Hilda Dibble ~

 Moss Hill Primitives

About Hilda Dibble

 

Hilda is a reproduction of a classic cloth doll from the early 1800s, based on a photograph I found years ago in a book of old dolls. I decided to create a similar cloth doll and call my version of her Hilda Dibble. 

 

Hilda is 14 inches tall and wears pantalets, a petticoat, dress, as well as a cape and bonnet. I’ve provided patterns for her body, arms, legs, and her bonnet. Her pantalets, petticoat, and dress are easy to sew, with instructions instead of patterns. There also are instructions for painting Hilda’s face and creating her hair.

Verity, An Early 1800s Cloth Doll, 14 inches tall -My Design For my pattern shop.

 

Moss Hill Primitives

About Verity

 

Verity is a reproduction of a classic cloth doll from the early 1800s. I found a photograph of the actual doll in a book of old dolls, explaining that this doll originated in Philadelphia. I decided to call my version of her Verity. While she can be considered a primitive doll, the original Verity had a silk scarf as her head covering, making her seem somewhat fancy. 

 

Verity is 14 inches tall and wears pantalets, a petticoat, skirt with waistband, a top, and has painted-on shoes, in addition to her scarf and a rosette. Her two-piece legs enable her to sit nicely. I’ve provided patterns for her body, arms, legs, and her top. Her pantalets, petticoat, and skirt are easy to sew, with instructions instead of patterns. There also are detailed instructions for embroidering her face.

Letty Bea, A 14-Inch, Primitive Cloth Doll for my Pattern Shop, Moss Hill Primitives - Both Digital or Printed

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About Letty Bea

 

Letty is in keeping with handmade dolls popular throughout America’s 300-year history. These dolls were created using whatever fabrics and stuffing were at hand, sometimes created by a mother as a gift for her child, sometimes by a child just learning to sew. 

 

Above all, dolls like Letty Bea always have been a reflection of the very best that could be done with varying skills and scarce supplies.

 

When finished, Letty Bea is 14 inches tall and has a sweet, embroidered face. She wears a simple top, skirt, and apron, along with her bonnet.

Pioneer Button Doll ~ A Sweet Button-Saver from the Old Oregon Trail - For My Pattern Shop - Moss Hill Primitives - Both Digital or Printed 5 inches tall before her button legs are attached.

 

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About the Pioneer Button Doll

 

Ingenuity was important for a successful journey when a pioneer family traveled west in the 1800s on the Oregon Trail. And this little doll combined two practical purposes necessary in the cramped quarters of a covered wagon. 

 

For one, the doll was a sweet plaything for children confined in the wagon for months at a time. And secondly, making the doll’s legs from stacks of buttons was a clever way to keep track of buttons needed to create or mend the family’s clothing on the long trip.

 

This Pioneer Button Doll is around 8 inches tall, depending on how many buttons you use in creating her legs. She’s a very simple doll with a stuffed body, primitive face and hair, and clothed in plain pantaloons and dress. She is based on an actual button doll displayed in an Oregon museum along the path of the historic Oregon Trail.  

Eliza Doll & Pincushion ~ Both from the 1831 Eliza Leslie 'American Girl's Book' ~ For my Pattern Shop, Moss Hill Primitives - Both Digital or Printed

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About the Eliza Doll & Pincushion

 

Here are two projects designed to delight girls in the early 1800s who were just learning to sew. One is a small doll and the other is a pincushion in the shape of a heart. Both were created by Eliza Leslie (1787-1858), who was born in Philadelphia and whose only formal education was cooking and sewing classes. Still, she became one of the century’s most popular authors on domestic topics.

Eliza often wrote under the name “Miss Leslie.” She was best known for her 1837 “Directions for Cookery in its Various Branches,” which was the most popular cookbook of the 1800s. Both the little doll and the heart pincushion were included as projects in Miss Leslie’s popular “American Girl’s Book” published in 1831.  

 

She called the doll “A Common Linen Doll.” Hers was made of rolled fabric, wore a simple dress, and was shown without a face, which could easily be created by the young seamstress. The doll’s height depends on how much fabric is rolled up, as you’ll see in these directions.

 

The pincushion’s size also depends on how much fabric is available. It hangs from a ribbon and is a charming sewing tool.

Prudence Jane Plum, A 9-inch Primitive Cloth Doll in Peg Wooden Style - For my pattern shop, Moss Hill Primitives - Both Digital or Printed

 Moss Hill Primitives

In the world’s long history of dolls, among the most popular have been the “peg woodens” originating in Europe as far back as the 1600s and becoming the favorites of children on both sides of the Atlantic in the 1800s. These dolls were carved from wood and had pegged joints in their arms, legs, hips, and shoulders. They most often were sold without clothes so their new owners could create their wardrobe from whatever materials were at hand.

 

I carved my own peg wooden many years ago because I adore this style of doll. And as also a lover of cloth dolls, I decided to design a sweet little cloth doll with features resembling a peg wooden. 

 

And that’s how Prudence Jane Plum came into being.

Polly Anne, A Cloth Grandma Doll from the 1820s, 8 Inches Tall - A Design for my Pattern Business - Moss Hill Patterns Both Digital or Printed

Polly Anne, Cloth Grandma Doll

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I began creating the Polly Anne dolls after seeing one in a book of antique dolls. The charming original was from the 1820s and she’d been named Polly Anne after the grandmother in the early American family that cherished the doll. That original Polly Anne doll now resides in a museum in the eastern U.S.

 

Polly Anne is an 8-inch primitive doll, made with available fabrics in a few simple steps. She has a base that gives her stability when she stands. Her facial features are embroidered in a primitive style like the original. She wears a simple skirt, top, and a bonnet.

 

Little Bonnet Betsy, A Primitive Cloth Doll, 10 Inches Tall is a design for my pattern shop, Moss Hill Primitives - Both Digital or Printed

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It’s been said that the simple things in life often are the most loved, a saying that certainly applies to dolls. We know that the humblest of dolls, lovingly stitched together from whatever scraps of cloth were at hand, can be a child’s fondest treasure. 

 

Little Betsy represents this style of simple, handmade cloth doll where someone might have rescued material from the scrap bag to make a sweet doll. Her face is drawn in pencil and enhanced with a little ink. Even her under clothing is penciled onto her. She’s 10 inches tall and wears a skirt, a top, a shawl, shoes, and of course her bonnet!

Pansy Poppet, A Cloth Primitive Queen Anne Doll, 18 inches tall, designed for my pattern business, Moss Hill Primitives - Digital or Printed

 Moss Hill Primitives

This pattern helps you create a doll that would have been treasured during the reign of England’s Queen Anne in the early1700s. Back then, dolls were popular playthings for children and adults alike. They were either wooden or cloth and often wore elaborate clothing in the style of the Queen Anne period.

 

“Poppet” is an old British term for a lovable child or a favorite doll. I call this doll “Pansy Poppet” because I’ve designed her facial features like those of other Queen Anne dolls, and she’s adorned with a painted pansy on her bodice.

 

Pansy Poppet is 18 inches tall. This pattern gives you instructions for making her head, body, arms, and legs, along with her face and hair. You also have patterns and instructions for her skirt, as well as her painted-on bodice, stockings and shoes. My poppet patterns have been featured in both Early American Life and Prims magazines in recent years.

Pierre Pierrot, A Primitive Cloth Doll, 15 inches tall, Designed for My Pattern Business, Moss Hill Primitives - Digital or Printed

 Moss Hill Primitives

Pierre is based on the famous clown character Pierrot, popular in France and Italy going back to the 1500s. Since then, the Pierrot character has charmed audiences in plays and operas around the world, sometimes as a broken-hearted lover, sometimes as a witty joker, usually naïve yet often wise. And always appealing.

 

The traditional Pierrot costume is equally well known. The character is almost always in white clothing with black accents, the same as his clown-face makeup, and usually wears a pointed hat.

 

This Pierre doll is a primitive version of the Pierrot character. Pierre is 15 inches tall, not counting his pointed hat. This pattern gives you instructions for making his head, body, arms, and legs, as well as for creating his face. I paint these faces right onto the muslin with no underpainting at all. You also have patterns and instructions for Pierre’s shirt, pants, shoes, collar ruff, and hat.

Anna Jane ~ A Primitive Cloth Doll, 12 Inches Tall Designed for My Pattern Business, Moss Hill Primitives - Digital or Printed

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Anna Jane is a 12-inch primitive cloth doll of the type popular in America from the mid-1800s into the early 20^th century. These dolls were homemade and had hand-sewn clothing, and often were the most-loved dolls in the household. 

 

This Anna Jane pattern gives you instructions for making her head, body, arms, and legs, as well as for creating her face and hair. I paint these faces right onto the muslin with no underpainting at all. You also have patterns and instructions for her skirt and bodice, pantalets, petticoat, and shoes. I’ve given Anna Jane’s dress a dividing bias strip as a colorful embellishment.

Abigail, An 18th Century 12 inch Queen Anne Cloth Doll ~ Designed for my Pattern Business, Moss Hill Primitives - Both Digital or Printed

Moss Hill Primitives

Abigail is a Queen Anne doll in 18th-century clothing.

 

Queen Anne dolls are named for Anne, queen of Great Britain and Ireland from 1707 until her death in 1714. During this period, carved wooden dolls dressed in period clothing became popular for children and adults alike.

 

This pattern helps you create a cloth Queen Anne doll. She wears a shift but no underwear, because women in the 1700s wore shifts plus many petticoats as undergarments. Underwear such as pantalets and bloomers became popular as late as the mid-1800s.