There are babushka dolls and then there are babushka dolls! Here's our little doll wearing a skirt her mom just made for her. The fabric is gorgeous... a Kokka babushka doll print! Michelle used our basic Elastic Gathered Skirt Directions with a few alterations. First, Fairy insisted there were pockets. Hey, I can't exist without pockets, can't expect her to either! Michelle also wanted to make it longer. She added an additional 8" of contrasting fabric to the original pieces, and then followed the rest of the directions. As for the pockets, she tells me she just "winged it". A very easy way to make pockets is to decide on the size you want for each pocket, and add an additional 1/2" seam allowance all around. (So, if you want a pocket 5" x 7", cut the fabric 6" x 8") Cut 2 pieces of fabric for each pocket. Put right sides together and using a 1/2" seam allowance, sew around leaving a 2" opening. Trim the corners, turn right side out and press. (You do not need to sew up the opening.) Position the pocket where you want it on your skirt and pin in place. Sew close to the edge around 3 edges, leaving the top open. Sew a second seam about 1/8" away from the first seam. You now have a finished pocket, securely attached!

The Elastic Gathered Skirt is all about the fabric. It is such a simple and lovely little skirt, and a wonderful showcase for the prettiest fabrics. You'll want to make a ton of this basic!

I decided I needed a lot more "bling" to give my babuskha doll that traditional matryoshka "feel". I sorta just started embroidering and kept going! Anyway, here she is... waiting her final destination... which I haven't decided on, so she isn't sewn onto anything yet! But I am done with the directions, so if you're interested in making your own babushka doll, she's good to go!

Just a couple of FYIs. First, this doll measures 9" but you can enlarge or reduce her to meet your needs. If you'd like to make multiple dolls in decreasing size, place the original patterns in your printer and reduce at 90%, 80%, 70% etc. until you get the set you like. Also, if you look at any traditional babushka dolls, you'll notice that the paint jobs are not perfect. If your eyes are crooked, if your smile is askew... well, that's more or less traditional, so don't panic! Also, the faces on traditional matryoshka dolls become more and more simplistic as they get smaller, so follow suit when embroidering faces.

Finally, I did not include my embellishments on the pattern... since Michelle had already finished the pdf before I was done embroidering. I used 6 strands of floss, making lazy daisy flowers and French knots in the center of the flowers and as the dots on the babushka.

HINT: To get the flowers and dots placed evenly, I cut the shapes out of graph paper, decided how close together I wanted the flowers and dots, then poked holes where I wanted the embroidery to go. I then laid it over the doll, and using a sharp pencil, made small dots in the holes. I then had perfect placement for my embroidery. So, without further ado, the pattern for the Babushka Dolls. Enjoy!

What I should be doing is sleeping... I'm about 80% better, sleep could actually take me to 100%!!! Instead, I was working on the babushka doll. I have her done, but since I'm not sure what I'm doing with her yet, her side seams are open until I blanket stitch her in place... but you get the idea. The scans for the directions have been sent to Michelle, and with just a few directions, we should have the pattern up tomorrow. I am quite happy with her, and wanted to put her up before I crawled under the covers. I'm still thinking about embellishing her a bit. Many matryoshka dolls are quite ornate. We'll see!
(Wow... lightening is awful on the pic. I will get a better pic up tomorrow. Must sleep!)

I woke up this morning with the flu bug that Fairy brought home earlier in the week and this inexplicable desire to design a Matryoshka doll! I'm not sure if the 2 are connected, but between naps and blowing my nose, I managed to design this Posy Peasant Babushka Doll. I'm not sure to what ends yet... but I know I want to make something 2 AND 3 dimensional. (Hmmm... perhaps a new doorstop???) And, just because I thought the drawing was so cute, I watercolored it! (Why aren't I napping?) 

I am sure the first thing I'll do is to make this up with felt, but it would also be adorable with calicoes... perhaps an applique on a skirt. And I do want to create the "nesting" aspect of the dolls, so I will design matching smaller dolls. Anyway, the couch is calling to me, so off I go! Look for the pattern for this Babushka doll in the next couple of days.     

Way back in the 80s, candlewicking made a comeback. Candlewicking is an interesting Colonial craft technique where ecru thread is used to embroider designs on ecru fabric, traditionally unbleached muslin. Candlewick is the unbleached cotton thread that is used for making candles, something most Colonial families had available for use. Although you can still buy candlewicking, now tatting or crochet thread is often used; and you can even use 6 strands of ecru embroidery floss. The end results are a subtle and muted design... that reminds me of a shadow. Many of the early pieces used a series of French knots to outline imagines, creating a 3-D look, but you can use any embroidery technique you enjoy!

I always talk about my penchant to create designs that can be used in more than one way. Our applique blocks are especially suited to multitasking! For this piece I ran a copy of our Mushroom Applique Block pattern, cut apart the individual mushrooms, and played with them until I achieved a design I liked. You can recreate my design using the placement pattern or lay out your own design. The directions for this Candlewicking Mushroom Wallhanging are available in our FREE Pattern Section. Enjoy!