FAQ's
I have had overwhelming love and support for my new adventure & alongside that comes many questions! If I didn't address anything you might have been wondering about please let me know in the comments!
Q. When do you have the time to do this?
A. This is the number one question people have had. I have two kids, Amelia (4) and Emmett (3) and being mom to them certainly takes up most of my time. But they sleep. Sometimes. And when they do, I sew. When business picked up in my shop I moved my sewing machine out of the finished basement and onto the dining room table. I sneak away when I get a few minutes and do little bits here and there. Often they come in and sit with me and we talk about the dolls, and the little kids that they are going to. Amelia loves when she gets a turn to do a bit of sewing. She's already asking for her own machine. At dinner time I push it all to the side and we eat amongst the fabric scraps.
Q. How long does it take to make one doll?
A. I'm honestly not totally sure. I'm usually working on multiple dolls at a time. One night I will cut and sew all the limbs, another night I'll attach them to the bodies, then dresses, then hair and faces. I estimate each doll takes about 6 hours. Though that varies depending on the level of detail, and somehow I keep increasing that on each new doll I make.
Q. How much do they cost, and how did you decide on that price?
A. Right now I have them priced at $45. I looked at similar dolls on etsy, and most were priced considerably higher. So much so that it wouldn't have ever been something I could have considered buying. I wanted my dolls to be affordable. I would rather sell two dolls at $45 each and spread twice as much joy, then have one order for $90.
Q. Do you make a profit?
A. I do. This is the first time I've had any spending money for myself in 3+ years! But if you were to break it down to an hourly wage it would be a sad little number. But that's not why I'm doing it. I do it because it makes me happy. If it stops making me happy, I will stop.
Q. Do you make more than just girl dolls?
A. Yes! I ADORE making boy dolls!
Q. What about different skin tones?
A. I have some beautiful dark brown fabric that I am dying to use! I just haven't had an order that requested it yet. As soon as I have a lull in orders it's the first thing I want to make!
Q. How many dolls have you made?
A. 50+ to date.
Q. What materials do you use?
A. Soft ones. I have textural sensitivity and I can't stand fabrics that aren't soft and loveable. I use 100% cotton for the fabric on the bodies. The casual dresses are also cotton. The fancier dresses are usually jersey knit fabric & chiffon or tulle. They are stuffed with Crafter's Choice Polyester Fiberfill. The hair is made from 100% Acrylic yarn.
Q. How should I care for my doll?
A. Lots of snuggles and kisses. And spot cleaning as necessary. Removable dresses can be hand washed and air dried. I have been told that one doll did survive a trip through washing machine, but that her hair "got a little crazy" I was recently given a tip that should you need to wash the hair, braid it first into several smallish braids, then place it in a lingerie bag and pray. No Guarantees, but tell me if it goes poorly and i'll do what I can to make it right. I'll always fix a busted seam, or any other issues. I want these dolls to be loved and loved hard, and I know that means things can and will go wrong.
Q. How big are they?
A. They started out tiny, and grew, and grew. And I've settled on a size that's usually about 18"-19". And yes, you can buy doll clothes made for American Girl dolls or other 18" and they will fit on these dolls. I was super excited when I discovered that.
Q. Where did you get your gorgeous logo?
A. The supremely talented Alex at AlexHunterDesigns.Blogspot.com She's amazing to work with, incredibly gifted at hand lettering and she's got such an incredible spirit. She's only 19 but you would never guess she was so young. Seriously people, check out her gorgeous artwork in her etsy shop.
Q. When do you have the time to do this?
A. This is the number one question people have had. I have two kids, Amelia (4) and Emmett (3) and being mom to them certainly takes up most of my time. But they sleep. Sometimes. And when they do, I sew. When business picked up in my shop I moved my sewing machine out of the finished basement and onto the dining room table. I sneak away when I get a few minutes and do little bits here and there. Often they come in and sit with me and we talk about the dolls, and the little kids that they are going to. Amelia loves when she gets a turn to do a bit of sewing. She's already asking for her own machine. At dinner time I push it all to the side and we eat amongst the fabric scraps.
Q. How long does it take to make one doll?
A. I'm honestly not totally sure. I'm usually working on multiple dolls at a time. One night I will cut and sew all the limbs, another night I'll attach them to the bodies, then dresses, then hair and faces. I estimate each doll takes about 6 hours. Though that varies depending on the level of detail, and somehow I keep increasing that on each new doll I make.
Q. How much do they cost, and how did you decide on that price?
A. Right now I have them priced at $45. I looked at similar dolls on etsy, and most were priced considerably higher. So much so that it wouldn't have ever been something I could have considered buying. I wanted my dolls to be affordable. I would rather sell two dolls at $45 each and spread twice as much joy, then have one order for $90.
Q. Do you make a profit?
A. I do. This is the first time I've had any spending money for myself in 3+ years! But if you were to break it down to an hourly wage it would be a sad little number. But that's not why I'm doing it. I do it because it makes me happy. If it stops making me happy, I will stop.
Q. Do you make more than just girl dolls?
A. Yes! I ADORE making boy dolls!
Q. What about different skin tones?
A. I have some beautiful dark brown fabric that I am dying to use! I just haven't had an order that requested it yet. As soon as I have a lull in orders it's the first thing I want to make!
Q. How many dolls have you made?
A. 50+ to date.
Q. What materials do you use?
A. Soft ones. I have textural sensitivity and I can't stand fabrics that aren't soft and loveable. I use 100% cotton for the fabric on the bodies. The casual dresses are also cotton. The fancier dresses are usually jersey knit fabric & chiffon or tulle. They are stuffed with Crafter's Choice Polyester Fiberfill. The hair is made from 100% Acrylic yarn.
Q. How should I care for my doll?
A. Lots of snuggles and kisses. And spot cleaning as necessary. Removable dresses can be hand washed and air dried. I have been told that one doll did survive a trip through washing machine, but that her hair "got a little crazy" I was recently given a tip that should you need to wash the hair, braid it first into several smallish braids, then place it in a lingerie bag and pray. No Guarantees, but tell me if it goes poorly and i'll do what I can to make it right. I'll always fix a busted seam, or any other issues. I want these dolls to be loved and loved hard, and I know that means things can and will go wrong.
Q. How big are they?
A. They started out tiny, and grew, and grew. And I've settled on a size that's usually about 18"-19". And yes, you can buy doll clothes made for American Girl dolls or other 18" and they will fit on these dolls. I was super excited when I discovered that.
Q. Where did you get your gorgeous logo?
A. The supremely talented Alex at AlexHunterDesigns.Blogspot.com She's amazing to work with, incredibly gifted at hand lettering and she's got such an incredible spirit. She's only 19 but you would never guess she was so young. Seriously people, check out her gorgeous artwork in her etsy shop.