I’ve followed artist Melanie Wesley for a while, and when she teased this tutorial in her newsletter a couple weeks ago, I knew immediately I had to make one. As many dolls as I’ve made over the years, I’ve never worked this small and I like seeing which techniques other dollmakers use that might be different or new to me. I knew my mom and aunt would be into it too, so I made a big ol’ pot of soup and we spent a cozy Friday night chatting, laughing and stitching these tiny things.
How cute is this?! The only wooden beads we had on hand for the head were pre-painted with this face, so I ended up turning it backwards, covering it with hair and painting my own little face on the other side. An unfinished bead would have worked better but I made this work.
I wanted to try using wool roving and needle felting to create a wig. The first one was so overworked it looked more like a helmet and ended up in the trash before I got a photo. The second try I felted just a tiny bit to hold the hair together where a part would go down the center and that worked a little better. This is a technique I want to keep playing with and improving for future creations.
When her hair was done, she told me she needed a little elf hat to bring her outfit together so that’s how I finished her off. This was such a fun little make! I’ve already gone to the craft store and bought a strand of unfinished wooden beads to make another one.
If you’re interesting in making one of your own, definitely head over to Melanie’s website and get the details and materials list here!
Little Stream Studio 