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Four little wool babies and four pretty wooden cradles, team work is what is all about.

Cloth babies and wooden cradles, oh my! by Fig and me.

Oh sheesh! who would have thought that we would spend most of our "vacation" working on these four sets of toys? I surely did not anticipate how much time it takes to take care of four little babies, neither did my husband when he had all those crazy ideas of a multitude of pieces to assemble the cradles. Life taught us a lesson this time, but one we are happy to learn. After all, wool and cloth babies and wooden cradles are what is all about in the doll making studio and the woodworking shop. 

Hand-knitted baby short-alls for a cloth doll, by fig and me.

Wooden doll cradle by Fig and me.

I made four little babies, and my husband made their sweet rocking little cradles. We spent countless hours back and forth, measure twice they say. We figure this is a set for a pretty doll to receive for Christmas (dolls need toys, didn't you know?) or for a girl or boy to welcome into their home. I have to take a video of the cradle because once you give it a gentle push, that thing rocks for ages. Sweetest thing ever. But without further ado, I present you: 

Baby Primrose (the eldest)

Baby Primrose was the first birth, and the easy one by far. She is quiet, almost never cries, has a healthy appetite and is already starting to crawl. She measures about 10" tall and is made with my baby pattern, which has fabric joins that allow their arms and legs for a lot of movement. Primrose is made with cotton interlock, wool, mohair yarn, cotton embroidery floss and weighted with glass beads. She wears hand-knitted short alls with pink buttons and cross straps. An organic cotton double-knit shirt, wool shoes and a wool knitted bonnet. Baby Primrose comes in her super-duper-fantastic wooden doll crib, made with Padauk, Walnut and Ambrosia Maple. Bedding is made of linen, cotton twill, cotton flannelette and wool stuffing. She has a little fox pillow because I like to tuck the babies in bed with some support on their back when they sleep on their side. She likes to tug the ears of Mr. Fox. Primrose is recommended for a child at least 6 years old, who can dress her with ease, be gentle when carrying her, and treat her with love. 

Wooden cradles


Baby Calpurnia, the Second

The second baby that is. Calpurnia is the heart-melting little one. She seems rather sulky, then is all smiles. Loves to play with soft knitted animals and big wooden rings. Her favourite way of travel is by sling, and she falls asleep immediately when you put her in her cradle. Just like her sister Primrose, she is made of all the same materials and same size. She is wearing hand-knitted balloon overalls, with wooden buttons and pink straps. An organic cotton double-knit top, wool shoes and a wool bonnet. Calpurnia also comes with her super-duper-fantastic cradle, with same fabrics and accessories as previously mentioned. She is recommended for a child 6+, a doll in need of a baby or an adult collector.

Baby Montserrat, the Third

Or Baby Montse like we call her. Montse is my favourite, but don't tell the other three. She's my favourite if only because she coos a lot when I come in the room and always falls asleep in my arms. Montserrat loves to play with wooden toys, but you have to keep an eye because sometimes she tries to eat them. Such manners! Montse is also a 10" baby, made with previously mentioned materials. She wears a hand-knitted baby dress that has a wider right front and closes with three blue buttons. She really likes her blue pocket. She also comes with pure linen pantaloons, wool shoes and a wool bonnet. Montse has her own super-duper-fantastic cradle, where you can put her to sleep in no time and enjoy a quiet night to yourself. She is recommended as a toy for gentle hands of the 6+ years old variety. Oh Montse, don't leave me!.

Baby Ethel, oh dear.

Ethel, being the last baby was a difficult birth. The aftermath of such experience is that she has a little birthmark on her belly, right next to her belly button. I was so hesitant to let go of Ethel  because she seemed like she needed extra-nurturing and more love than the other three. I know however that she will be cared for by whoever loves her enough to bring her home. But seeing as we cannot charge full price for Ethel she will find her home via a short auction, starting price of $0. Her wooden cradle will be sold separately in case someone out there is looking for the right bed for their existing wool babies. 

Ethel is also a 10"  baby, made with the same materials as her sisters. She wears a hand-knit baby dress that closes on back with two wooden pink buttons and has a lilac patch pocket. She has the softest linen bloomers, cashmere shoes and wool knit bonnet. Ethel is the littlest sister and therefore she kind of expects everybody to smile when she is in the room. She does demand a lot of attention and cries easily if she feels ignored. Therefore, only please Ethel home if you think you can open your arms very wide for this baby, and give her the attention and love she needs.

Baby Calpurnia in her wooden cradle, by Fig and me

Four cloth little baby dolls by Fig and me

So that's it. Our team work paid off this time. I think we were both able to create exactly what we wanted, and we had loads of fun doing it (although it was a lot of work!). Baby Primrose, Baby Calpurnia and Baby Montserrat will be sold with their corresponding wooden cradles (first come, first served) on my Indiecart shop tomorrow Wednesday August 11th at 11 AM EST. The price for each set is $1200 USD plus shipping $65 (to the US and Canada, other countries need a revised shipping quote). Baby Ethel, due to her little birth mark will be sold via auction the same day but at night time, starting at 8 PM and ending at 9 PM with starting price of $0. One more cradle will be sold separately in the morning, it comes with all the bedding (mattress, pillow, pillowcase, blanket and fox pillow) and the price is $575 USD, shipping for $65 USD (to the US and Canada, other countries will need a revised quote). Taxes apply to Canadian customers. All listings will be ready for previews early tomorrow morning. 

Now, most important: the way the dolls will be sold means that if you put them in your cart, you cannot change your mind and try to drop the items from your shopping  basket. They appear to be sold to me, and if you do not pay within 10 minutes of placing the item in your cart, I will cancel the transaction and proceed to re-list them. This creates more work for me, so please, only add them to your cart if you are genuinely interested in buying them. 

Thank you so much for loving my little babies and the toys my husband and I create. The mattress-making fairy went on a long holiday so we won't be seeing beds for the foreseeable future. Maybe next year she said. The woodworker got the memo and is already working on toys aimed more for little boys. Hopefully the leather-working fairy will make an appearance soon because I don't even know where to begin. As for little babies, I also need a bit of a break. I spend long nights burping, and changing and bathing and feeding these little ones and so I am ready to play with dolls that know how to wipe their own bums and eat with their own hands. See you soon!. 

Self-doubt as a creative, always room for improvement.

Self-doubt as a creative, always room for improvement.

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