The Spring 2016 collection: 3 natural dolls ready to play.
Wilhelmina, Mathilde and Augusta are natural fiber art dolls, ready to embark on adventures. If you would like to bring one home, come on in.
As promised, I worked on a bit of a collection this Spring. I was waiting with bated breath for the arrival of the blooming trilliums, and it felt appropriate to have three dolls as well. The trio of petals in the shape of dolls. There was one more doll trying to sneak in but we had a chat and she decided to wait for later wildflowers to make their debut. Who would have thought? Making dolls to the tune of the blooming flowers, couldn’t think of a better song to play to the dollmaking.
So here they all are. You can spend gazing moments glancing at all the little details that I thoroughly enjoyed making for their clothes: little glass beads on their linen capes, cotton torsion lace on the hems, little bows made of silk ribbon, tiny embroidery on the ends of a pretty hat, hand-gathered rosettes on avocado-dyed dresses. As mentioned in the May newsletter, they will each have something “memorable” to reminisce back on the collection, but I am leaving that to the very last minute once I pack them. It is my hope to make a collection like them every year, to celebrate the arrival of Spring. A season I never really anticipated but that I wholeheartedly enjoy now.
Let me then introduce you to this trio: Wilhelmina, Mathilde and Augusta. They are sisters, of course, and are made with my Petite Fig pattern. Wilhelmina is the tallest, followed closely by Mathilde and then Augusta the shorter of the three. They go from 20” tall to a little above 18”. They are made with cotton fabric and stuffed very firmly with wool. They all have Suri Alpaca for their tresses, embroidered features and rosy skin.
- Wilhelmina -
Wilhelmina is quiet, pensive, and some days a bit mean. Mean only in the sense that she gets annoyed at her younger sisters and their endless chatter. She likes time alone, to think, to read, to tell me her little secrets. She prefers activities where she is the boss of the situation and can be in charge and alone: clipping flowers, sweeping floors, hanging laundry, doing the shopping or fetching things from the neighbours when it’s raining. Wilhelmina has a very seductive air to her, I think this is due to so much innocence and imagination behind her sweet eyes. I love Wilhelmina and identify a lot with her need to be bossy. It just comes natural to us older sisters, even though we are vilified for it.
- Mathilde -
Mathilde, well…what can I say about Mathilde without sounding harsh, like the older sister that I am? Mathilde is forever in the clouds. Most of the time you don’t even know where she is, she knows that the attention is placed on Wilhelmina and mostly on Augusta, so she sneaks away, to explore she says. When you ask her to do something, she does it half-way and then disappears again. I think she should pursue a career into magic or at least work for the government creating witness-protection programs: she has a gift!. Mathilde also loves to read, a passion shared with both her sisters, although the subject matter varies greatly. Wilhelmina reads slightly romantic novels, Wuthering Heights being one of her favourites. Mathilde loves Nancy Drew and books by Edith Nesbit. Augusta reads Harry Potter and Astrid Lindgren’s books back to front, more than once. Mathilde is very sure of who she is, she just doesn’t like to share it with everybody.
- Augusta -
And then there is sweet and mellow Augusta. Always agreeing with everybody, always saying sorry for things she is not even at fault. She tries so hard to ingratiate herself with Wilhelmina, and keep an eye on Mathilde, but sometimes is hard being the little sister, or so she thinks. She feels a little bad for feeling bad and then promptly apologizes, to everybody. She has an innate need to please, to be kind, to love everybody equally but then she feels other people are not the same as her and she feels anguished by being a pest by feeling an outcast. It’s a catch 22 and I keep telling her to loosen up and just be happy. She smiles her big wide smile, looks at me like I am crazy and I of course can’t possible understand the difficulties of being the youngest sibling and goes away. Augusta is a tender and young person, so she will need someone with that same tender heart to take care of her.
Spring 2016 collection by Fig and Me.
I think all three are special, similar and so different from each other, like real siblings. They can have their quirks but that doesn’t make them love each other any less. It’s always a treat to see them together, interacting and pestering one another, how two side against one and how quickly the dynamics change. Against a common enemy (cleaning the attic or the chicken coop) they all form a united unwilling front to comply. It has been a real pleasure to work on them as slowly as humanly possible, and it is my hope that you too find them enchanting and open the doors of your home to at least one of them.
All three dolls are wearing an a-line dress, gathered at the neckline, with puffed short sleeves, gathered with elastic and cotton lace. The dresses open half-way on the back and close with a snap. Each dress is made of a different fabric: cotton muslin, linen or bamboo/cotton and dyed with avocado to a different degree. The ruffled hem is made of pink linen and is decorated with a hand-gathered rosette. They each also wear a linen cape, with a few glass beads and lined fully with silk dupioni. The capes have cotton lace on the hem and close with a handmade button loop and a vintage glass button. They all wear cotton underwear made with a pink print full of little roses. Their small boots are made of the same fabric as their capes and lined as well with silk dupioni. Augusta has a lace tiara headband, Mathilde an italian wool chapeau lined with silk and leather ties, and Wilhelmina wears a little knitted collar made with baby alpaca and mulberry silk lace yarn.
If you want to volunteer to take care of any of them three wool children of mine, please enter your name in the form below. Their individual price is $1200 USD plus postage ($35 US and Canada, International will need a revised quote, taxes apply to Canadian residents). The form will be open until Sunday May 15th at 7 PM EST at which time we will select a person at random to proceed to take each one home. An invoice will be then sent via Paypal and is due upon receipt. Please, only one entry per home and only if you are personally interested in bringing them home. You can enter for all three, or for the one that speaks more closely to you. If entering for more than one, you will have to submit the form each time so please refresh the page. Once they are ready to ship, you will receive a lengthy care file that explains how I made them and how to best take care of them, their hair and clothing.
- - - FORM HAS BEEN DELETED. All three dolls have chosen a home, and if there are no hiccups they should travel to their new homes soon. Thank you so much for your support and lovely notes!
Thank you so much for coming to see them all finished. If you are entering for one (or more) thank you once more, for your intention in supporting the work of my two hands. I am very happy to do what I do, and I think it shows in the dolls I create. I can only hope that my dollmaking years lie long and fruitful ahead of me. Thank you for being part of my journey.
