As you probably have already seen, I have been hard at work trying to finish this little girls’ clothing so that we can send her home. I finished the last little bit yesterday and it is now time, time to say good bye.

Coco, a natural fiber art doll by fig and me.

You don’t know the half of it, but her Mom and I agreed to her creation back in December 2017. We had someone else in mind when I took this custom order, her Mom underwent some really scary medical procedures and everything had to be put on hold. Coco wasn’t ready to be born.

I came back to Canada, reacquainted myself with the boreal forest and Coco started to come to me. This patient, quiet, pensive wool child of mine. I couldn’t stop dreaming about her and as soon as her Mom gave me green light we started in earnest.

Months and months went by, with a little here and a little there. Somehow I knew she would be finished with lots of snow on the ground. She kept whispering grays and browns.

When I came back from Maui, with a world entirely upside down, so many people in isolation (ourselves included), it is by working on her and her clothes that the light kept burning bright.

Nothing gives you so much direction when, working from home, you need to dress a doll. Especially one as funny and silly as Coco. I can’t even begin to tell you how many afternoons we spend fighting over threads, or the entire Sunday we devoted to nothing but knitting a cardigan for her.

I call this life a blessing and it truly is. To be able to work doing something I thoroughly love, I enjoy it so much, and then so happy to have the dolls with me as I work on the, giving them hugs and playing with their hair. Learning stitches, embroidery and design. Every little bit I do is a new adventure.

Trying to keep up my promise of documenting my dollmaking journey in video as well, I recorded many snippets of the making of her headband. Don’t ask me when I will manage to publish them but I hope that is soon.

I had a recent Patreon Gathering and I had Coco sitting there with me. Someone asked me how I was able to part with her and it made me think about it. I am not sure how I am able to do it because I have been doing it for so long I guess. I love all my dolls, the little ones, the big ones, all of them. Some take me really long, some others take less time, but I love them all.

Obviously the larger dolls, with all their clothes and the time we spend together crafting everything, do stay more present on my mind. The custom dolls are even more intense than my regular dolls, on so many levels. Yet, I am still able to part with them. Every time.

Maybe it’s because I know their place is not here with me. I create them with intention. That intent is there from the beginning: to send them away to live a life full of purpose. I know the person waiting for Coco needs her. She requires a little friend to spend peaceful afternoons watching the rain, someone to hug when she is in pain, a comforting doll to help her see life with softer edges.

So though it is hard to say good bye to Miss Coco, knowing that she will bring life and light to someone who needs it right now makes the whole ordeal much more bearable. Also, I had a lot of fun with her so it is only nice to share.

Coco is a custom doll, a little over 23” tall. She is made with cotton interlock and stuffed very firmly all with wool. Her hair is made with Suri Alpaca locks I washed and wefted myself, and then sewn by hand to a mohair cap. Her hair is so soft, bouncy and playful. Her big brown eyes are embroidered and her head needle-felted.

Coco is made with my Figlette pattern. She resembles a 6 year old child.

She has several items of clothing, all made by me, expressly for her. But all under her guidance and patient eye.

Dear Coco, thank you for being my friend when I really needed it. Thank you for your funny ideas, your silly jokes and your beautiful smile. I hope your Mom takes very good care of you and that you make her as happy as you have made me. I love you. If you ever want to come back to visit, you just say the word. Say hi to Saskia and all the other dolls.
Love, Fabs.