When I was about 7 years old, money was very tight. My father had left my mother and she was trying to support herself and three daughters, the youngest still a todder with typing jobs. Needless to say, Christmas was lean, but she tried to make it very special with homemade gifts. For me, she decided to make a doll pattern she had saved from the 1965 November Woman's Day magazine. The doll she made, Annie, ended up being one of my most beloved toys (along with a special teddybear) and she holds a very special place in my heart.
I still have her, she is a bit grungy for the years, but she is almost 40 years old! Seeing her still makes me smile; I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder!
So yesterday I went to the fabric store and picked out a nice peach colored cotton fabric and started work on making a doll from the same pattern my mom used those many years back. Why? Well I have never made a doll before, and I have always wanted to try my hand at it, and I also thought it would be neat to make a 'sister' for Annie.
So I copied each pattern piece onto printer paper, adding a seam allowance. ( I hate when patterns make you do that, it is so tedious to add!)
Last night I pinned and cut out all the pieces and today I sewed the head and body and stuffed them.
So far, so good... It is going faster than I expected, but I suspect the clothing will not be quick!
Oh, and on the tea towel I made, I decided to add some gingham and rick rack to the bottom and I think it really finished it up nicely and added to the vintage look.
If the pattern pieces to be sewn together are exactly the same (arms, legs) you can put a piece of freezer paper over them, trace, cut it out then iron it on your fabric. You then use it as a template and just sew around as close to the freezer paper as you can get. Sometimes I also do the front center and back center seams on the body as a template.
Posted by: Carla Finley | September 06, 2008 at 06:53 PM
What a great story. I look forward to seeing what you make!
Posted by: sarah | September 07, 2008 at 05:24 AM
Hi, I love your doll, what a nice story!
Posted by: Letty | September 08, 2008 at 05:31 AM
Thank you for the suggestions Carla! I will try that with my next project.
Posted by: Jane | September 08, 2008 at 08:18 AM
Jane, Annie is darling-- I'm sure she will love having a little sister! Often with doll patterns, you can trace the pieces on your fabric and just sew right on your pencil line. THEN cut the body parts out. Very different from garment sewing. I must warn you- dollmaking can be addictive! Also, welcom to the EFA group!
That tea towel is ADORABLE! Just the kind of vintage-y cute thing that I go crazy over!
Posted by: Bettsi | September 08, 2008 at 01:47 PM
... thank you so much for your nice comment! yes, the linen for sale was so pretty, but on this day i just bought a small lavender-sack. it´s a bit like at your mum´s house, i´m trying to support myself with my little shop and i have three daughters, too.
i LOVE your annie and the story around her! i love this kind of stories from the past. the pattern is so nice and i can´t wait to see annie´s sister growing - i have to make a link to your blog!!! which outfit will you choose for fr-annie or jenny ;)? the same annie is wearing?
i like your idea with the gingham and the rick rack at the towel, too - it looks beautiful.
thank you for visiting my blog, yours nicola from germany :)
Posted by: nicola | September 08, 2008 at 10:58 PM
My mother made a doll for me that is very similar. I think she must have been the baby sister of your doll. She was from McCalls magazine but was a baby with different legs. The head shape and eyes are the same. My mother made mine with a sad face and a tear. I always called her cry baby. I still have her. I remade the pattern for my daughter but had a hard time with the hair.
Posted by: Lynn | September 14, 2008 at 05:12 PM
I want to make dolls for my girls for Christmas. I like the looks of the one you are working on, but am having trouble finding the pattern. Can you point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance!
Posted by: Kellee | November 29, 2008 at 07:47 PM
The "Annie Doll" was my first sewing project age 10 in 1965. I still have her after 40 years. She is missing an eye, her legs are pretty skinny because I couldn't stay in the allowed seam allowance and I never quite finished sewing her hair on. I have been episodically trying to find the pattern for the last 15 years. In 1965 it was printed in Women's Day magazine of which there are no archives. I have made two further Annie dolls for my nieces by copying my old doll/clothes but a pattern would be a wonderful thing! I am now about to make one for my new little granddaughter. Any thoughts on getting the pattern?
Posted by: Leslie Patton | October 06, 2011 at 07:36 PM
Hi, I have the original pattern that you could mail in for. Please email me you contact details and I will see if I can help you.
My email is [email protected]
Posted by: Wlydhare aka Jane | October 07, 2011 at 07:42 AM
I too have an Annie doll from 1965! Yours is actually cleaner looking than mine and I have to say your mother made a much better looking face. :>) I'm getting ready to make another one for my granddaughter from the old pattern that we saved.
Posted by: Marge | December 29, 2011 at 08:02 AM
Nice to tell story to kids. My daughter loves doll too.
Posted by: dissertation writing jobs | January 17, 2012 at 01:37 PM
I had that doll! Only my mother made her with blonde hair! I remember her doll Arabella too. I have been looking for that pattern for years! Please tell me how to get one!
Posted by: Janet Day | June 02, 2012 at 10:35 PM