a favorite china mold

Many times dolls were made in the same mold for either a china finish or a bisque, often parian untinted bisque. Sometimes too, we see the same mold used for china and mache. Such is the case for this one. Several examples of huge china heads in this mold are in Art of Dolls by Merrill.
Pictured in a chair is a huge doll, with an 11 inch tall shoulder head. This mold always has a sleepy eye on the doll's left eye. This mache head in this size was in Gerkin's book on maches. It is owned in a blond version by the Shelburne museum. It has been found and documented in one of the doll books as having a Superior label from Muller and Strausberger. This doll I called "Abby" has gone to live with Rachael K. The little dashes under the eyes, so typical of M and S superiors further confirm her origin. I now own lovely little "Hannah" a 9 1/2 to 10 inch tall mache shoulder head which I plan to sew a new body for. Her good old cloth hands are still intact and will stay with her. Can you see the same sleepy left eye? It is also on the painted eye china head doll beside Hannah in one picture. A doll of this mold is in the Richard Wright auction coming up soon. Now here is the puzzle: The mache heads are documented and beyond a doubt by Muller and Strauseburger. But the china heads are attributed to Kloster Vielsdorf, as stated and pictured on page 125 of Mary Krombholz's new book on chinas. I wish I could ask her and learn more about this mold! In either China or mache they are unusual finds. Edyth

I have been a doll maker a long time back, now I am occupied mostly with restoring and rebuilding a doll collection lost about 4 years ago. I have collected antique dolls for 55 years now and love them more than ever. I enjoy the creative spirit here, and love to watch what everyone of you does! Perhaps I can add to the antique doll history section too. Here are some dolls I have been working on lately. Best, Edyth

Treasure Hunts and Treasure Cleaning

Recently one of the Coffee with Tea artists, Mandy Broome of Fiddlestix Studios, discovered some treasures at an estate sale all because she mentioned she was a doll artist.

"There has been an estate sale in my neighborhood for 3 weeks, and I've not had the time to stop by! Last night when I went to bed, I said to myself, I've got to go over there tomorrow.I figured nothing any good would be left,but I saw some baskets from the road. O.K.,I get there,and there are tons of boxes with fabric and ribbons and things,and I'm sifting through them for a long time, and for some reason, I decide to say that I make dolls. I had started to several times, but just didn't. Well,the guy says, "You make dolls? Well you need to come in here!"

He proceeds to take me in the house,where there's a cabinet that fills an entire wall, FULL of dolls."

This post brought up lots of discussion about old dolls and finding them, and how to clean the ones that need some help in that department. Another member, Cindy Ribet of Polywoggle Lane, asked about cleaning old fragile doll dresses.


We got this wonderful reply from Patra -

That crisp cotton will surely benefit from a bath. My Grandmother's Native American friend used always to say that living things need feeding. Baskets and natural fabrics benefit from s quick drink of water; it remains their food. And my Grandmother would say that cleanliness is next to godliness...which I never did quite understand...

Many people use Oxy clean...now there are several oxygen boosting compounds for washing clothing.. I like Oxy-but not for colored things, and do not think it always gets things as white as other detergents...AND you cannot leave some fragile materials in it for too long. Some people use Twin Pines products; I have no experience with those products.

You may want to try with the underthings until you feel more comfortable with the old fabrics.

First soak it in plain cool water for a little while, in a shallow glass pan or bowl, til the cotton fibers are thoroughly saturated. Then remove, by carefully folding the material and lifting out with supporting hands underneath. If the garment is especially frail,place a white towel or dish cloth in the bottom first - and lift that out rather than the garment. Remove soak water, add fresh water, and cleaning agent. I would try using woolite to begin with. Thoroughly mix the water and detergent together. Place the garment back in its bath, and let soak, moving it gently- I have old wooden spoons. long ago losing their finish, that I use to carefully lift and move the material around. You can judge for yourself how long it takes to clean the item...the detergent's manu specs are generally good guidelines.

Lift out with the towel, then use a fresh white towel to lay the garment upon. carefully smooth it out, and then roll it up in the towel- not tightly. Now pat the towel all over so that the moisture from the garment goes into the towel. After sufficient moisture has been removed, unroll the towel, remove the garment and gently reshape it along its seam and fold lines.

A lot of "ironing" smoothing can be done now- so that later you do not have to iron as vigorously. Carefully stuff those areas where you would prefer that there be no creases or fold lines- with paper toweling or other fine cotton material ( not cotton batting). You may either air dry or help along a bit with a hair dryer on low heat.. held far enough away from the garment so as not to scorch it.

Do not starch the garment. Starch damages the fibers and attracts pests. If you have rust or other spots, there are many modern treatments that work better than the old methods for removing spots and stains..but I would caution to use in a more dilute ratio of cleaner to water..And you would treat those spots first prior to an overall wash.

There are probably as many ways of cleaning old garments as there are garments. But we thought it was interesting and you might, too!

Little Red Rides Again!

It's so fun to see how many different directions artists can go with a common theme. Here are the offerings by the Coffee With Tea artists. Each picture links to an auction or to the artist's blog, as not all dolls are for sale.

Red Riding Hood Rides Again

One of the Coffee With Tea artists loves Little Red Riding Hood, and her love of that old fairy tale character has sparked a love for Little Red in all of us. We did a Little Red Challenge a while ago, but are happy to revisit the theme, and so, Little Red Rides Again! Keep your eyes open for some scrumptious Little Red inspired creations, to be presented on July 26th. Not all of our artists sell on Ebay, so be sure to check the artists' blogs on that date to see ALL the works.

Studying Antique Dolls

When I first started making dolls almost 4 years ago Teresa Baker gave me a list of books to get that would be good to study. At that point I'd never heard of Izannah Walker, T is the one who told me about her. The first 4 books on the list below were recommended by T, and the others have been recommended by other CWT members.

So how do you make an antique inspired doll? Well, first you study antique dolls. Going to museums and antique doll shops is helpful so you can see them in the round. But reading books and looking at pictures can give you a wealth of information. You can check them out of the library before buying through inter-library loan here in the United States.. Once you know you want to own a book Amazon is a great place to find them used. Sometimes books will show up on Ebay for pennies, so it's good to do a search for doll making books there, too.

Cloth Dolls from Ancient to Modern - Linda Edward - Excellent book! A must have.

American Folk Dolls - Wendy Lavitt - another must have!

American Rag Dolls Straight from the Heart - Estelle Patino

The Doll by Carl Fox - an older out of print huge book with lots of information.

A Celebration of American Dolls - primarily a look at the Strong Museum collection

Wonderful Dolls of Papier Mache - Gerken - an older book with very few color pictures but the information is outstanding.

German Papier-Mache Dolls 1760-1860 - Christiane Grafnitz - Wonderful book! Now out of print but not hard to find on Ebay or Amazon. If you look on Amazon for Papier Mache Puppen it's essentially the same book with a different ISBN number.

The Collector's Book of Dolls' Clothes: Costumes in Miniature 1700-1929 - Dorothy S., Elizabeth A. and Evelyn J. Coleman....out of print and pricy but a great resource to have. Keep a watch on Ebay and Amazon.

Anything by John Darcy Noble

Another way to learn about antique dolls is by attending the University of Google. Mel, of Early Works, started a CWT Historical Doll Info blog that has some interesting link to pictures. Take the time to really, really look. Also, check out what's for sale on Ruby Lane and Ebay in the antique doll sections. Read other people's blogs...often they're sharing about what they're learning.

Maybe you know of a great book or resource that's been helpful in making antique inspired dolls? Please leave a comment. We can all learn from one another.

Springtime in the Garden

What does springtime in the garden mean to you? Here in Maine it means checking out for what little green thing might be thinking of sticking its head up through this chilly, muddy soil. Daylilies are usually my bravest plants, and they are so dependable. :-) I have some Stella D'Oro that I didn't actually plant, and they are coming up from the little plastic bag they are still housed in. Now THAT is fortitude!

On April 19th, the Coffee with Tea artists will be offering creations based on "Springtime in the Garden". So don't forget to check back here for the unveiling!

In the meantime, here are some scans of antique seed packets for you as a spring gift! ~ Dixie