Now that the bed is mostly finished, I need to move on to other pieces of my Princess and the Pea diorama. Originally, there was going to be a doll on the bed reading a book titled “The Gift of Sensitivity.” It’s hard to imagine how being sensitive enough to feel a pea through forty mattresses is a gift, but it does prove that she’s a real princess. So while it could be seen as a curse, I like to focus on the gift part.
I have a half-made doll from decades ago, but it is just weird looking. I’m much better at making animals and have always been a tad creeped out by dolls, so I’m not going to include the princess.
While there won’t be a doll, I am thinking about making some clothing. My scene is of the morning after the princess fails to sleep, and there should be at least a nightgown, if not a dressing gown, somewhere nearby.
Doll clothing is adorable when done right, but I don’t have much experience making it, unless you count dinosaur outfits. It was a great excuse to re-watch the series of videos by Gina’s Miniature Studio showing how she made the ballroom scene from Labyrinth. She bought the dolls but made most of the clothing herself.
While I won’t be able to just glue things to a doll to give the clothing the right form the way she does, her ideas of how to construct things and especially how to add details are very helpful indeed. I particularly liked how she used the frayed edge of a selvage to make tiny fringe on dress cuffs.
I have a collection of fabrics to choose from, but I haven’t decided yet what exactly to make. Time for a little historical dress research, which I am sure won’t take long. Right?
Do you prefer miniature scenes with dolls or without?
As a kid never big on dolls but have made costumes. I’d rather be outdoors. Don’t creep me out. Have a civil war doll in remembrance of my grandmother’s.
Princess and the Pea 🫛 was a favorite of mine.
I hear you! I fortunately have not inherited any dolls, or I’d feel obliged to keep them.
I was going to do that, but the tower of mattresses is 2 feet tall, so if the bed is sitting on a table, I can’t see the top! After talking with friends, I think there will be a basket with a pulley next to the bed (a bed stand won’t work!) I can always put a book mark in the book.
I love the idea of the book! Maybe you can have her leave it face down (to mark her place) on the bed?
I think the Princess should be a dinosaur. Or a dog or cat. (I love dragons, but sliding a dress over the wings would be tricky. )
I hadn’t thought of that! I still have the issue that the bed’s so tall, you can’t see what’s on top… so putting anyone up there doesn’t make much sense.