susan B. Anthony I was interested in how the everyday woman worked and wore. While it is fiction, the Little House books were my start into this field. Her world is a child post civil war during westward expansion of the US. In particular I was fascinated with her life in South Dakota.
Woman’s fashion of the upper class is well documented in the 18th and 19th centuries. Once photography came into place better documentation of how the masses lived became available.
The American Girl Dolls have so much going for them. It is a good size and each doll has a theme going on be it historical or current day. I really look forward to making a trek into Chicago to visit the American Girl Doll store downtown. I imagine it will be a lot of fun for me, not so much for my poor husband.
For the dresses I’ll be making I plan to use what is called reproduction fabric. Most of this fabric is 100% cotton made for the quilting market. It is also the perfect weight for creating doll dresses. The biggest challenge is to find fabrics with small enough designs that look good on the dolls. Easy for a lot of depression era fabric not so much for the 1970s.
I’m looking forward to finishing the prototype dress this week. I got a lot done on it this weekend.
If it wasn’t for my little niece I would not be here. Her name is Madison and she is 7 years old. She is the whole reason I started down this crazy path. It all started with a quilt, then I started sewing for her dolls. She LOVES her American Girl dolls. She loves the modern clothes: the jeans, the t shirts. While I love making stuff for her, I also love sewing clothes based on the past fashions.
I grew up reading Laura Ingalls Wilder books. Reliving the past through her tales of the west as it was in the late 19th century. I loved the dresses, the images and the yes the show. I’m of that generation. But I only really liked one doll growing up, and that when I was a bit older. My sister and mother of Madison LOVED dolls. All kinds of dolls. Madison gets it honestly from her.
I have realized that many children love dressing up their dolls in fancy dresses based on the past. So I’m bringing these garments to the public where many can share in my passion for the past. Using washable fabrics inspired by the past and designed to be easy to be dressed by a child.
I will be setting up some auctions soon on eBay so click above to sign up for my upcoming newsletter.
Ellen Elaine 