~Big and Little Stella~

By Angie Schoenfelder of Oobie Doll.

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There are likely few collectors of Ball Jointed Dolls that have not come across Connie Lowe’s latest sculpt, Stella.

In Connie’s vision of Stella “She was designed to represent and honor the children from the depression era.” With many collectors receiving their Stella’s, I felt it would be a great opportunity to take a peek at her arrival and her specifics for dressing and changing out wigs, eyes and shoes.

I must clarify one thing firstly, there are 2 sizes for Connie’s Stella doll. The first released was the “Big” Stella, standing 20 inches and the second is considered her “Little” Stella, standing only 12 inches. You will see descriptions and recommendations for both sizes within this article.

Connie has created a lovely family with this doll, and her collectors are very active with photographs and comments posted on the Facebook group named The Stella Squad.

Connie also has a Facebook page for all of her doll sculpting news, the Marbled Halls Fan Club.

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The first day…her arrival! Stella was snuggled carefully inside her muslin sleeping bag. Her hands, face and knees were carefully protected from any rubbing during her travels. Connie has a very distinct way of painting her dolls, and I personally felt this was a very important aspect of my own Stella doll, so she was ordered painted. Upon her opening, I saw the perfect eyebrows with their perfect, interested arch, blushed hands and those deeply blushed knobby knees! She is adorable.

I had ordered the painted and randomly dressed version, and so she also came with a lovely Depression styled dress made from new, but replica fabrics. The boots were designed by Connie and produced by Doll Heart. My particular pair were hand painted in matte-black by Connie. Her synthetic wig is a nice quality and was topped with one of Connie’s signature giant bows.

My first impression of Stella in person was that she had a huge presence, and I could see many of Connie’s past sculpts within her. I could see some Winona within her face, and those cartoon hands…they have been seen for years, all of the way back to Eppie with the oversized starfish hands and Olga with the elongated fingers. I had let her sit up within her sleeping bag for a few days to take in her new home.

I also saw the blend of a beautiful, realistic child sculpt, but with all of the fun of an animated and exaggerated cartoon-like doll! A doll such as this can fill many roles while on display and also while being photographed.

The Big Stella is a 20” doll and my version shown here is the white resin. You may notice that Stella’s head, hands and feet are exaggerated many times their normal scale for a doll of this height. Connie has pushed her previous ideas to a new extreme for Stella, especially with her hands. They are large and are capable of holding, hugging and resting in a giant way. I have found that her proportions make for some very fun and interesting photographs! Her large hands are a wonderful proportion to some of the antique toys and stuffed animals. My own Stella loves an old tin seal and ball.

Now I would like to take a look at the removable accessories that make the Ball Jointed Dolls so personal.

Let us begin with her eyes. My Big Stella came with 20mm glass eyes. These are a lovely dark brown (my personal favorite). One of the reasons I was personally drawn to Stella was her eyes and the arch of her eyebrows. They have this unassuming, innocent expression that I love…… sort of like the child that is sneaking their unwanted green beans to the dog underneath the table while looking across the table at their Mom…

Most all doll eye companies will carry a 20mm glass eye. One resource would be Ginarolo eyes. You may contact Gina at her email ginarolo@aol.com or search for her on Facebook under Gina Rolo to purchase eyes for your Stella. I have also found the 19mm size in the Masterpiece Soft Glass Eyes are a wonderful fit for the Big Stella. You may visit Masterpiece Eyes or check my stock onOobie DollHERE.

Next, let’s take a look at wigs. Along with the dressed versions, Connie does send a lovely, manufactured wig made from either real mohair or human hair that is very fitting of a depression era hairstyle.
But, if you do decide to look for another wig, I have a few options I would like to share. Many of us love the Tibetan mohair wigs for our dolls because they are so easy to style and come in many color options. You may think a size 11 or 12 inch would fit the Big Stella, but no. Her head is quite unique in shape as well as the other two giant obstacles…her ears! I have taken the time to design a Stella-specific mohair pattern and your wig will stay put perfectly.

The Little Stella has a similar head shape, and so a custom pattern was needed as well. Mine are a size 7 “Little Stella specific” size. With a wig cap, Little Stella may wear many manufactured wigs in a size 6”-7”.
Another option are one-of-a-kind wigs. Mine are built on a nylon size 12” stretchy cap for Big Stella and a size 7” for Little Stella . These may be hand sewn with many types of shorn fiber, such as angora. I personally love fiber art and this was the root reason behind Oobie Doll, wig making. Your custom requests are always welcome. I will add wigs as they are made to THIS PAGE, so please check back often.

And now for another special treat! I had asked Laurence at Laure Belle Couture a long time ago if she would be willing to make larger silicone caps for our big head dolls and she has finally agreed! I for one am super excited about this as I believe hers are the best on the market. They are handmade and will conform to any size of doll head within the correct size range and can be cut to size (i.e. around those ears!). You will find these on Oobie Doll HERE. I have added step by step directions, with photos on how to trim your cap just for Stella. The Big Stella will wear a size 10”-11” and the Little Stella a 6” in the silicone caps.

The next challenge we should look at are Stella’s big feet! Her feet measure 3” X 1 ½” for Big Stella and 1 7/8” X 7/8” for Little Stella. These are very difficult foot sizes to fit. Most collectors have been ordering shoes from Connie as well as looking into handmade custom shoes. I have talked with one artist currently making Little Stella shoes that are adorable! She is Eva Syk from Facebook. Eva has plans to make shoes for the “Big” Stella soon.

The final step in customizing your Stella is dressing her. Connie continues to make clothing for both Stella sizes, and these outfits may be found occasionally on her Facebook pages as well as her Etsy Page.

One doll clothing designer that Connie has recommended and worked with for many years is Gale Torres from Wee Wardrobe. You may find her Etsy Shop HERE. Gale has been making clothing for both Big and Little size Stella dolls.

Below are Stella’s measurements as taken by Connie to aid in dressing.

Big Stella’s measurements
Height 19 ¾”
Head 11”
Neck 3”
Chest 7”
Waist at belly Button 7 ¾”
Hip, just under 9”
Mid shoulder to crotch 6 ½”
Shoulder to wrist joint 7”
Shoulder to elbow 4”
Mid shoulder to knee 10”
Knee to ankle 4”
Around the hands 4 1/5”
Foot 3” long X 1 ½” widest part
Foot 1” wide at heel
Wig size 10”-12” (please check my notes on wig fitting)
Eye size 20mm glass/ 19mm soft glass

Little Stella’s measurements
Height 12”
Neck to ankle 8 ½”
Neckline to belly button 2 1/16”
Neck to mid crotch 3 ½”
Belly button to knee 4”
Belly button to ankle 6 ½”
Shoulder to wrist 4”
Shoulder to knee joint 6 ¼”
Under the chest joint 3 1/8”
Around the waist 4 ¼”
Around the butt 5 ¼”
Head circumference, just under 7”
Around the hands 2 ¾”
Foot 1 7/8” long X 7/8” at widest point
Eye size 10mm glass

Also, please do not to overlook vintage and antique clothes for the Stella’s. The body measurements of Big Stella will allow for some old doll clothes to be altered to fit, and certainly the condition of antique fabric is perfect for a depression era child. Her 20” body frame is surprisingly “normal” in size (but for her hands and feet). I feel that her shoulders are narrow and her legs are long. In balancing the look of her large head, a large collar top is easy for her to wear, as seen on most all of Connie’s outfit sets. Stella looks great in loose-fitting clothing witch also helps in dressing her. You must look for large armholes or add snaps to accommodate those giant hands.

I will conclude my notes with a few fun photographs of my Big and Little Stellas along a few of her friends so you may get an idea of their size. Have fun playing with your Stella’s!
Xoxoxo, Angie @ Oobie Doll