mini hesper doll

I made a doll! I treated myself to Hillary Lang's beautiful Wee Wonderfuls book, after coveting it for a long time. Hesper is so attached to some old rag dolls that I had as a child (they have had more attention from her than they have ever had in the last 30+ years), that I wanted to make one for her too. I was just going to make it up as I went along, seeings as they all seemed to have a pretty basic design to them, but thought it might be useful to have some more technical help. This is a lovely book and I did spend some time pawing over the designs, choosing what to make.

I decided on the Tag-Along Doll as I was drawn to her round, happy face & sweet dress. She is also  similar to the dolls that Hesper has which inspired me to make one. I plan to make one with African fabric for Hesper, but thought I should practice first with fabric I already have before buying anymore.

The pattern uses wool felt for the body, but I like this organic linen that I already had. I used vintage pillowcase fabric for her legs and the dress is made from a vintage tea-towel with a retro apple design on it. I bought three of them from a charity shop a few years ago and made cushion covers For Hesper's room with two of them, so she now has a doll to match her room! I even think she looks a bit like Hesper!

Hillary Lang's wonderful Wee Wonderfuls book is available here