Sep 23

Sep 23 Blackberry Florence: a natural fiber art doll ready to play

She is finally ready to bring her magic into your home. If you wish to give this little one a family to belong to, please read on.

Blackberry Florence, natural fiber art doll by Fig&me.

Miss Blackberry Florence has been in the “making” as they say for quite some time. I initially created her little head and taught a sculpting workshop as I made her lips. That was all very fun but still Blackberry Florence needed to come to life.

We knew back then the timing wasn’t right. She was whispering rusts, faded purples and soft pinks. The sorts of colours I anticipate of the earliest of Autumn notes. So we waited and one day she came out fully from the wool nest she was living in.

I must confess when I first dreamed of her I thought she was a Strawberry Fairy, you know the sort? With green leaves for capes and strawberries dangling all over the place. But she quickly corrected me: “I am a fairy of the hedges and woods” she promptly retorted. “Of sloes, blackberries and huckleberries, that sort”.

I turned my gaze to the proper fruits then.

“I do have to warn you Florence, there aren’t much hedges around here, so you will have to do with the long meadows and the entryways to the woods. Would that satisfy you?” I inquired with a heart full of hope. She assented and I got to work.

Bringing fairies to life is sort of my specialty, really. I don’t always give them wings but I always make them magical. Look for yourself if you are still on the fence.

Florence is what I call “a sight for sore eyes”, as just looking at her makes my entire body relax, my gaze softens and my hands gravitate immediately to her gorgeous hair, being dosed with unbelievable pain-killing chemicals via kid mohair, cashmere, linen and wool.

Best kind of medicine for a tired heart.

The days went by, hard at work on all those little things she seemed to be so excited about. She wanted a pretty pink dress and I obliged. With soft cuffs to keep her arms clear if she needed to hike up her sleeves to get to work.

Then we thought she might need an apron to keep her dress clean, as fairies are very busy at this time of the year. Especially if you handle blackberries! My apologies that I haven’t snapped more photos of her clothing items but I will get to it, I promise. I just had so much fun bringing Florence outside, for her daily inspections of the woods, that I forgot to take her little cape off so you could see everything more clearly.

Taking notice of her soft personality, I deemed it necessary to knit her a pair of booties in cashmere yarn. You asked me if I had a pattern for the booties and I don’t, but this pattern I published a long time ago is pretty close. Except the gauge of course, as Florence has very, very tiny feet.

Taking Florence outside and just following her around is very fun. She points correctly to all the things she thinks I will enjoy, to the mushrooms and the faded leaves. To the abundance of clover and goldenrod, to the wilting fireweed. The birches lighting up and the moss getting greener by the minute.

Florence seems to know all these things intuitively. Some days when I visit the garden or the woods accompanied by my dolls, I always marvel at the things they make me notice. If I am by myself it’s a very different experience of the outside world than if I am with my dolls. They seem to bring out all the magic exploding to my very eyes. Perhaps it’s because I have to slow down even more and pay attention, lest I drop them on the ground or I sit them on unsuitable materials (think bears visiting your yard late at night).

I have told you, so many times before, how the dolls are always teaching me lessons. That is true. Sometimes it’s hard to see the lesson, and though it often pertains to dollmaking techniques, knitting or sewing, the lessons are also of the more personal cloth. They teach me to be patient, agreeable, kind to myself and to not feel ashamed for filling silly and wanting to play and giggle with them.

After all, if we are not to keep a joyful heart, then what is the point of it all? That is I believe the main lesson that Florence leaves with me. I hope she brings other lessons to you too.

One lesson I anticipate is she is going to make you look down and look up. Florence loves to watch birds and the leaves on the tallest trees. So I hope it doesn’t come as a surprise for you to see her staring at the flying geese, the rowdy crows or the nuthatches. But she also likes to inspect under fallen leaves, touch the smallest of the wild violets and veronicas. Perhaps those are her favourites.

If you would like to bring Blackberry Florence home you can do so by entering your name in the form down below. Florence is a natural fiber art doll that measures 15” tall. She is made with cotton fabric and stuffed with wool. Her hair is made of hand-dyed wool locks, wefted by myself and sewn to a mohair cap. Her hair should not be brushed and needs to be handled gently so it doesn’t mat.

Florence wears a linen dress with long sleeves, with peter pan collar made with repurposed cashmere and it opens/closes fully at back with sewn-in snaps. She also wears a cotton pinafore that also closes at back. Her bloomers are made with cotton double-gauze and have elastic on the waist and legs. Her knitted boots are made with cashmere yarn, and so is her soft capelet which is made with hand-dyed yarns and kid mohair as well.

Florence price is $975 USD, shipping costs to Canada and the US are $50 USD (insured and with tracking number). International customers will need a revised shipping quote depending on country of residence and method of travel. Florence is not suitable for small children, as there are many small parts and her hair requires gentle hands. Care instructions are emailed to you upon shipment.

To offer your home to Florence, please enter your details in this form. We will gladly receive offers until Friday September 25th at 7 PM EST, at which point I will close this form and select a name at random to purchase Florence. A Paypal invoice will be sent then and is due upon receipt. Only people personally interested in bringing Florence home are encouraged to enter their details, please don’t enter your information on behalf of someone else to increase their chances at bringing Florence home.

-FORM HAS BEEN DELETED. FLORENCE HAS FOUND A HOME, THANK YOU!

As you can see, Miss Florence likes to look up. At thsi moment we were walking through a red clover and yarrow meadow, and she wanted to look at a pin cherry tree and was marvelled by a majestic birch. The sun was shining so beautifully on her hair and I was so happy to be able to take her photo right then.

People ask me all the time how I am able to part with my dolls, as they all seem to touch me so deeply and be so special to me, and the truth is I really love sharing them with others. I know how they make me feel and I can only hope they bring out the same feelings in those they choose to live with.

So if you are putting your name in the hat for Florence, we sincerely thank you. Your support of my dollmaking endeavours makes it possible for me to keep learning, bringing dolls forth from my dreams and nature inspirations.

We wish you all the best of luck and we’ll see you on Friday.

Thank you for coming to see Blackberry Florence and for reading my doll adventures.