Okay, so you all saw that I lost my mind and made tiny stuffed mice with Heather Ross, right? It gets worse. My dealer, I mean, local quilt shop got these panels in and I didn’t even stop to think how silly the purchase was. I just snapped one up, and I have zero regrets.
Stacey Iest Hsu designs some of the most adorable doll panels in history. I admired her little cowboys, her elves were so sweet, and Red Riding hood was cute, but I said “no”, I don’t have little kids. After Heather broke me, the doll house was just a given. I’m a collector now. (Red Riding Hood is next. And I may have acquired Harold the bunny.)
I pre-washed this panel before making it. I know, right? Crazy. I was worried about how it would behave after washing with all of the crazy interfacing. Also, what if my distant future grandchildren have sensitive skin?
I have a confession to make. I’m not really good at reading directions if there are pictures. If I understand the pics, I skip the words. The good news is, the pics are adequate on this panel. I did read some of the words, and I found a few typos. Stacey, or Moda, I would be happy to proof read in return for a panel in the future.
The dolls took me a full day to make, but I was also at the shop and I am frequently interrupted. There are four dolls and four pets. I like the diversity of the dolls. The diversity of the pets is nice, too. There is a rabbit, a cat, a dog, and a floof. The floof may be a hamster or a guinea pig. The jury at the shop is out.
I machine pieced the dolls while I was at the shop, and I stuffed them at home. I picked up a pair of amazing scissors, because Nancy the Doll Master recommended them. (When you have a master doll maker and they tell you to get something, just do it.) They are great, and the tips are so sharp, I was able to clip into the seams very accurately. (She also recommended hemostats, but they arrived after I finished the dolls.)
The house was really complicated, but surprisingly easy. Here’s a tip – don’t cut everything out without making a note of the piece numbers. That makes it a little bit confusing.
The directions were nice and clear, and I had a finished dollhouse in only one day. I would suggest interfacing the little pink tabs that hold the house shut. They are pretty floppy.
Here it is. Isn’t it adorable?
Each interior wall has an interactive bit. There is a bed pocket (odd, but cute), curtains on the windows, and a shower curtain. I am planning to do a little embellishment to the piece, eventually. I want to find a little mirror to attach in the bathroom, some beads for the bedroom window, maybe tiny spoons or pans for the kitchen. Silly stuff. For now it is on display at Gotham Quilts.
Oscar found it to be cozy, and enjoyed being surrounded by a bevy of beauties.
What fun!
Oh my gosh, you need to requisition some grandchildren!! You are much too young but I have to tell you, you are having all the fun of a grandma in waiting! Years from now, those panels will be out of print but you will be all set. A few years ago I tripped over an old blog post about Moda Flats Dolls by Angela Yosten. I searched for months and finally found a quilt shop in Indiana who still had some. I bought her stock out (7 panels) and after I made my first set of dolls, my friends bought the rest. There were similar to “flat Stanley” and I used Bosal Innerform when I made them. I could never find the panels with the outfits; so I got creative and “printed on fabric” my own “paper doll clothes”. I made a pattern from one of the outfits and created some “flat clothes” with my own trim etc.(https://stitchinggrandma.wordpress.com/2014/12/04/grandma-has-been-busy/) Since then, I have been hooked on doll panels. I have the red riding hood set, just haven’t constructed anything quite yet. Angela had a ‘flats house” on her blog and I had to make it too! I found the Bosal Inner form to really work well; giving it structure. (https://stitchinggrandma.wordpress.com/2015/01/11/a-house-for-the-dolls/https://). I did use template plastic in the handles. What I liked about the dolls being flat was they were “easily transportable”. My daughter did not like the “velcro” as the kids kept getting parts stuck to the carpet! (OOPS.) I used the “soft side” of the velcro on the doll and the hook/loop on the clothes. I was just at her house and saw the house is still hanging on after 4 years of play. I don’t mean to overtake your comments; but you are really bringing up some favorite memories as I read your blog posts. I am SO happy to see new doll panels! My youngest granddaughter is 3 and she is “just about ready” for “paper doll play”. I think I will look for the doll house panel you made so she has something different than her cousins; who are not quite ready to give up the house I made 4 years ago! Now I have to decide about my red riding hood…stuffed or flat! 🙂
Awesome! This one did have instructions for making the dolls flat. Pellon has a double sided fusible foam that will be perfect for that. The problem with grandchildren is more that my kids are young. My grandma was younger than I am when I was born, and my mom was only 44 when I made her a grandma.
You did get carried away! I bet you can find some child or dog to play with these. Seriously, they are fun and I can see why you became obsessed.
You did awesome! These are great. Well done. Have fun!!! The pets are so adorable.
Wow, you’ve been busy! That house is awesome! I did her Coral Queen of the Sea set and found the doll super skinny–I don’t enjoy 3d projects, so it was a little frustrating. I also have red riding hood but have not made her. The farm animals were easier. I am so impressed by your family of dolls! Please show us the house again when you have added embellishments!
I will definitely share. I’ll keep that in mind when I get to Cora.
Where can I purchase a doll house panel? I would love to make it!!
Gotham Quilts carries it. There is a link in my post you can follow that should take you right to the page.
I am having problems understanding how to assemble the panels🥲
After reading and rereading it just doesn’t make sense to me.