A Quilter’s Dolls

A few weeks ago, in my post from Florida, I shared a photo of a big boo-boo in the block I’d made in class.

I told the ladies in the class that I’d fix it. And I did, as you can see in the photo at the top of this post 😊. Whew!

The lecture I presented to the Southwest Florida Quilters guild is one I call Quilt Tales. I present it while wearing my father’s tuxedo, and I share stories of my quilt journey and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. One of the stories is about a doll I made many years ago in a class with Eleanor Peace Bailey. Her name is Elise.

If you’ve heard my lecture you may remember that my friend Mary, who was with me in Paducah that year, ended up making a doll of her own after seeing mine (it’s a crazy story). She named her doll Evita.

After the lecture in Florida, Robin told me about a doll she’d made in a class with Eleanor. She’s a mermaid and her name is Miranda (thanks for sending the photo Robin!)

Robin asked me if I knew that Elinor passed away last May. I did not and was saddened by the news. Elinor was a fascinating woman and her dolls are a riot. I found her blog on the internet and got lost in her adventures.

To visit it for yourself and discover the joy that is Elinor click here. I feel very blessed to have taken a class with her.

This got me to thinking about the other dolls I have, even if I don’t actually play with them anymore. Sommer asked to make a bracelet with my beads last week and she found this small doll in my large collection of beads and other things. She is only 6″ long and I never named her. I purchased her from a friend in the Milwaukee Art Quilters a long time ago. Pat made many imaginative dolls to sell, and this one actually has a pin back so she can be worn.

Maybe I’ll ask Sommer to name her the next time she’s here.

I don’t have a large doll collection, but don’t we all have a few special ones adorning our homes? In the kids room upstairs we have an interesting antique buggy we purchased at a friend’s rummage years ago. It’s filled with some of my favorite dolls. The ones on the left belonged to my great Aunt Marion. Sarah, the patriotic doll third from the left, was purchased at a craft fair, and I made Molly when my kids were small.

What’s interesting about this buggy is that it can convert to a stroller for toddlers by removing the cushion and exposing the well in the middle where kids can place their feet. So clever!

And then there are my mom’s Nancy Lynn Storybook Dolls. I found a display case for them in Galena, IL years ago and am so grateful to have them.

On top of the case are my yo-yo doll couple. I posted their story way back in 2015. Click here if you’d like to read about them ~ along with a few of my yo-yo quilts. So, I was very interested when a month ago, while at our Sisters of the Cloth retreat, I noticed Sandy had a new friend with her. An adorable yo-yo dog!

She told me her grandmother made many yo yo dolls and she even had a photo of one of them ~ delightful.

After putting together this post I couldn’t resist giving Mary a call. We hadn’t been together for way too long. We decided to meet for lunch and bring “the girls”. It was a fun time of remembering and giggling for all of us!

Perhaps the next time the kids are over I should take all my dolls down and we can have some fun using our imaginations.

Do you have a special doll you’d like to share with the group? Please send a photo and the story to me at:

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And some additional “limited time” information for quilters in southeastern Wisconsin. I was at a fun retreat this past weekend in Mukwanago with my friends in our Fabric-ators group. On our “go to lunch and shop hop” day out, Deb suggested we go to Coins and Quilts in Hales Corners, WI (in the southwest corner of Milwaukee County). Connie and Robert have recently moved their shop to a new location at 5158 S 108 St (Hwy 100), and the deals were jaw dropping! Here’s the scoop:

“We have decided to extend our Grand Reopening Sale through March 31.

$6.00/yd on Bolted Fabric on the Sale Side. Minimum 1yd Cut

$5.00/yd on Bolted Fabric on the Sale Side if You take what is left on the Bolt.

40% Off all Fleece, Wideback & 54″ Wide Fabric on the Sale Side.

40% Off all Kits, Precuts, Fabric Bundles, Books, Single Cuts, TADA Papers & Full Interfacing Rolls On the Sale Side.

15% Off Everything on the Non-Clearance Side.”

 We had a blast, and we did our best to help Connie and Robert make room for new fabrics!

But we did leave quite a bit behind 😁. The website for Coins and Quilts is: coinsandquilts.com.

Then we went back to Tall Pines Retreat Center to sew, laugh, eat and just enjoy being friends. Greetings from the Fabric-ators!