I Get a Stella, Stella Gets a Puppy

Happy April, Happy Spring!  It's hard to believe that I haven't written a post since February 9th.  Or maybe not.  The question is, What was I doing before February 27th when my doll life changed? Playing dolls with the VDC.  Ellowyne had traveled to Spain, and I had a blast setting up scenes to describe her journey.  I even bought her a miniature Spanish guitar.  A Gibson, no less.

And I was quietly working on embroidering the vest for Halva, the child in the story Sister Bear.  Painstaking, tiny detail work that all has to be sewn freehand, since you cannot mark on black wool.  I'd finally gotten a chance to start working on this project and thought to maybe have it done by Easter.  Then something happened.  Something wonderful happened.

On February 27th, I was going about my normal day.  I'd just sold a couple of doll outfits to a friend and was returning from the post office.  I stopped off at my mailbox and picked up something that looked like a doll box.  It was about the right shape anyway.

I thought to myself, What on earth did I buy?!  I couldn't remember buying another doll, but that doesn't mean anything.  LOL   So I looked at the sender's label and thought, What?  What on earth did Heather send to me?  A Bleuette?  Why would she do that?  There didn't seem to be a reason for a box from her.  No birthday.  Christmas was over.  Scratching my head I continued to carefully open the box.  Then upon opening it, I just about fainted.  Just about peed my pants in fact!  It was a Connie Low Little Stella doll!  

My heart sped up, I was literally shaking and thinking there must be a mistake.  But the note inside read, "Surprise!  Let's play dolls!"  And there began a new chapter in my doll life.  Everything got set aside to focus on this precious and amazing gift.  

I'd always wanted a Little Stella, but they were just too expensive and terribly hard to get.  A doll by Connie Lowe was

simply something others could have and not myself.  The doll was even hand-painted by Connie.  Wow.  I began to do some research.  I remembered that one of the UFDC quarterlies had featured Stella.  So, I looked up back issues on their website and found this paper doll page.  I was gone.  Paper doll clothing!  (There's a second page, but this one is for this posting.)  I called the UFDC HQ's and ordered a back copy since I couldn't find mine.  I was immediately taken by the outfit with Stella holding the little dog.  In fact, the dog looked a lot like Fripon, the dog associated with Bleuette.  After some research, I was pretty sure this dog was a Bedlington Terrier, but maybe not.  I haven't seen one with black ears. But one thing I knew was that I wanted to make this outfit and the dog and give it to Heather for her birthday.  And make one for myself, too, as I think I might make all the paper doll outfits.  It's my thing.  

The issue came and I read it through and was already working on the outfit.  Heather and I talked about what kind of clothing I should make our dolls, but it really did keep changing because you can 

dress these dolls any way you please.  Whimsical is fun.  Depression era 1930's is a good standard because that's Stella's story.  Long ago, I had started an album of Connie Lowe dolls dressed different ways and honestly didn't know what I really wanted down the road, but for now, I wanted to focus on the 30's.  I love my American Girl, Kit Kittredge, and her clothing would provide inspiration for outfits.  

As our conversations continued, I got more confused on what exactly she'd really enjoy me making for her.  I was buying fabrics in reproduction feed sack prints.  I'd found a purple that was close to the dress illustrated in the paper doll, but it wasn't true feed sack print.  Would this be acceptable?  I like and value authenticity, but there's only so much a person can do.  I kept working on the puppy outfit.  

Then I found out that Connie had produced a book, a huge tome of 300 pages, called Becoming Real: The Life and Love of Stella.

At $145 I didn't blink.  Had to have it.  Read it cover to cover and in the middle was the story of Stella getting her puppy. Three pages of this very sweet story, and I knew I was on the right track for my first Stella project.  At least for me.  But maybe Heather wouldn't like it.  It's impossible to describe how confusing something like this can be.  I really wanted to do this, then I'd see photos of her Connie Lowe collection, and her dolls were dressed nothing like this.  

Little Stella is not an easy doll to sew for.  Big hands, big feet, very skinny little body.  Connie tells the story in her book of why she made the doll like this and its heartwarming.  Stella was also conceived through the devotion and love for her mother, Stella, who grew up, like my mother did, during the Great Depression. The book is amazing and so beautifully written.  And fun.  And entertaining.  But, again, the center story of Stella Gets a Puppy was so endearing that I continued to create the costume with as much love as possible.

The dress was drawn with a scalloped edged hem.  But the scallops were flowers.  How was I going to do that?!  Well, I couldn't.  But I could make a ruffle edged with scallops and did so.  

The coat came next.  The illustration looked like camel wool and the only camel colored wool I could find was this cashmere.  Certainly not Depression era clothing, but then Stella could have gotten the coat second hand.  Kit did have a well to do friend named, Ruthie.  All these things went on in my mind.  Finding shank buttons for it was near impossible.  I wanted tiny vintage "football" buttons which are leather braided shank buttons.  The smallest these vintage buttons came in was 1/2".  I bought some to see how they'd work anyway, and they didn't, of course.  

Then as I was looking at the pages in Connie's book, the coat her 20" Stella wore looked more like linen.  Now what?  Two coats had been made (one for me), and what was I going to do?  Go with the paper doll look, or go for the coat in Connie's story? I'd

already invested hours upon hours on this outfit, so I went with what I had.  The other thing was that Connie's coat had three quarter sleeves.  Women did not wear that sleeve length in the 30's.  I looked it up.  So now what?  I shortened the sleeves a little bit but couldn't bring myself to make them 3/4 sleeves.  Stick to the original and drawing or stick to the era?  This was driving me nuts!

The boots took me a full week to make a pattern for.  Stella's legs and ankles are so skinny that it was difficult to make a pattern that looked right.  A normal boot pattern would have her legs swimming in the tops of them.  Distressed leather or not distressed?  1930's children would have worn distressed leather, as they wore the shoes until they fell off their feet or were passed down to a younger child. So, I bought some old leather driving gloves 

and tried that.  Then I find out that you can distress leather by using alcohol and a brush.  LOL   And so it went on.  I tried it both ways and settled on the glove leather, which may look delicate, compared to what is made for this doll, but this is my style.  This is what I do.  

The paper doll is shown wearing aqua blue and white striped stockings, but the boots have brown socks in them.  So, I made both.  I found the blue and white jersey in the infant's area of a department store in town.  I like using infant romper fabric because its thin and the prints are small.  Yes, it's expensive, but you get a lot of stockings from one romper.  And maybe t-shirts for other dolls down the line.

The boots took a long time to make, but I got two pairs made.  I had to make these pieces side by side because I knew I'd never get back to making a set for myself.  I'd be "done" with the project and ready to move on to the next thing.

And finally, the puppy, Prague.  This story makes me almost weep each time I read it!  Stella finds a cold and hungry puppy on the street and begs her mother to keep him. I photographed the story for this post so please click on the pictures to read it. I hope you'll enjoy it.

So, yes, it was time to make the puppy.  At first, before getting the book, I considered making him as stuffed toy out of wool felt.  I looked through many dog patterns for this breed.  I would have to use a pattern as a sloper and redraw much of it.  I tried.  I did. It didn't work.  If I'd had all the time in the world to do this, I would have figured it out.  So many pieces to sew together.  I tried three times with just the head and gave up.  That is HOURS of work.  So, I settled on doing what I know how to do, and needle felted Prague.

I actually used one of the heads I'd made for size and one of the body patterns for shape and size as well.  I also used one

of my Bleuette's Fripon dogs for inspiration, but getting Prague correctly done was more from looking at the photos in Connie's story than anything else.  I wanted a miniature version of her own dog, and that was my goal.  I looked up lots of terriers in sitting positions, but I did not want him to look too real. It's tricky.

The final touch to the dog was a ribbon around his neck.  Since the vintage toy dog that Connie acquired had a ratty ribbon or collar, I "distressed" the silk ribbon I used for one.  Silk ribbon distresses very easily with the point of tiny scissors!  Prague was done, and I made a second one.

Here's the story of Stella and her new dog, Prague.

Here is my Stella Maisie, as she came to me.  

After working with her for four weeks, I remembered this ironing board from one of Kit's accessory sets.  I think she looks sweet on it.  Perhaps her story is that she sews.  And cooks and cleans and irons because mother has to work to keep food on the table and rent paid.  

Stella Maisie is a big help at home and turns housekeeping into fun adventures with her active imagination.

Stella's a kick!  She has entertained me and kept me company and inspired for the last five weeks.  She's so fun to pose and play with.  Who she is, her story, keeps growing.  And she'll be this way for each person who owns one.

What she really thinks of ironing!

How she feels about housework.

Let's be silly!

Stella and her precious puppy, Prague, who follows her everywhere.

If you recall, the Stella and her new dog, Prague outfit was intended as a birthday gift.  I worked as hard and as long each day to get the entire thing done in time to mail it to arrive on the right date.  Then I found out that Heather would not be home until the 8th, so her Stella got a birthday dress, too.

I love this dress.  I need to make one for my doll.  This one was so hard to give up.

The fabric is reproduction feed sack of little dogs chasing balls.  Perfect for Stella Eloise since she's getting a puppy on her birthday.

Heather and I both love elephants and circuses, so I had to make a party hat with an elephant on it.

There are some great tutorials online for how to use crepe paper to trim party hats.  The puff is made as you would a pom pom.  The fringe is cut the same way but gluing it on is something you have to play with.

Now that I know how to do this, it would be fun to make more birthday party hats.  Sometime in the future. I enjoy adding new skills as I go along.

I also made a hair bow to go with the dress when the party hat is not being worn.

When Stella is wearing the party hat, the bow can be pinned to the back of the dress,

Tada!  

I also included a Brownie camera as a gift for Stella.  Okay, so this particular model is from the late 40's or early 50's but it's vintage in style.  

I cut off the existing strap and made my own from grosgrain ribbon.  Interesting how these adjustable straps work.  You take them for granted until you have to make one.  So I learned how to do that as well.

In time, I'll make camera bags out of leather for our dolls' cameras.  That's the thing about making stuff.  The more you do, the more you think of doing, so you just keep going until you have to stop and get something in the mail.  

I am so grateful to Heather for my darling Stella Maisie.  Now that I've done the hard work of getting basic patterns made and figuring things out, I can continue making our dolls fun clothing.  There's several wants in the hopper already.

Until the next post, enjoy Spring and April and have a wonderful Easter and eat lots of chocolate!  And don't forget to click on the photos of Connie's story.  Maybe you'll fall in love with Prague, too.

Happy Spring!  Melissa