Karen Mom of Three's Craft Blog: A Dolly World Visit With Keryn of Stacy & Stella and Pixeldust Designs!

Friday, February 6, 2015

A Dolly World Visit With Keryn of Stacy & Stella and Pixeldust Designs!

For many of us it is really hard to believe that somewhere in the world today it is a lovely summer day but for Keryn of Stacy & Stella it really is! Our Dolly World is very large and my friend Keryn designs her doll clothing patterns from New Zealand! Currently weather is in the 70's!

So settle in with your mug of hot chocolate and get to know Keryn just a little bit better!

When did you start designing for 18 inch dolls?

"I started in 2011. We’d been for a holiday to the US and Canada in 2010 and brought back two AG dolls, Stacy and Stella."

What made you want to design for dolls?

"A lot of things really.

1. It was one of my ‘what do you want to be when you grow up” dreams to be a fashion designer so it’s a way to make that dream come true – even if it’s just at 18 inch size."

2. " Necessity being the mother of invention i.e. not having any 18 inch doll stores here in New Zealand so if my daughters wanted new clothes for their dolls we needed to make them. I was also a bit frustrated by the lack of great knitwear patterns available for the dolls too, which made me want to design my own."

3. "I’d also been made redundant from a job I’d been at for 13 years in 2010. This was really scary but exciting as well. I was really eager to try new things and had a real burst of creativity and entrepreneurial energy and was looking for different ways to make an income that was flexible around my family and freelance design work. Pattern designing fit the bill perfectly because I could work on designs in between freelance jobs, when and were I could with no demands. It also created a small amount of passive income that I could count on when freelance work was thin on the ground."

Do you have any 18 inch doll lines where you live?

"Unfortunately not. In fact there was very little interest in that type of doll here in New Zealand at the time. Occasionally I would see a Gotz doll in a specially toy shop usually very expensive and gathering dust! Since my girls have brought Stacy and Stella home though the number of AG dolls in the neighborhood has increased a lot. Some after seeing our dolls but some have discovered them themselves."

"I have found designing for the dolls very rewarding. I think the biggest reason for that is the fantastic doll community. I get so much wonderful feedback about my designs. Everyone is enthusiastic and positive. People who collect and craft for dolls just seem to be genuinely friendly and nice people so it’s been a real joy to get involved. I’ve made some wonderful friends from all over the world and I especially think it’s great that a lot the community are older ladies. My Facebook fans are mainly women aged 55-64, which is completely different to the average Facebook fan. I think that’s really cool."