Dolls and Doll-related Items for Sale

▼

Friday, January 29, 2016

Stickley Rocker in 1/4 Scale

A common theme this year among many collectors seems to be cutting back on buying dolls and getting more enjoyment out of the dolls they already have. One of the ways I plan on getting more out of my doll collection is by improving my displays, so they are nicer to look at. Personally, I like to have my dolls displayed in somewhat real dioramas, and I need more furniture for that. I'm not against plastic furniture for my 1/6 scale dolls, but furniture for the 1/4 scale dolls is relatively hard to find, plastic or otherwise. My latest purchase in that scale is a Stickley rocking chair from this shop, made to scale using an original Stickley plan.

For those of you who don't know the related history, Gustav Stickley was an American who was in the forefront of the American Craftsman movement, similar to the Arts and Crafts movement in Britain. These movements were an attempt to go back to quality, handcrafted items in a world where more and more items were factory mass-produced. It started in the late decades of the Victorian era, and kept going into the first few decades of the 1900s, although it obviously still has popularity today. Another name for this style was Mission. In the US, think of Craftsman bungalows, with beautiful built-in wood furniture. Frank Lloyd Wright was an important architect in this style. Here is a picture of a real-life rocker that looks similar to mine, right at the Stickley furniture website.

Now that explanations are out of the way, let's look at this beautiful piece of doll furniture, made of oak.




The seat feels like leather. I'm not sure if it is. Leather was used in the Craftsman movement.
Now matter how I tried, I couldn't get the camera to focus on the back of the rocker, instead of lower down.
And here a couple of pictures for scale. Our model is Tonner's Fairytale Basic 16" vinyl doll, with the Kay head sculpt. She wears an outfit made by me, inspired by 1907 fashion.

I think this rocker suits the 16" doll quite well, don't you? Do you have plans this year to get more out of your current doll collection?
at

19 comments:

  1. billa's dolls and fashionsJanuary 29, 2016 at 5:45 PM

    Hi Barb, the chair is wonderful! I love rocking chairs. I also like a lot the dress you made!
    Well I don't know if I'm cutting down on buying dolls, as I just ordered my first FR Lilith, I know I will not have more money to spend on dolls for a while! LOL
    I too I'm planning to have a lot of fun sewing and enjoing my dioramas.
    Kisses Billa

    ReplyDelete
  2. Barb the Evil GeniusJanuary 29, 2016 at 6:19 PM

    I'm so glad that you like my outfit! It's nice to get a compliment on my doll sewing from anyone, but especially nice from someone else who sews.

    It's totally up to each person how many dolls to have. :) I'm going to buy a few myself, but I also want to really enjoy what I already have.

    I'm sure Lilith will become an interesting character in your doll world. I look forward to seeing more of your doll clothing and dioramas.

    ReplyDelete
  3. jSarieJanuary 29, 2016 at 6:25 PM

    That looks like a fabulous piece of furniture! It looks well crafted, and I love the amount of detail on it. Your Tonner girl looks right at home in it - and with that high back, I bet it could work with some slightly taller dolls as well.

    As for my plans for getting more out of my collection for the year, I still haven't unpacked all of my dolls post-move, and it's been more than six months now, so unpacking them will be a good first step


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb the Evil GeniusJanuary 29, 2016 at 7:30 PM

      It really is a nice piece of furniture. I'm very glad that I happened to find it.

      Get those unpacked and have fun! :)

      Delete
  4. The grandmommyJanuary 29, 2016 at 7:16 PM

    The outfit. The chair well put together! YES, I plan to get into my hobby much more this year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb the Evil GeniusJanuary 29, 2016 at 7:32 PM

      Glad that you like them. Looking forward to seeing where your collection and what you do with it goes.

      Delete
  5. FarrahJanuary 29, 2016 at 10:22 PM

    That chair is amazing! I thought it was a life-sized chair from the first few photos.
    I hope to be buying less dolls this year, but who knows, lol. I did set actual doll buying budgets for each month though and have been great about recording each purchase and being more rigid about sticking to that budget. Last year I was blindly spending and that's not good. I want to also find ways to display them creatively and one goal I have is to make some dresses for my bigger 18 inch dolls. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb the Evil GeniusJanuary 30, 2016 at 12:31 AM

      I have to admit, that chair was a fantastic find. I was just surfing etsy for 1/4 scale furniture, and there it was.

      Setting a budget is always a good thing. I don't have a strict budget, but I do generally limit myself to around a certain amount. I'm going to pick up at least some Ever After High dolls, and of course I expect to come home with some dolls from the Tonner convention.

      Delete
  6. SerenataJanuary 30, 2016 at 10:52 AM

    Oh Barb, that is an absolutely wonderful chair and perfect size for 16 - 17 inch dolls - I am sure my Peggy Sue would absolutely love it! Not easy to find furniture here - I have found the odd piece and found a wooden bench seat the other day that some of my Schoenhuts are sitting on on their display shelf, as like you I like to have little scenes set up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb the Evil GeniusJanuary 30, 2016 at 4:18 PM

      I'm sure Peggy Sue would love this chair, too. It's too bad there isn't more furniture available where you are.

      Delete
  7. PrestoJanuary 30, 2016 at 10:25 PM

    What a gorgeous rocker! I especially like that it looks sturdy enough to be a real piece of people-sized furniture! The doll looks so relaxed in it, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb the Evil GeniusJanuary 30, 2016 at 11:15 PM

      Yeah, the guy that made this did a fantastic job. I might buy some other stuff from him at some point. And yes, I think the doll is going to be hanging out there for a while! :)

      Delete
  8. AnonymousJanuary 31, 2016 at 1:44 AM

    This is a beautiful chair, it looks so real. This seller has great furniture for sale. Your model looks gorgeous in it, she looks like she's day dreaming and relaxing :-). And the dress is lovely!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb the Evil GeniusJanuary 31, 2016 at 6:40 PM

      Thank you! I'm so happy I happened upon this seller. The doll does look very relaxed, doesn't she?

      Delete
  9. UnknownJanuary 31, 2016 at 9:57 AM

    Hello from Spain: I agree with you. I try to buy more furniture and looks. I have too many dolls. Nice rocking chair. Keep in touch

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb the Evil GeniusJanuary 31, 2016 at 6:45 PM

      All4 Barbie, I love your displays. I hope you enjoy every part of your doll collection this year.

      Delete
  10. NataliaFebruary 1, 2016 at 3:31 PM

    Beautiful details, i love this piece of furniture. I have only 4 kind of Dioramas for my dolls, cause it needs a lot of space, that i don't have:( However my dream is the room for dolls display and crafting <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barb the Evil GeniusFebruary 1, 2016 at 9:13 PM

      I dream of having a room like that someday myself. However, Mr. BTEG has let me have most of our bedroom for doll displays and crafting, so it's pretty close. I hope you get a nice big room for doll displays someday!

      Delete