Jill Hamor's Blog, page 3

My Book!!!

I wrote a book!



Two summers ago, I received an email from Susanne Woods, then the Acquisitions Editor at Stash Books, inquiring whether I would be interested in writing a book.

After a few months of thought and discussion with my family, I decided to go for it.

The end result, so many months (years!) later is a sweet collection of dolls, stuffed animals, puppets, pillows, and more - all reminiscent of handmade toys from the 1940s and 50s.  All of the projects were inspired by vintage toy patterns, old illustrations from picture books and vintage greeting cards, and photos of old toys themselves.

Half of the 16 projects are dolls (including the main doll pattern I use and the topsy-turvy Goldilocks above) and the other half are nostalgic toys.  There is something for everyone - boys or girls of all ages.

I really can't wait to show you more over the next couple months.

While some online stores, such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble, won't be shipping the book until December, you can order directly from Stash Books and receive your book in November!  Perfect timing for those of you hoping to make a toy or two for the holidays!

A Little Toy in Tin (Free!)

Some of you have probably seen the various little toys in tins/matchboxes circulating around these days. Last Fall, as I mentioned in this post, I purchased a bunch of DIY matchboxes and my oldest has been slowly filling them with little felt animals (mostly using patterns from Japanese craft books).

A few months back, we happened to stumble across these little felt hamsters in issue 5 of Mollie Makes.  (As a side note, I love this magazine!).  The templates are available FOR FREE here. My daughter is now making a collection of hamsters to fill a few more boxes...and some spare Altoids tins that we've been saving up.



I finished this little project during our Sunday Sister Sewing Sessions yesterday.  I obviously moved the ears to the side a bit to make a bear, but we have made 4 or 5 hamsters from these templates.  The bunny it's holding was made simply by adding ears to the pattern for the bow (see original template).

There are some incredibly cute tutorials for making little toys that fit in tins...but this pattern, besides being free, produces some awfully cute toys that fit perfectly in the tiny tins...

 ...which fit a lot better in little preschooler pockets.

The hamsters are so cute.  This little grumpy guy is holding (and guarding) some gum balls.  And has a few extra gum balls tucked away in its cheeks.


It's my youngest's hamster.  Her hamster likes gum, of course.

Doll Play

What keeps me sewing (and knitting) dolls and toys for my girls...


Sorry.  We just got a new computer and I'm still figuring out a few things.  Like working with photos/resolution.


What we're working on at the moment.  It is quite a production.  But all three girls are involved and everyone is busy and has a role. Beware family in SoCal - we have something special coming your way later this year. :)

Meet Gumdrop

After weeks of procrastinating, I finally finished this little 12 inch doll for my youngest daughter.  My youngest likes candy and the color pink - hence the hair and fabric choice for the dress (both her picks).

The doll's bottom torso is weighted with sand and her legs are hinged, so she can sit quite well.


Because the pink yarn is so much thinner than the yarn I traditionally use, I made three sewn yarn-wigs and used those for hair (one for the top of the head and two for the back).  My original plan was to trim these ponytails really short (like little pom-poms), but my youngest wants to keep the hair like this because it looks like "cotton candy" and she just "wants to eat it all up!"
I give the hairstyle a few months, at most, and then I'll probably have to trim the ponytails anyways, or maybe even re-do it.  It didn't take that long, so it's not a big deal.  I'm not sure this is the best choice of yarn for a 4-year old's doll.  We'll see how long it lasts!
The little bolero and shoes were made out of scraps from my old boiled wool maternity jacket. I have a third project I've made using those scraps...hopefully I'll get a chance to post about that project soon!

Almost done...

The doll with pink hair is almost complete.  I need to finish sewing her clothes and shoes today.  Otherwise, she's ready to hand off to my littlest one. 

Here is a sneak peek...


Better photos soon...