Visit Today!

Click Here To Visit!

I felt the best place to start telling you about myself was by answering the question:

Where am I from?

     This is a complicated question, sometimes I don't know where I came from and it leaves me scratching my head. But spiritually speaking and most honestly said is that I have gotten my creativity and inner soul from the Green Mountains of Danby Vermont. A big piece of me still wanders it's quiet meadows, bubbling brooks and walks on pebbled mountain roads, where the fields are dotted with Holsteins and Morgans and nature is all around free to roam. Danby is where I grew up and I carry Danby with me always. It's picturesque quality and simplistic living is where I go to find that place most of us seek and so desperately need. I thank my Grandparents for providing that haven. Nature and me have always be close and with things found in and around me inspired me to let loose an inner pull to create.

     I really can not pin point the exact time when I started making dolls, it's more like I can not remember when I was not making something. With a lack of having the means or access for artistic materials, I found alternatives in nature. I remember on one of my many ventures into the forest coming across a clear running brook where the flat smooth river stones whispered visions of country scenes in which to paint on. I also found that after drying the tree mushrooms (fungus) they made interesting painting surfaces too. But best of all were the boxes that my Grandfather had kept his "rags", from elbow worn flannel shirts to coffee spilled tees and earth stained kneed pants from hours of work in the garden. These were treasures to behold and from here is where my first doll emerged. She was a little thing with body made from Gramps tee very crudely sewn together and with a piece of flannel for a dress wrapped around her little body, somehow I found a scrap piece of fur (fake) which became her hair of course and my dilemma was what I would use for features??? Well here is were my true creativity shown, (ha!) I used a blue "Bic" pen for eyes and a red ruby colored lipstick for lips (boy what big lips they where, too!). I was extremely proud of my first and only true primitive dolly.

     When ever I didn't have the right materials to work with I would always somehow be able to find an alternative. Once it came in a bag of miscellaneous yarn and a crochet hook size "F". My Mom enlightened me to a very basic stitch of single crochet and I was off again making all kinds of things. I first made simple blankets and then sweaters in which my first I over compensated a few extra stitches here and there and it turned out so BIG that it could fit my entire family huddled all together. However, I took it apart and reconfigured it and my attempt at age 15 without a pattern turned out pretty well and I have worn it proudly ever since. I saw with a crochet hook I had more control in manipulating the size and width of stitches and began experimenting with shapes and started then making teddy bears, bunnies, and before long I worked out dolls in an afghan stitch. Frogs then santas appeared with sleighs and reindeer. I think everyone in the family had a set of Christmas dolls for the holidays.

I rediscovered fabric when my Mom began to sew and there was plenty of fabric around the house. Mom would know where all the bargains were and on one of those trips I found a pattern for a twin set of dolls, brother and sister made by "Vogue". Patterns were a mystery to me as I could never follow the lingo of a written pattern did not understand the notions, but this new venture to make a doll that would look, well, like a doll was very alluring to me, and my very first doll pattern was purchased. I must have stared and reread that pattern envelope a million times, feeling very apprehensive. I had no idea what double knit, polyester, chintz, cotton or any kind of fabric was but I kind of felt my way through my Mom's fabric stash and was able to find flesh colored material, and some white "Stuff" that would make her dress perfect. I wanted her to be exactly like she did on the envelope. I decided to make the girl first. I remember staring again almost petrified with scissors in hand looking down at my pinned pattern pieces and flesh colored fabric lying in wait for the first cut of the shears...I was so afraid I would make a mistake, it was the profound moment of "Can I really do this?". After a few moments as the goose bumps trickled away, I made my first cut and carefully continued to cut out the pattern. This was also my first time at the sewing machine which was a mighty force to face too, I kept envisioning my finger sewed to the fabric or worse, stuck under the foot of the machine with needle piercing my flesh. But the thought of creating this beautiful doll gave me the nerve to try. I never did get to do the boy but this sister, when finished, came out in her exact measured height of 36". She had a petty coat, underskirt and shoes, black yarn pigtails, black button eyes, embroidered circular mouth and over done powder blush cheeks. I was extremely proud of her too and she is still with me to this day.

     From there I jumped around from cloth to wood to a combination of both in which produced wooden doll bodies with fabric clothes. By now I was married, home with the kids and into selling at craft fairs. I had noticed too that there were magazines with plenty of ideas and other patterns chock full, this is where I guess I learned a lot more and sent for pattern that really boggled my mind at "how they were able to do that". Most of these pattern where bought to make and sell at the fairs and I wrote to those designers for permission to do so, because I knew how I would feel if someone replicated my design as their own, I wanted to do things right and not step or crush anyone's toes. One of the first designers I asked for permission, and was granted with, had just one request that their named be somewhere on the doll. Judy Malstedt of "Curious Characters" was one who even had labels for you to sew in. Another was the ladies from "Calico Castle" for their "Misty the Mermaid" pattern my first find in the direction I was searching for. Both designers where very gracious in giving their permission. From then I hardly bought a pattern because I was afraid I would be to influenced and unconsciously use their designs in my own creations. So, I stopped looking at patterns and began again to "paper bag' my own. There was one exception though, I loved to find patterns from yesteryear, if I could find a pattern for a doll or character from long ago I would collect them.

     I found from a list in a magazine the Name of Gloria Amero who had a list of such patterns, PopEye and his entire crew, Felix the cat, Mickey Mouse and Minnie, Puss-N-Boots which had three dolls hiding in one, all pattern from years gone by. But still I could not find the patterns or dolls that where dancing in my own head and so began the process of the mythical beings I was in search of, my first attempt at my own resulted in "Lora-lye" the centaur, after many mishaps and throw a ways she became full-fledged and at that time Poly-Fil poly stuffing was having a toy contest, and all dolls where being sent to all the "Ronald McDonald" children's homes around the U.S. So I said good-bye and sent her off to my first contest. A few weeks later I received a letter in the mail stating out of the entire state of New York I had won first place (a pair of Fiskar scissors) and she was now in the nationals. Well I never heard another thing but hope that which ever child did receive her was happy to have her. "Lora-lye" the centaur went through many morphs since then, and a much more detailed face, in different poses and colors. The Idea of NyRobi galloped into my thoughts awhile ago, I wanted to make a different look, a different "tribe" sort a speak, and decided after watching a "National Geographic "episode about Zebra's the light bulb went on. The Hardest part was her human body part, and figured if Zebra's are found in Africa so I thought to make her cinnamon skinned, and sat and pondered her entire look, what I was going to use for hair, I was not partial to pre-made wigs for cloth dolls so I wandered through "Grannies Yarn Shop" and found perfect hair, little loops it was called, made of mohair, ideal! I used the entire hank or mohair for her hair and her tail. Fitting her with some sort of covering for her top was another puzzler, I had this small piece of animal print silk sitting somewhere which also helped to keep her look in line. I love to use beads too in which help to complete the entire human portion. The Zebra part has to be redesigned from my previous Centaurs and because I could not find zebra print fabric in scale to her size I hand painted each stripe on her lower body and each hoof is attached separately, but did have a problem with one of the back hooves which didn't balance her right, this was the prototype for NyRobi, Kenya is the first which brought forth NyRobi.

     I have sold a few over the Internet because I was lucky enough to find a group of people who love the lure of the Centaur, from there I found people who love and make dolls and enrolled on to the lists, My first such list was "Dollnews" then came "Virtual Dollies" then "Dollstreet" and after the Virtual Dollies dissipated "Friends of Cloth Dolls". All very exciting and fun filled and even helpful laughter sewing through the lists. I may not say much but love to read and be a part of all. I love the pin swaps, the progressive traveling dolls, the sharing and the caring are all a wonderful experience.

In all the years I have been dreaming and creating dolls I had no idea there was such a thing as "Doll Classes", Doll Clubs, or seminars, Teachers to help learn techniques. I was blind to all these things until I reached the Internet and a whole new world opened up. I have met through the doll lists friends and found a near by Doll Club called tentatively "The Long Island Dollinks" these Ladies are warm, giving and have armfuls of fun, and I am so glad Jeannie and the "Dollinks" found me.

     Another question I was asked was where I would like to be in 2-3 years? I would like to answer that but fear it will create another long dialog so I will say this: I would like to be a successful Doll maker, live in a log cabin nestled in the woods and have doll creating weekends with doll creators from all over the world spending time together in a Doll Creators Haven.

Veronica Armstrong Lynch
PansPipen@aol.com