Dolls are made for stories, aren’t they? Wether we write said stories for them, they whisper them to us or otherwise. Stories, theirs and ours, are irrevocably intertwined.

From the day I started making dolls, I started writing about them. Dollmaking and storytelling are completely enmeshed for me, joined at the hip as they say. I cannot separate one from the other and while some people humour my storytelling in order to get to the “juicy” bit, which is the doll, for others as for myself I believe it is one of the things that makes my dolls special to them. Sometimes they fall in love with the story first, sometimes with the doll, and eventually they cannot separate one from the other.

Sometimes I tell myself it’s the season, these Autumn dolls really grab a hold, a deep hold, of me and while I strive to not get so attached to my work, it’s a bit hilarious; it’s almost like asking someone not to breathe. Such ease to grow bonds with them, over hours of knitting and sewing, of adding little rows of hair and embroidering wide and curious eyes. We become so close. So friendly. So attuned to each other.

As I told you in my last post, Winona travels a lot, mostly back in time. She took me with her once. We both walked the endless rows of memories, hers and mine, we came back with wistful smiles.

Mental snap shots of crumpled linen table cloths, broken tea cups on the sink, spilled tea everywhere. A half-eaten apple on the wooden shelf. Thick cottage walls with such tiny windows it’s a miracle any light gets in. Mud by the door, mixed with cat hair. Bits of bark inside an old basket. A roaring fire that licks the flasgstone with shimmering light and warmth.

A smoky chimney, enveloping the neighbourhood with a haze of burnt wood. Dusk by the fence. Saying good-bye. Cold hands, a long walk home, through empty harvested fields, meeting worn out labourers, who tilt their hat when they pass you by.

The damp reaching your back, while you hurry “home”.

Where is home, she wondered. I held her up in my hands and made her feel it. “The only home you will ever need Winona, is here, within”. I hope she remembers. Those words and the care I took in her creation. I think she will, she’s a smart girl.

Now, let me repeat that, Winona is a very smart child. She carries with her centuries of knowledge and the biggest heart. She is chatty, but prudent. Helpful and industrious. Funny and sometimes a little moody (but only when she gets back after one of her “journeys”). She loves to play with younger children but her favourite people are the ancient ones, “the old nuggets” as she calls them. She really likes to ask them many questions and loves to then tell stories to the children.

She is a master at hopscotch and dutch rope. She can jump for ages, don’t know where she gets all the energy. She eats very well and Lord bless her, loves her winter vegetables.

Winona is a natural fiber art doll made entirely by me. She has been a blessing as has pushed me out of my very comfy chair and made me try new things. She has thoroughly inspired me. She is looking for a home that can welcome her, she promises to reciprocate any and all kindness. If you are interested in bringing Winona home, please keep on reading.

Winona is made in my Petite Fig style, dolls that resemble 10 to 12-year-olds. She is 20” tall but of minute construction. Her skin is made of Swiss jersey and she is stuffed and sculpted with Canadian wool. Winona has a jointed head that allows plenty of movement and articulation. Her hair is made of mohair weft, sewn to a mohair cap and can be styled many ways. Her eyes and eyebrows are embroidered and her freckles hand-painted.

Winona is a suitable doll for children 10+ or adult collectors. She comes wearing several items of clothing:

• cotton jersey underpants.

• hand-knit socks (I purchased them for her, as I am helpless knitting doll socks!).

• boiled boucle wool boots, fully lined, with tiny edge-stitching and elastic ties.

• linen peticoat with cotton lace, closes with twill ties for the perfect fit.

• a vintage-inspired dress with high collar, puffed long sleeves with cuffs and antique lace. The dress is my favourite thing: it is fully lined and has many hand-sewing details for a more pleasing finish.

• a hand-knit hooded cape with hand-dyed merino yarn, closes at front with two wooden beads. The cape has picot-edge sewn hem both on the hood and on the main body of the cape. Cute and old school.

  *This entire thing forms her “traveling clothes”

• She also has a dotty jersey shirt with peter pan collar, long sleeves, pin tucks at front, and elbow patches.

• Corduroy pants, with elastic back for a comfy fit, very wide leg.

• a very cozy hoodie, made of cotton terry, with a ginormeous bow and snaps at the front.

  *this forms her day-to-day outfit

The adoption fee for Winona is $1350 USD plus postage ($35 US and Canada, International will need a revised quote based on country and method of shipping). If you are personally interested in welcoming Winona, please enter your details in the form below. She will be open to entries until Sunday October 6th at 5 PM EST, at which point we will select an entry at random and proceed to send an email and Paypal invoice.

My sweet Winona has found a home to travel to. Luckily her new home is also in the 21st century so she won’t have to go back in time. Thank you so much to everyone that volunteered to sit with Winona and keep her company. Your kindness and your support are the fuel that keeps my dollmaking going. With much love, Fabs

Thank you so much for doing us the honour of coming to read about her, for paying us such a nice visit. We hope you enjoyed this little autumn walk and if Winona speaks to you, let it sink deeper, maybe you can volunteer to steer the rest of your life in her company or maybe you can love her from afar, like I will be doing once she heads “home”.

It has been a pleasure to bring her to life and I hope you can see that too. We should be back on Sunday. Lord help us wait gracefully.