Pedlar Dolls

Apart from Crazy Quilting, my other love is making Pedlar Dolls who sell a variety of miniature vintage wares, my Doll's House Cupboard and collecting Pedigree Delite dolls like the ones my sister and I had as children. My very patient husband cut's out room boxes for me to decorate and furnish, mainly because we don't want to ruin a perfectly good display cupboard by gluing wallpaper etc to the shelves. Both the pedlar dolls and the doll's house projects are in their infancy at the moment but I shall be blogging their progress for others to share.
What started my love of Pedlar or Peddler dolls was this one which I saw in the Victorian and Albert Museum of Childhood in London during a holiday in 1995. I was fascinated by her miniature wares which I believe were made in England even though the doll is German.

 

Years before I had bought two wrecked little dolls at a department store clear-out which stood on musical stands. One had dark hair and played "I Dream of Jeanie" while the other one was blond and played "Hello Dolly". I dressed the dark haired one as a pedlar with a tray of wares and sold her for the princely some of $65 at a handicraft fare to a doll collector which back then was quite a lot of money I guess. The other poor little love is still waiting to be salvaged and prettied up. 

 

 

The next doll to be dressed as a Pedlar is a porcelain one that I made in a class about ten years ago. I wanted a large Parian looking doll but the lady who ran the class said "No, that mould is Mother Christmas and has to be made in flesh coloured clay...". I made the doll but never went back to the class because I felt that I wasn't being listened to or understood. However, Mother Christmas is about to become my large pedlar doll and her wares will be more detailed. I was never happy with her body either even though it was made to the pattern provided.....surely those skinny legs don't go with those large, rounded hips?? It won't matter once they are covered with long drawers and a couple of petticoats.

 

In September, my husband and I went to Thailand for my daughter's wedding. We spent several days there, mostly in the air-conditioned apartment which we rented. I took some felt and embroidery threads and produced these needle-cases and matching pincushions plus some tiny Lavender bags which I filled with real dried Lavender after I had returned home. The needlecases and pincushions are one inch wide while the Lavender bags are one inch deep and 2/3 inch wide.