About The Doll Loft
I am Ellen Lumpkin Brown, the founder of the Doll Loft and author of Doll Fashionistas! sewing stylish dolls and their wardrobes. I am totally passionate about sewing! I've been sewing most of my life - my mother and grandmother taught me the basics and I started making my own clothes in junior high school. From those early days, sewing made me feel powerful! I knew I had the ability to make what I wanted - clothes, curtains, pillows, quilts - whatever! I never felt at the mercy of what I found on the shop shelves.
When I began my career in finance, I stopped sewing, I didn't have time. But later, when my sons came along, I opened up the machine and began sewing again making quilts, costumes and toys for them. Their plush toys led a me to experiement with dolls - maybe because all of my children were boys - who knows?? I am a self-taught dollmaker. I love making dolls - I think it harkens back to that feeling of empowerment when I first began to sew. The girls in my neighborhood began to visit my sewing room where we would make clothes for the dolls - they would draw outfits and we would stitch them up together. I could see how much they enjoyed it and I did too! The experience was especially meaningful to me because I knew that they would not learn to sew in school like I did.
Jordan's Unusual Request and the Birth of The Doll Loft
Jordan's DollI began sewing custom dolls for sale on a made-to-order basis. One particular sale led to the creation of today's Doll Loft. A dear friend of mine ordered a doll for her daughter, Jordan. I asked Jordan to describe the doll she wanted. She told me that she would love a doll with tan skin, light brown dredlocks and blue eyes. I asked her 'are you sure?' this seemed like an odd combination to me. Jordan (a talented and confident little girl) said 'yes, absolutely!' And then I thought, why not? Why shouldn't she have exactly the doll she wants. And, from this beginning, purpose of The Doll Loft was born, Sew-It Yourself Dolls, so that Every Girl could have the doll of her dreams.
I knew I could write up the instructions of how the dolls were made and that was the foundation of Doll Fashionistas.
By the way, Jordan, now sixteen, still has her doll at home and likes to show her off!
Our Guiding Values at The Doll Loft
- A good time must be had by all! My goal is for everyone using our doll making kits and clothing patterns to have a wonderful and successful experience. I've designed careful, step-by-step instructions to guide you through an exciting creative process to sew your very own doll. And, my staff and I are always available by email or phone if you have any questions.
- The best materials make the best results. At The Doll Loft, we bring you, our customer, the finest products and supplies that we can find.
- Local matters. We actively look for every opportunity to source locally whenever we can. Some of our suppliers are located in towns with high unemployment so our purchases help to create or sustain jobs where they are needed most.
- This is the only planet we've got - we'd better take care of it. I'm proud that Doll Loft dolls are made with renewable and eco-friendly products. And, our clothing patterns can be made with leftover fabric, remnants and castaway clothing providing new life for old garments rather than putting more pressure on our landfills. Eco-friendly also means economically-friendly because Doll Loft clothing can sewn for a small fraction of the cost of ready-made doll clothes.
- The choice of doll clothes should be as wide as the choice of dolls. I want you to be able to make clothes for your dolls that are meaningful to you. Doll Loft patterns are sized to fit many different types of dolls and you will find a wide diversity of clothing styles in our patterns. If you don't see what you want, email us - we can probably design it for you!
- Your success is our success. All of our kits and patterns carry a 100% money-back guarantee, period.
The Doll Loft is an independent, family-owned business located in South Orange, New Jersey in the United States. My husband and sons are a big part of every day at The Doll Loft. I love to hear from customers! Please email me, follow The Doll Loft on Facebook and tweet with us on Twitter. Even better, if you are in the Northern New Jersey area, give a call - if we're around, we love company!
Very Best!
Ellen Lumpkin Brown