DeriDolls: History has never been so cute

Hi Everybody... Robin here.

Summer heat, Olympic games, and DeriDolls. Those have been my pre-occupiers latetly.

What's that, you say? What is a DeriDoll? A DeriDoll is made by a very talented and creative person who goes by the name of Deri. I believe she lives in Portugal. Lucky for us, the internet brings her talents close for all to enjoy.

Elvis by DeriDolls

Thanks to Denise Felton from needlework.craftgossip.com who first opened my eyes to DeriDolls. Here is the link: http://needlework.craftgossip.com/?s=deridoll

From what I have read, Deri first began making these 3.5" felt dolls when she first became an aunt.

Here is what Deri said on her Etsy page:

In 2004 I found myself with a lot of free time on my hands and nothing to do with it. That's when I became more interested in crafts and decided to try out a few.

I tried a bunch of them: knitting, sewing, painting. Anything that caught my attention, really.

Then I found out I was going to be an aunt. =) That propelled me to try and make cute things in felt for my niece and it soon became evident that that was the craft that clicked. I still use the knowledge I gained from my previous experiments, but hand sewing felt dolls is what I love best.

What you'll see in my works is a mix of that recently discovered passion with an old time passion of mine: History. It doesn't matter what historical period or what part of the world, I love it and take great delight in journeying with my dolls to everywhen and everywhere.

What I love about her work is the attention to detail. The dolls are completely handmade from different kinds of felt. She uses beads and sequins to add embellishment. Fabric and trims are used to enhance the period costumes.

Historical DeriDolls. Tudor DeriDolls. Fictional Character DeriDolls. Modern DeriDolls. She does them all. Here are some of my favorites. I also like seeing her inspirational photo with the final DeriDoll.

Tudor Group by DeriDolls

Kathryn Howard by DeriDolls

Mulder and Scully (from the X-Files) by DeriDolls

Holly Golightly (from Breakfast at Tiffany's) by DeriDolls

Marilyn Manson by DeriDolls

Edward Scissorhand by DeriDolls

Like she says: DeriDolls... history has never been so cute.

And, she has quite a sense of humor, too. Love the Anne Boleyn (headless) version.

Anne Boleyn (headless version) by DeriDolls

For more information about DeriDolls, visit these links.

• DeriDolls on Facebook...   https://www.facebook.com/pages/DeriDolls/412802558758274
• DeriDolls own blog...   http://deriana.livejournal.com/
• DeriDolls on Deviantart.com...   http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=&section=&q=deridolls
• DeriDolls on The Anne Boleyn Files...   http://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/products-page/tudor-dolls/
• DeriDolls on The Tudor Project... http://deriana.livejournal.com/125784.html

Have fun seeing the talents of DeriDolls. Very special, indeed.

Mary Boleyn (sister of Anne Boleyn) by DeriDolls

Until the next time... hugs, Robin

Felting Childhood Memories

Hi Everybody... Robin here.

I treated myself to a birthday present: a book called Pocketful of Posies, A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes by Salley Mavor. I don't remember where I first saw this book; surely, on someone's blog. Amazon.com has this book as well as her other Felt enhanced books. Check them out here.

excerpt from Pocketful of Posies by Salley Mavor

It was fun getting re-acquainted with my Childhood Nursery Rhymes. Some I remembered... some I never knew. The Felt Work and Embroidery is enchanting. It really spoke to my heart. Such a talented lady, Salley Mavor.

I've done some Felt work attached to my needlepoint. Have you? It's fun to do. Not too expensive. I've used the Craft Felt from the craft/art store; I've used the Weeks Dye Works Wool Felt, too. I'd like to share some of my pieces with you.

Felt Dolls added to Nutcracker Santa's Bag
Design by Dmarj

Pumpkin Head made from Felt with Embroidered Features
Design by Melissa Shirley Designs

Indian Girl and Felt Doll
Series stitched by Maelyse Webb/ Memphis, TN
Design by Rebecca Wood
Robin made the Indian Girl for Maelyse

Kitty Bra and Tap Pants
Felt Bra
Design by SharonG

Add some Felt to your needlepoint and reconnect with your childhood.

Thanks, Robin