New Video Series and Kits–Martha Nelson Thomas Original Doll Baby Tutorial
I am very excited about a new youtube video series that I just got finished. It took me longer to edit it than it did to record it. But, it still took a long time to record because I kept redoing takes, then I had to voice over some of it because of my air conditioner kicking on and ruining the sound. I had to turn off my ac and record when no one was in the house. Otherwise, you would have heard kids laughing and jumping around, and a constant hum from the ac.
Anyway, the doll itself was fun to make. The body is a little different than cabbage patch kids. The torso is chubby and the fingers are sculpted differently. I changed it up a bit by adding a tushie and belly button, which were not included in the instructions. Also, I added pleats in front and back to make it a little more rounded. However, I really didn't like how it looked after putting pleats. I made another one without pleats. Here's a picture that shows the one on the left (Mr. Baldie) does not have pleats. The one on the right (Ms. Goldie Locks) has the pleats. As you can see, the pleats make the legs go in at a slant.
And squared off the toes with a pleat instead of wrapping it around like the instructions say to do. I also changed the way the head goes on. Instead of putting the head inside, zip-tying it, then sewing it up at the end, showing the stitches on the outside, I flip it inside out, stitch the bottom of the body closed, then place the head on at the end, after stuffing. At first I did it exactly how the instructions were and the shoulders came up, there was no neck, and it looked terrible. Luckily I had another zip tie on hand. I sculpted the arms and legs exactly how I would on a cabbage patch (just not the fingers). So if you’re looking for a tutorial how to repair the sculpting on cabbage patch kids, you can use these videos.
Just FYI, it took me 3 hours from start to finish when I made the second one.
I have four kits on etsy—a baldie, yellow loops, brown double ponies, and yellow double ponies. Each head comes with a body.
A little history behind the dolls
Soft sculpting is a technique that has been around for centuries. The 1970s and 80s was an era that exploded with the concept of soft sculptured baby dolls. Martha Nelson Thomas started crafting these soft sculpture babies in 1971. Xavier Roberts saw her dolls and her adoption concept and he liked it so well that he wanted it to be known world wide. He succeeded.
A lot of people think these dolls are cabbage patch knock offs, but in reality, they were the inspiration behind cabbage patch kids. Having an Original Doll Baby is having a little piece of history. Martha didn’t want her dolls to be commercialized, but in 1984, during the Cabbage Patch craze, Martha decided to market kits through Fibre Craft so people could make their own dolls. People could purchase a vinyl head, and a pre-sewn body. These were sold as the "Original Doll Baby." There were also clothing and shoes available to buy.
I had a Doll Baby that my mom had made when I was a kid. But because it wasn't a Cabbage Patch Kid, I threw it out. Now my mom is gone and I wish I had that doll. There's just something about having something that was made by a loved one, rather than just bought. Their work and labor of love is sewn into it. And that's what Martha wanted with her dolls.
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