A very large niche in modern needlework was taken by such a direction as the creation of interior dolls. It would seem that little girls should play such toys, but no, adult women not only sew, but also collect them, sitting on the shelves of their house, exchange with other needlewomen and give their adult relatives and acquaintances. And the doll pattern helps them in this. And not one, but dozens.
It all started more than ten years ago in Norway. The first pattern of the tilde doll was invented by a girl from this northern country Tony Finger. In 1999, she opened her first store called Tilda and published two books: Tilda Christmas and Tilda Easter. The books gave a phased description of the creation of toys, and the shop sold individual workshops and all the materials needed for needlework.
Tildes are called primitive toys. They do not have a clearly drawn face, the hallmarks of the dolls are the rosy cheeks and small bead eyes. According to the original idea, the eyes should be made using the French knot technique, but you can also make them from beads or even draw dots with acrylic paints.
For sewing tilds use natural fabrics: cotton, flannel, calico, linen, felt, wool and felt. The colors of the materials are mostly delicate, pastel. A special fabric for primitive toys, the so-called “American cotton,” is produced abroad; it’s a pleasure to sew from it. Russian needlewomen either order it through the Internet, or get out, picking up material in local stores. But finding a beautiful color with a fine pattern can be difficult. Shops specializing in tilde toys are opening in some large cities, there is everything you need for sewing: books by Tony Finger, doll patterns, fabrics and stuff for stuffing, buttons, ribbons, lace, hair and finished products.
Tilds are different. Under this name, princesses, fairies, girls of the “working profession” are sewn: poultry houses, gardeners, dressmakers. There are tildes - fairy-tale characters: Pinocchio, the steadfast tin soldier and his ballerina, Santa Claus. Tony also came up with a large number of animal toys: lambs, cats, giraffes, geese, snails and many others. Small souvenirs sewn from suitable fabrics are also called tilds: hearts, strawberries, tulips.
The books of Tony Finger have not been translated into Russian, but this does not stop the needlewomen from making toys: the doll’s pattern is simple and understandable. You can use a sewing machine for sewing, but the author herself most often makes products by hand.
There are several tricks that make it possible to sew a toy similar to the original. The tilde doll pattern has its own characteristics: the arms and legs are very thin. To twist the fabric, it is convenient to use a wooden Japanese chopstick. The limbs are stuffed loosely to the middle, and then the knee and elbow bends are stitched, so the doll can sit and hold various objects in its hands. Hands and feet are sewn to the body either with hidden stitches, or with the help of a button fastening.
Tilda girls boast a wonderful tan. To get this color, the fabric is dyed. There are two ways. First: boil the matter in water with several bags of black tea or coffee. Second: paint the finished doll body. To do this, make a mixture of coffee, cocoa, cinnamon, vanillin, water and PVA glue. Tildes painted in this way will smell breathtaking!
Today, the name Tony is known to almost all needlewomen in the world, so the doll pattern turned out to be so successful.