These adorable little Waldorf dolls are a lot simpler than traditional Waldorf dolls and perfect for toddlers. Younger kids (and their parents) may not be ready for a Waldorf doll yet, but that shouldn't stop them from having a beautiful hand-made toy to play with! Bunt dolls are toddler-safe, easier to wash and softer than regular Waldorf dolls. Plus super easy to make!
I did not use all eco-friendly or organic materials for these dolls. Primarily because I have a heap of unused fleece in my fabric stash; I'd rather use what I already have than buy something new.
The stuffing is home-grown wool from Gudrun's Ullbod in Sweden. The woman who owns the shop has her own sheep. She shears, cards and prepares the wool herself.
The doll's head is made like a regular Waldorf doll's and attached to the body in the same way. However, instead of the fine yarn normally used for Waldorf doll hair, these bunt dolls have a cap made of the same color fleece as the body. The hats have endless possibilities for design, but I've found the cone-shaped one to be the easiest and quickest to make.
If I'm going to be frank with myself, and pick and choose, this moodboard is my favorite by far. I managed to recreate the salmon pink I dyed my shirt in perfectly with watercolors. Resonating with the style of the garment itself, this moodboard is simple, clear-cut and beautiful.
To start off with, I double hemmed all sides of the panels excluding the collar. This was before I knew how to use the zig-zag stitch to hem raveling edges. It makes for an extremely chunky side-seam.
The collar was a very happy and elegant mistake. I did not (and still don't, really) know how to hem a collar, so I tried my best and created a stylish v-neck without intending to! The shoulder seams near the collar are a bit messier. Since half the sleeve is folded inside and under, the shoulder seam had to hold it in place. I have to admit this could have been accomplished in better ways than I accomplished it.
I love how I left a little bit of the side-seam open at the bottom. The shirt fits easily over a pair of jeans and doesn't bunch up around the stomach. Plus it looks so professional!
I encourage everyone to make a moodboard (or a journal entry, collage, or something) for the garments they sew. It will be an invaluable snapshot of your past and what you've made, not to mention fun to look back on!
This gorgeous circle skirt was originally inspired by an a-line skirt tutorial I found on line (that I can't find now! Sorry!). Somewhere along the way the hand-stitched polyester-and-linen blend became a high-waisted circle skirt reminiscent of the 50s.
I started off by hemming both sides of the panel with a single-fold hem. Then I sewed all of the panels together so that the raw sides of the hems faced each other. I left one of the seams open for an invisible zipper and hemmed the bottom with a sing-fold hem.
Installing my first invisible zipper was quite a challenge but I eventually succeeded. I had placed it a bit too far down, however this was quickly remedied by a small clasp above the zipper.
I had not thought about tucking in the raw top of the zipper so that solution was...tacky. Thankfully it is not visible.
I do not like to repeat patterns because I dislike have two of the same garments in my closet (even in different fabrics). Here I was thirsting after a chance to perfect my skirt pattern, and three of my friends asked me to make one for them!
Hand stitching this garment gave me an amazing amount of time to just.think.
This pattern has so much potential and is very simple to make. I especially love the thick waistband, but I did not cut it carefully enough and the seams did not meet. This worked out perfectly because the uneven waist seam allowed the hem to be completely even.
