Monday, January 7, 2008

Meet Matilda

I have an image in my mind of what I would like my doll to look like and made a New Year resolution to make one.
I did not inherit the "drawing gene" from my very artistic Mother, but was able to draw out a simple pattern for the doll.

...and here she is....Meet Matilda.....the first doll that I designed and made.
A sweet face with rosey cheeks, tossled hair and a tiny bow amongst her yarn curls.

This young lady has very long limbs and is quite skinny, I might add. Here she is resting on a 1930's toy metal bench - oh and look, there is a Scotty dog in the corner.
A little scarf to keep her neck warm...
...and little dress that has charming pink roses and itty bitty polka dots. Of course, there HAS to be red and white polka dots fabric in there somewhere! I used a vintage red polka dot fabric for her belt, pantaloons and hair tie.

The felted pieces were made by a friend and they look sweet next to Matilda.
She is all cozy now on her bench with her friends. Care to join us for a cup of coffee?
H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H
We survived the nasty storm that blew in this past weekend. It was a perfect weekend to stay inside and do a little bit of creating. The only damage to our house was a small leak in the roof that caused minor damage to the wall. Oh goodie, another project to add to the ever growing "to do list." There are other people who didn't fare the storm as well and had trees fall over and sustained property damage. Over the Donner Pass (towards Lake Tahoe) there were Category 5 hurricaine force winds - which came at a huge surprise to hear about. All in all though, we got through it without any power outages (unlike Becky up the hill) so I shall not complain too loudly. :)

57 comments:

SweetAnnee said...

She is just darling..of course the Scottie Dog
is wonderful too!!


deena

SweetAnnee said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cathy ~ Tadpoles and Teacups said...

Oh your new doll is wonderful--I hope she has many sisters!
Blessings~
Cathy

Sentimentally Me said...

Ohhhhhhh!!!!! Becky she is just too cute! I love her red & white polka dots ! buttons & pantaloons (or whatever they are, they are so adorable!)I love how you mixed & matched the fabrics & colors, too! AND she's got the sweetest face ever ~ GREAT JOB!!!!! SHE's A REAL CUTIE PIE!

Alison Gibbs said...

Well done, maybe you didn't inherit the drawing gene but you sure can sew up and create a gorgeous doll.
Alison

Lisa said...

What a darling creation she is! Glad you survived the storms. I got about 2 feet of white stuff, at least that's what was left after the wind whipped away quite a bit. Maybe I need to create a doll to snuggle with during the next storm!

Brenda said...

The doll is adorable I love rag dolls I had one when I was a little girl that my mother mad out of scraps and I just loved that doll.
I need to get in my sewing room maybe with the holidays over I can get that done.
best wishes Brenda:)

the said...

Oh I love her ! She would look so cute sitting in my little chair next to the fireplace!!
You did a great job !

Anonymous said...

Hi Becky!! Oh she is adorable, congratulations on making your first doll! You must keep her near you for she will be your inspiration to create more :) Love the little green metal bench with the scottie, too cute for words! You have such a talent there, hope you will do some for orders :) Glad to read you came through the storm, well relatively unscathed apart from the water, falling tree damage is terrible. Hugs to you all :)
Jenn and Jacqui

Janet said...

Glad you survived the storm with minimal damage. Mother Nature can sure show her temper! Mathila is wonderful; I especially like her "messy" hair.
Janet

Kristen said...

Well isn't she just darling! I have to say that I love the name as well. It is the endearing name that I have for my Aunt Heidi over at Celebrate the Seasons! I would say that you did inherit the drawing gene. I thought your drawing was adorable! Hmmm, do you do prints??? :)

black eyed susans kitchen said...

Becky, I am so happy to hear that you are okay...scary storms! Your doll is very cool looking. I want to say adorable, but she seems to have a more cool personality. Kind of the girl that other girls want to follow around.Oh, and a scotty in a heart? Wonderful! Susan

Anonymous said...

I love Matilda..nice long legs so she can Waltz~! She is really adorable and has a wonderful vtg garden bench to sit on and some Scotties to keep her company...yes indeedy...that was some storm and no power for me for some hours..but I daren't complain...as some folks in other places are still without power. I'm glad you were able to accomplish something creative Miss Becky..during our storm. That is satisfying and encouraging for me to get busy. Thank ;o)

Rosemary said...

So, so cute!!
Glad you survived the storm. It was pretty rainy and windy here as well.
Have a lovely night,
Rosemary

Lisa Johnson said...

Hi Becky,

I love your little dolly. You did such a good job and on your first try too! Wow, what talent! Hope you are having a good week so far.

Hugs,

Lisa

Anonymous said...

You are so creative! I LOVE her!

I'm glad that you survived the storm.
You got a lot more of the bad winds than we did down south.

~elaine~

Sue said...

Nice to meet you Matilda! So cute.
Hugs,
Sue

Cottage Contessa said...

I'm happy to hear that all is well in your neck of the woods after that storm! Matilda is gorgeous, I love her! You are one very talented lady sweetie!
Amanda (aka Cottage Contessa)

Lallee said...

Oh my gosh Matilda is adorable!!! I love her facial expression and her polka dots. No one would ever know this was your first doll! I hope you might be adding some of these to your for sale group (hint, hint)! When I first read your blog title, I thought--oh, did Becky bring the little wheaten home (hoping, hoping)???? LOL Love your Scottie hearts, too. BTW

So glad you came through the storm safely!!

XOXO,
Lallee

Kathleen Grace said...

I think Matilda is adorable! I love her hair style and her face is so sweet:>) Will you be making some friends for her?

Heidi said...

Matilda is wonderful! You did an amazing job of designing her and did it so quickly too. I love her name but then that is the name my nieces Kristy and Mandie call me. I love it when they call me Matilda!

Good to hear you are not doing to bad in the storms. We had one here yeterday too but in Holland, they are very normal. You just get used to the wind and rain. But hey, it is what makes the windmills go right???

Hugs ~
Heidi

Nancy said...

Oh that is such a cute doll. You really made her face so cute. Heidi will love the name. Matilda is what she calls herself as the mean Aunt to her nieces.

Miss Jean said...

I love Matilda! I've always wanted to create something original and you just do it. I'll have to show you my santa one day, but it isn't original. I took a class. The scotty chair - you're killing me here!!!!! I just thought of something - Matilda starts with an M. New Scotty must start with an M! Hmmmmmm. "Little Miss Matilda". How does that sound. Yea!

Susie said...

Matilda is charming! I admire your talent. Glad to hear you survived the storms without too much problem.
I was survived about the conditions on Donner Pass too. Out on SF Bay it was really quite fierce too..
xo

Ashley Winters said...

What a clever doll!

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

How adorable!! Matilda is just a charmer! Love the felt pillows from your friend too...
Penny

Dena said...

Becky,

She is soooooooooooo cute! I love the way you did her hair and that long body is adorable. You are really talented girlfriend :)

Hugs,
Dena

Rosie's Whimsy said...

Matilda is so perfect and her setting is equally so!

Have the Best of Days.....Rosie

Cowboys and Custard Mercantile said...

Matilda is enchanting ..a wonderful talented creation... It looks like she is sitting on that bench waiting for some company. Now you will have to design a date for her... how about a Freddy?
It seems your storms have arrived here... we are being lashed by wind and rain.
Love to you
Michelexx

Deb said...

Your new doll is gorgeous - I love the name you have given her too!

this is my patch said...

Hi Becky, thanks for your car memories on my blog, my brother tells me that we call VW Rabbits, VW Gulfs over here! My very, very best friend is tall at approx six foot, I am five foot two, so we do look like little and large! I really, really like your doll, it is unique as far as I have seen, you are so clever to have designed and made this in such a short time, I love it. Glad you didn't come to any harm in the harsh storm. Louise x

bee'nme said...

Clever girl - Matilda is adorable!! - you are a very talented designer indeed - your keen eye for detail and whimsy in decorating and your stylish tastes have spilled over into dollmaking - she's a great reflection of your warmth and fun and looks right at home with your treasures! Bravo!!

Hope to see more friends and family for Matilda soon!!

Blessings and hugs my friend!
Becky S.

kari and kijsa said...

How sweet...we love her....and that sweet little scarf around her neck!

smiles, kari & kijsa

Cherry Hill Cottage~ said...

she is a cutie pie! your next one should have dark hair! can't wait to see her!

Denise said...

Love the doll.. I have my first doll sitting in my shop without any clothes right at the moment.. but I hope she will be dressed soon.. I love primitive things and have shifted my shop in that direction.... I love your blog and I will come back here often....

Simply Shelley said...

Hi Dear Becky, what a sweet doll you have created. I love that vintage metal doll bench she is resting on.

If you would like, go to my blog and see the Angel doll I created. I have her listed on my ebay site and will be sending the proceeds to Mary of Isabella's Closet ,to help out in her time of need.

I am very glad you all weathered the storm safely ,with little damage to your home.
I think you are a great doll designer. Can't wait to see more of your creations.

Blessings,Shelley

BittersweetPunkin said...

WOW! What a great job you did...you should be very proud of yourself! Soooo cute!
Blessings,
Robin

Anonymous said...

OH!!!!! I just adore her! I love your scotty gawg pillows too! (That is what we call the scotty dogs) You have got it goin on! De

Denise said...

I will let you know!!!!!!! Thanks for stopping in...


blessings!!

Linda said...

Hello Matilda, so very nice to meet you. You are the cutest and what a darling dress you are wearing. I like the little bench you are sittting on. Have a happy time at Becky's. Linda

Flea Market Queen said...

She's wonderful...
Love her!
Priscilla

Cathy said...

I LOVE HER. I have a passion of fabric dolls. She is perfect Becky.

I'm so glad I stopped in and had a chance to see your beautiful Matilda.

Cathy

PattieJ said...

She is adorable Becky!! I wish I could just sit down and draw out a doll pattern. I'm not that creative. That bench is perfect for her. I love those scottie items too.

Pattie :)

Meggie said...

Mathilda is darling!...you must be very proud with your finished product. So original!! I love the patterns of her clothes.
Glad you didn't sustain much damage from the high winds.

blessings said...

We had tornados in our area too and now we're supposed to be getting snow. Your doll is really cute. I started out my crafting years making dolls and I would say that you've done a wonderful job. Blessings... Polly

Nan said...

What a cute doll and I love the Scotty dog.
Hugs,
Nan

Esther Sunday said...

OOOMMMGGGG! She is adorable! Awesome job! I love her hairstyle! And the outfit? Adorable! Can you make me that outfit in my size! Way to go!

Jennifer Hayslip said...

Matilda is just DARLING! I looove her red polka dot outfit. She turned out fabulous! Excellent work! :)

Betty said...

Mathilda is precious! I haven't made a doll in a long time. Now, I think I need to make one. Sew cute!

Feenwerkstatt said...

Help!!! What a cute doll you`ve made!!!
The fabrics, this sweet little face...great...

Love, Anja

nannykim said...

So sweet--what is her body made out of??

Shabby-Roses-Cottage said...

Dear Becky,
Your Matilda is soooooo sweet !!!!
I hope you make more ;o)
I'm so happy to can read your blog again...
Many many love greetings,Patricia

Anonymous said...

She's gorgeous, and I love your story about the old lady and her crocheted dolls. I can't believe that is your first attempt at making a doll.

Kate

Reginas Cottage said...

Wonderful new doll.I like it to much.
hugs Regina xx

Sam I Am said...

She Looks GREAT!!!!!!!!!! You are an Excellent stitcher-upper!!!!! :)

Rose of Sharon said...

Your doll is so cute, it is so neat to see her from a sketch to a full doll! You are so talented!

I have the same coffee mug! You can see it on my blog, a post that I made just yesterday.....too funny!

~ Sharon

Maria Catalina Wiley said...

You are very talented, Becky. I love this cute doll!
Maria