Tag Archives: Antique reproduction dolls

Bru Jne 11, a French doll who's pretty in pink

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Of all the French antique dolls, I believe the Bru dolls are some of the prettiest. That's why I enjoy recreating the 18" doll known as Bru Jne 11. Above is my latest version.

As a trained Doll Artisan, I paint the features like the original dollmakers did in the Bru atelier, or studio. The tiny lashes and brow strokes, the lips and the blush of the cheeks are as close as possible to a picture of an actual antique, which I go by when painting.

I did something new with this bébé, as this type of doll is called: I created handmade earrings from old Haskell-style nailhead beads. I found a huge lot of these beads on eBay, with doll earrings in mind, and this was the perfect opportunity to use them, since the original Bru Jne 11s also had pierced ears.

I love making the dolls, but my greatest passion is in designing and creating their clothes. I chose palest pink French organdy for this doll's frock, and I highlighted it with antique lace and a rayon ribbon trim. I used an unusual old length of lace from my collection, with antique lace insertion and edging already assembled to make just the right width for the collar and dropped waist skirt. I set the collar off with an heirloom knotted bow made of the tiniest rayon ribbon.

The bébé shows off her elegant ivory pointed French doll shoes that tie with pink rayon ribbon. I made her socks from a delicate piece of antique lace.

I found some wonderful wide French taffeta ribbon at Textile Fabrics here in Nashville. It makes the prettiest bustle to these old-fashioned dropped waist dresses. I repeated the effect with the bow in her hair.

This bébé doesn't mind showing off what she's wearing beneath her frock: a "combinaison" (one piece combination of bloomers and camisole) made from an old piece of eyelet fabric. Like just about everything else she is wearing, it is trimmed old pink rayon ribbon.

One other detail: She wears a handmade human hair wig. The old doll wigs were made either of combed mohair or human hair. I prefer working with the latter. After sewing wefted lengths of it to a wig cap, I cut and style it. I really like the chestnut color and natural curl of this wig. (I buy the wefted hair weave from hair supply shops.)

One of the great things about the craftmanship of antique reproduction dolls: It gives 21st century doll lovers a chance to own a doll that looks almost exactly like the antiques at a fraction of the cost. Unlike many reproduction dollmakers, I am particularly proud that I can offer these dolls to you at prices that are accessible.

I love sharing these beauties with you, and there will be more in the weeks to come. A great Christmas surprise for someone special!

à bientot....Tatie

Little lace for little girls and little dolls

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Tiny antique lace edgings Time to make more antique lace available for you at La Dentellière, our lace market here at Atelier Chéri. This round includes an array of my favorite tiny selections -- all less than 1/2" wide. Antique lace edgings, trim This is something of an eclectic selection of antique laces, like the styles above. The first two could be used along the edge of an heirloom creation or as a row of fine applique anywhere you need a touch of old lace on a garment. The last one on the right is somewhat similar to the middle piece of lace edging below -- both with the tiniest, airiest use of the lacemaker's finest thread. Petite antique lace edging Today's new old stock from my antique lace collection will be available for a time on eBay, at a special price. Check out my auctions here. Tiny antique insertion lace When you are creating a fancy band for your French handsewn baby gown, you'll need fine old French antique insertion lace, like that above. The method involves building a band with several rows of these straight-edge laces, finely sewn together by hand or with a tiny machine zigzag uniting the edges. Just about the best book ever on the handsewn technique is French Handsewing by my dear friend, Mary Frank King. It's out of print, but you can still find a copy on Amazon.com. Art deco antique lace If you'd like to give a bit of an art deco touch to your French handsewn heirloom, the French antique insertion lace selections above are the perfect touch. group of unusual antique entredeux Vital to heirloom sewing and French handsewing is entredeux, pictured above, which literally translated from the French means "between two." Makes sense (the French always do): You'll use it to attach lace edging to a tiny collar or cuff. It is correctly pronounced ahn-truh duh, but you may need to call it ahn-truh doh for many American heirloom sewing shops to understand what you need. The first two styles, above, also can be used as shaped lace tape by pulling a thread on one side to make it curve. antique entredeux from Au Bon Marche The entredeux above is an extra special piece. It is still wrapped and tied to its original card and carries its label from the French department store Au Bon Marché. (The old packaging is not for sale.) Unusual antique trim for lingerie The two selections above came to me on a card labeled Vogue Lingerie Braid (more packaging that I'm keeping for myself), and I believe that refers to the twill tape at top. The other piece looks more like antique lace entredeux or beading, through which a tiny ribbon can be woven.

Now is a good time to pick up this  old store stock French antique lace that you'll be needing for that heirloom child's Easter dress or a christening gown or a special antique doll. It will be available on eBay for several weeks, then the pieces that don't sell will be available here at our La Dentellière lace market.

Thanks for looking. à bientôt...Tatie

Before there was Barbie, there was Bleuette

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Every week, from 1905 through 1960, little girls across the French Republic impatiently awaited “le courier” – the mail – for her weekly edition of La Semaine de Suzette. Contents included stories, advice from a fictional aunt and patterns for dressing Bleuette, the beloved little 10.6” doll. Bleuette was a “gift with purchase” – free with an annual subscription to La Semaine de Suzette. As an antique reproduction dollmaker, the French dolls are my very favorite (mais oui!), and when a mold became available for Bleuette a few years ago, I couldn’t wait to start recreating her – and especially her little clothes. That is, after all, why I began making dolls, when my little girl’s taste outgrew my talents with needle and thread. Bleuette patterns from old copies of La Semaine de Suzette are readily available these days. Books, like the hard-to-find François Theimer’s Madame La Poupée Bleuette, feature pages from the Gautier et Langereau catalogues of Bleuette’s prêt-à-porter “trousseau.” Here are a couple of my Bleuette costumes, with illustrations of the originals from La Semaine de Suzette. I particularly like to use old hankies for my Bleuette recreations, like the one at the top of this post. The size is right, the designs are proportionate, and the look is vintage. I’ve sold all of the designs in this post on eBay, including one with an accompanying straw hat (above, left). I discovered a supplier of hat forms for Bleuette and found the tiny size a lot less intimidating than full-sized millinery.  And they are so fun to decorate! Hope you enjoy looking at my Bleuette couture. I’ll post more as I complete work on them. À bientôt!...Tatie

By way of introduction...

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 collage2

...meet my desktop collage, which says quite a lot about me... that I cannot take a very good photo with an iPhone but that j'adore my hockey team, my not-so-little-anymore girl, my beloved late Dad, Perrier and English roses from my patio garden. You see: Even at the office, you can create something lovely. What's important is that it pleases YOU!!! Stay tuned, and I will share some of my more durable creativity, including:
  •  Children's designs, from the traditional to the runway-inspired.
  • Sewing for children from the '30s, '40s and '50s.
  • French magazine collages.
  • A Bru here, a Jumeau there, all with a little "fantaisie."
  • La folies en papier.
  • Arsenic and old lace -- just kidding, but there will be antique lace, yards and yards of it.
  A bientot!...