Tilda Garden Angel Review

 Tilda is a craft brand started in 1999 by  the Norwegian designer Tone Finnanger. Tilda is best known for their whimsical, comical & naive characters in the form of animals & dolls. The most recognisable features of these characters are the faces, with two dots for eyes and rosy cheeks.  The Tilda kit reviewed (The Tilda Garden Angel) was provided by RUCraft who stock a range of the Tilda kits, fabrics and books.

When I received my kit to make the Tilda Garden Angel I was very pleased and excited to see the stash of lovely fabrics in pretty pastel shades, although I was a touch surprised to see that some of the fabrics don’t match the picture on the box.  There were also a few pages of instructions including a separate sheet of diagrams and a stand for the angel, which gave me an indication of just how tall show was going to be (50cm) The kit contains everything you need to sew your own angel, minus the toy stuffing.

At first read through the instructions seemed clear and comprehensive, although it would have helped to have the instructions and diagrams together. Having never made any soft toys or dolls before, I knew this was going to be a challenge, but hopefully an enjoyable one!

However, once I actually started following the instructions I discovered that it was a lot more challenging than I expected. This was not due to any complicated techniques or skills required, the issue was the way that the instructions were written. The pattern pieces have no seam allowances marked and no recommendation on what size seam allowance to use. There are also no pattern markings given, such as where her waist is and the jacket pattern is also rather confusing regarding the cutting layout. Although I am an experienced dressmaker and therefore used to following patterns and instructions I found these very confusing. Measurements are given, but not orientations, the terminology used is often confusing and not standard sewing terms. The instructions even manage to completely leave out how to finish the doll!

The wings look lovely once quilted, however as they were fairley fiddly to quilt, with very tight curves, therefore if like me, you’ve never actually done any quilting before, then it may be best to quilt your angel’s wings by hand to get a neater look.

This kit comes with a stand for your angel, and I found the rod for this to be very useful for turning the fiddly body pieces and for prodding the stuffing into those hard to reach places, such as her hands and feet.

Given the above I would not recommend that any sewing beginner try this kit. I would suggest that either experienced doll makers, or intermediate sewers tackle the Tilda Garden Angel Kit, as there is a fair bit of sewing ingenuity and understanding of how garments go together required to be able to complete your angel.

Although this was a very fiddly, time consuming project I did learn a lot and used my ingenuity a lot, which made it seem like a very creative process. Although she doesn’t exactly match up to the image on the box, the issues I had meant that she is more unique and very much my own creation. I actually like her even more for these little quirks! It has also meant that I am very proud of her and very pleased with myself for making her as my first doll.  She looks lovely sitting on my mantelpiece, looking out towards the garden.

The Tilda Garden Angel is very cute little doll once completed and would make a great handmade gift, once made, for a loved one.

And a close-up of the angel in the garden:

 Sewn & written by Beth Edmondson