a journal of ideas and inspiration from the editors of Small Magazine.

Jess Brown and Wovenplay collaborated on a collection of dolls that are simply perfect! I love how each peice has amazing detail just like wovenplay clothes for kids! I have to say that when I got the email from Katherine that she was going to work with Jess on some dolls I was so excited! What a perfect combination! Jess the most talented doll maker I have seen! and Katherine (wovenplay) just the most creative AND talented dressmaker I have met! It's almost impossible to escape the trappings of Barbie and Cinderella when you have a little girl and no matter how hard you try they day will come when your little girl will see that plastic pink doll with big hair and somehow it just seems to be built in. But with the Jess Brown dolls at least you can put it off as long as possible! and somehow if you wish hard enough, these lovely rag dolls will not only be YOUR favorite but your daughters as well! (and the fact that you will drive miles out of your way if your daughter leaves her Jess Brown doll anywhere helps!) Jess has always been inspired by beautiful textiles. She began making dolls for her daughter, Stella 9 years ago using old cashmere sweaters and antique remnants. As committed flea market goers, they would search together for amazing antique pieces, trims, buttons and findings.This has now all come together as a small line of one of a kind and hand made rag dolls. Each doll is hand dyed in persian black teas to create variations in skin tones. They are all made of cotton muslin and linen, and primarily recycled and antique fabrics and findings. Each doll is stuffed with a sustainable corn fiber stuffing. There is something truly beautiful about a threadbare, worn, and well loved doll that has been created with the finest materials. Jess lives in Petaluma, California with her children Stella and Tiger and her husband Erio. She owns a small shop in town called maude with her good friend Stacy. She got together with Katherine from wovenplay last year and decided to make these wonderful dolls together! I'm so glad that they shared them with us! Thank you Jess and Katherine! click here to find dolls available at Nonchalant Mom (and also wovenplay collection) click here to go to the jess brown website click here to go to wovenplay website

Check out these details: the wonderful strange eyes, the 1920's hats, and most interesting, the fabric is dyed with persian black tea to get the variations in skin tone. Salvaged fabrics and corn fiber stuffing make for a very sustainable heirloom doll. Petaluma-based designer/artist/seamstress Jess Brown is responsible for all this goodness. From her website: Jess has always been inspired by beautiful textiles. She began making dolls for her daughter, Stella 9 years ago using old cashmere sweaters and antique remnants. As committed flea market goers, they would search together for amazing antique pieces, trims, buttons and findings.This has now all come together as a small line of one of a kind and hand made rag dolls. Each doll is hand dyed in persian black teas to create variations in skin tones. They are all made of cotton muslin and linen, and primarily recycled and antique fabrics and findings. Each doll is stuffed with a sustainable corn fiber stuffing. There is something truly beautiful about a threadbare, worn, and well loved doll that has been created with the finest materials. Jess lives in Petaluma, California with her children Stella and Tiger and her husband Erio. She owns a small shop in town called maude with her good friend Stacy. The dolls are available at boutiques all over the bay area, including local favorite Atomic Garden. For more photos of her work, check out her blog. Images from Jess Brown. Thanks to Inhabitots/Cookie for the tip.

Highlights Kiki loves Coco, her cloth doll. 4-8 Years 12.6" x 9.5" Hardcover 32 Pages Juvenile Fiction, People & Places Description About the Book Kiki loves Coco, her cloth doll. Coco loves Kiki, her girl. The two are never apart. It s as if they were made for each other. Together they travel to Paris and delight in the city of lights. But then Coco is separated from Kiki. Will she ever see her girl again? This sweet story about a doll and her girl, inspired by the lovely photography of Stephanie Rausser and a real hand-made doll created by doll maker Jess Brown, will charm readers of all ages. Book Synopsis Kiki loves Coco, her cloth doll. Coco loves Kiki, her girl. The two are never apart. It's as if they were made for each other. Together they travel to Paris and delight in the city of lights. But then Coco is separated from Kiki. Will she ever see her girl again? This sweet story about a doll and her girl, inspired by the lovely photography of Stephanie Rausser and a real hand-made doll created by doll maker Jess Brown, will charm readers of all ages. Review Quotes An unusual story book, this one is illustrated with photographs rather than illustrations. It's a sweet tale about a girl and her doll in Paris with beautiful photographs by Stephanie Rausser. The story truly comes to life with a handmade doll made by Jess Brown that is featured in the book and can be purchased separately. - goop About the Author Stephanie Rausser is an advertising and editorial photographer who loves photographing kids, especially her daughter Kiki. She sees the world for all its beauty and humor and loves making it a little more fun, pretty and inviting. She lives in Northern California. Nina Gruener has written two other children's books, Above San Francisco and Above New York. She lives in Petaluma, California, with her husband and two children. Jess Brown has always made dolls for her children, Stella and Tiger. Combining her love of antique textiles and the sensibilities of a comfort doll, she created a line of small rag dolls for her shop, Maude, in Petaluma, California. The dolls quickly won the hearts of adults and children alike.

textiles for a non-disposable life.

Hello there. I’m Sally 🙂 Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve indulged in making something like a doll … Continue Reading →

Every year at jess brown we choose a local charity to donate to. For the second year in a row we have created a special group of rag dolls...

It's been a rough week y'all. So glad it's Friday. Or is it even any different today. No, not really. Boo for me. Anyway, for the rest of you loves it's FRIDAY! Fantastic! I'm not going to dwell. So you know how designers always talk about how they fall in love with a fabric and then build a room around it. I've never done that before. It's just never worked like that for me. But yesterday I found something beautiful that was on major sale and I fully intend to build a room around her. Meet Wells' new bestie, a Jess Brown doll. And she's coming with a friend. Yes, the two pretties in the middle will soon be living in Wells' big girl room. Aren't they adorable! Of course the uber-fabulous photographer Stephanie Rausser turned her photographs into a book about the adventures her daughter had with her rag doll, Coco & Kiki in Paris. I think that's what I'm going to name mine too. Coco and Kiki. I hope Wells concurs. Technically they belong to her. Finding these two gems makes me really excited for her room design. It's going to be a slow process as she's not quite ready and I'm accumulating things one by one. So to help me stay on track I'm keeping the following buzz words in mind: whimsical | classic | french | sophisticated | eclectic | imagination | pretty And of course keeping track of these images below for reference. So far we've got her twin spindle bed, walls painted in Classic Gray Benjamin Moore and the rug I snagged from Tagg's room. The polka dot sheets and the miniature louis chair were both homegoods finds. The gorgeous Jess Brown doll is en route and that blanket is about to be ordered. PS-email me if you're interested in those gorgeous dolls on discount. My girl Katharine will totally hook you up. She's got a treasure chest of French clothes on hand too. I might have to make you wait until Monday after I find out if my sister is having a little girl or not first. I don't want all these dolls gone before I get to snag up a third :) Are you dying yet? They only have 10 8 (ooops, I snagged up two before I let y'all in on the goodness) so don't wait!

In December 2015 I started on a project to make a couple dolls for a good friend's daughter's 7th birthday and one for my own daughter's birthday. I wanted to make something different than what I normally create, which are the Waldorf-style dolls. In early 2015, I picked up a book by a local doll ar

For my birthday last year, my Sister got my a copy of The Making of a Rag Doll by Jess Brown. Jess Brown is an extremely talented and well regarded doll-maker w

For my birthday last year, my Sister got my a copy of The Making of a Rag Doll by Jess Brown. Jess Brown is an extremely talented and well regarded doll-maker w

For my birthday last year, my Sister got my a copy of The Making of a Rag Doll by Jess Brown. Jess Brown is an extremely talented and well regarded doll-maker w

Every year at jess brown we choose a local charity to donate to. For the second year in a row we have created a special group of rag dolls...

This group will be available at Bergdorf Goodman in New York.

UPDATE: 10/21/2015 Doll House: Jess Brown builds a doll-making empire in Petaluma BY FLORA TSAPOVSKY in the North Bay Bohemian. Update: 8/16/2014 Mother Magazine recently featured INSIDE DOLL MAKER JESS BROWN’S WORLD on August 5, 2014 written by Katie Hintz-Zambrano. In this post there are a lot a great photos of Jess’s home and children. In our searches for … Continue reading "Update: Handmade Dolls To Stories For Children: An Interview with Jess Brown"

I Love, Love, Love Jess Brown's Rag Dolls. I must admit, I own 3 of her dolls; I hoped to one day pass them down to my future daughter, but I had a son, Mario, who does love to talk to them and kisses them a lot! Jess Brown began making Dolls for her children 13 years ago, using old cashmer