Well here we are again, with another large family of dolls, all made at once. It’s not something I commonly do, but it still surprises me when I get the umph to tackle such a thing. Let me tell you a bit more about their making journey and what it is to create dolls for me.

Natural fiber art dolls | Fig and Me | Dollmaking with natural materials

Never mind that I had very different intentions for them. They were supposed to have sprung up from my poorly tended vegetable garden, we also had florals in mind. You can check out this little photo I posted on IG back when I started actually designing this collection.

Yes, designing a group of dolls takes me a long time, and that is when all goes well. Unfortunately we encountered some serious life difficulties and so they had to be paused quite a few times. We only grow stronger by facing adversities, do we not?

So, eventually I got back to them. I no longer felt the vegetable garden was their main drive. I usually have an intention behind each doll, something that drives me forward in her or his creation. An idea, you could call it. It’s not necessarily the fabric or the outfit, there is always a concept or story in my head.

Well, the initial force behind them was gone. The days started getting crispier, the mornings more and more wet. I am now having to bring in my dahlias inside lest they perish in the plummeting night temperatures.

The borage and the marigolds and calendulas in full bloom. I started to feel the dolls changing.

I decided to use the same fabrics for them but we sort of moved them around. With their permission of course. We elongated sleeves and made skirts a tad bit longer as well.

Instead of sandals, we opted for socks.

Instead of bloomers, we went for jersey underwear.

No more leather shoes, my hands gravitated to cashmere and lambswool. I am ever so glad I listened!

Because though my initial ideas were different but still good, they no longer fitted their purpose. I am a firm believer in following your doll and wherever that inspiration may drive you.

Sometimes the weather turns unbelievably quickly and we must adapt. I don’t create in a vacuum, even though I sketch and select fabrics and yarns long beforehand, it is always left to the doll to say the last word. This process, as you can tell, has served me well over 13 years now.

That all sounds a tad poetic, doesn’t it? Well, it’s absolute chaos. Don’t let me fool you.

I say grey shoes and they say brown. I pick pink underwear and they say no way. I offer metal snaps and they longingly contemplate the mother-of-pearl buttons. It’s a tug-of-war but fortunately for me it involves pattern making, ribbons and soft fabrics. I can never complain.

I can’t tell you how many, really how many times I had to erase things and fabric choices in my design journal. So Dimity is supposed to wear this fabric for her skirt and this will be her blouse…a day later, Phyllis is wearing the skirt design in the fabric that was supposed to be for Millie.

A day later it’s Dotty wearing the skirt! Absolute madness.

But of course, look at them. Did they choose well or not? Call me biased (and you would be right on the mark!) but I think each outfit now is very agreeable to each doll and their personality. No need to tell you I adore them, you can tell that by just looking at them, right?

So now for some specs.

These fives are made with my Petite Fig pattern. I recently (January 2020) downsized this pattern. It is normally used to create dolls 18” to 20” tall. But I downsized it for a 16” doll back in 2020. And now it can also give me 14” dolls, such as these little girls.

These little girls are made with the proportions of very young children in mind. They are all made with 100% cotton doll skin fabric and they are stuffed with clean wool.

Their heads are completely needle felted and articulated, so they can move all around. Each face has been sculpted with different features.

Eyes are all done in embroidery, with a lot of care and changing their eye shape every time. They also all have freckles and they are blushed with natural red beeswax.

These dolls are fully weighted with glass beads in their bellies. It gives them such a comforting feel and it allows you to hold them in your hands very tenderly. They are NOT toys for young children. 12+ and adult collectors.

Their clothing is small and they need expert hands to be dressed and undressed. So many small parts that can pose choking hazards, so please take this in consideration.

As mentioned before, I have been making dolls for 13 years now, so they are expertly sewn, carefully designed and made with a lot of love.

They are all looking for a family, so let me introduce each one in the hopes that you can learn more about them and consider taking one into your home.

Dotty

Dotty is the youngest of these five cousins. Sometimes she gets all the attention because of this, which she normally doesn’t appreciate. Dotty is very shy and likes to always stay by Millie’s side, as Millie pampers her a lot.

Dotty is excited to go to school. She thinks it will be brilliant to be able to read herself all the fairy tales she so loves. The only ‘snag’ is that she will have to wake up early, something she abhors doing.

We are hopeful for Dotty’s future. She is bright, she is gentle, and once she learns how to manage her shy spirit, she will be more comfortable in all situations.

Dotty wears a cotton double-gauze blouse, that opens fully at back and has a wooden button. Her little pinafore is made with organic linen/cotton, has a pocket (so helpful) and leather straps. She also comes wearing jersey underwear, pointelle socks and cashmere/lambswool shoes. Dotty’s eyes are brown and so is her hair.

She loves birds and turtles. Loves to hear very long fairy tales and prefers to wake up late. I hope you can make room in your doll room for Miss Dotty.

Dimity

Dimity is the eldest of this little doll family. She is not bossy and adores all her cousins. She is a bit of a fashionista and insists in wearing matching colours all the time. We have tried to encourage more openness and flexibility but she won’t hear of it. I guess she knows her own mind.

Dimity especially likes to wear green, to match her eyes. It is her favourite colour so she loves plants naturally. She likes to take all her wee cousins to picnics and forests, and if there’s an option for tea in the garden she snaps every opportunity.

Dimity is very interested in her education. She wants to be very good at math, because she hopes one day to be able to sew all her clothes. I tried teaching her how to hold a needle and sew simple seams and I was very pleased with how attentive she is and how excited she gets when allowed to use sharp things, always with care. It makes her feel autonomous and trusted.

Currently she is expressing an interest for biology as her future profession so we provide her with a lot of nature journals and plant identification books. I hope Dimity is welcomed by a family who shares her interest in mother nature.

She is wearing a cotton double-gauze blouse that opens at front and closes with snaps. Her skirt is made with organic cotton/linen blend and it has metal decorative buttons. It opens fully and closes with snaps. Her underwear is made with floral jersey and her socks with pointelle. Her shoes are made with cashmere and wool.

We wish you all the luck in the world with your studies Dimity!

Millie

Now Millie is the most caring child I’ve ever met. She dotes on Dotty (giggle, giggle) and has self-appointed the mother of the group. She really has a very nurturing personality, always tending to her cousins and friends, asking everyone how they feel and is very senstive to other people’s frame of mind.

Millie loves to be in groups. She thrives providing, nurturing, taking care of others. She is at her happiest when surrounded by her family, playing card games or going for walks. She loves to spend time in the garden, helping tidy up the flower beds and watering.

She truly wishes for the day she can have her own chickens and ducks, geese, maybe even sheep she says. She tells me all sorts of stories about how she envisions taking care of her animals, what they eat, how she is going to make them comfortable and plans to name each one and take very good care of them.

Because she is so interested in helping all the time we thought it was important to have an apron. It makes you feel ready to tackle important tasks, wether that is cleaning, cooking, tending the garden or looking smart.

Millie is wearing an organic cotton/linen dress with lace at the sleeves. It opens fully on the back and closes with sewn-in snaps. Her apron is made of cotton double-gauze and trimmed with the same cotton lace. Her undies are made with jersey and her stripy socks too. Her shoes are made with cashmere and wool.

Millies has blue eyes and bright red hair. I hope Millie’s dreams of becoming a hobby farmer become true for her.

Phyllis

Now Phyllis, where I do begin? I think of the bunch she is the most like me. Contrary, stubborn, undomitable. These are not qualities we both enjoy, however there is no point in swimming upstream, is there?

Phyllis loves to test, things and others, especially my patience. She likes to experiment. To see how things work and why. This can be very proving to people who like dormancy, complacency and a more easy-going way of life. She never welcomes answers fully, always has to ask why, dig deeper and see things from all the angles her little mind can ellucidate.

I love her curiosity but I do confess it is somewhat trying to provide her with the answers and material that she needs to be fully engaged. So, being an explorer and philosopher, she likes to be outside. She contemplates the sway of the trees and wonders about air, wind, energy and time. She asked for a magnifying glass for her birthday, so she can inspect things more closely. She counts everything. Catalogs. Writes poems. Giggles a lot at her own discoveries.

Phyllis is extremely smart and at times I have found my own inadequacies through her line of questioning. But it has always broaded my horizons and giving me new things to think about and I am so grateful that this little doll has expanded my own little universe. I hope she brings the same inquiry into your life.

Phyllis wears an organic cotton/linen skirt with suspenders. Her blouse is made with cotton double-gauze and it opens fully at back. Her underwear is made of jersey as her stripy socks. Phyllis wears cashmere and wool shoes.

Her eyes are brown and her hair is blonde. I hope that you can find an interesting corner for Phyllis to inquire about.

Nelly

And finally Miss Nelly. The gentlest soul. There is always one in my groups who feels much older than the rest. The old souls as they call them. Who sits and observes, never judges, or complains. It’s like they intuit the futility of it and they just get on with life.

Nelly is quiet, calm, very peaceful. But that doesn’t mean she is not the first to climb the trees or get in the front of the car. She likes to be on top of trees to watch the clouds and she likes to sit in the front of the car so she can have a better view. Phyllis suggested a career as an Air Traffic Controller and it made us all giggle, but it could happen!

Nelly loves animal stories. Her favourite books are the Beatrix Potter series, Wind in the Willows and The Secret of Nimh. She is a little young to get her started on the Chronicles of Narnia but I think she will like it. Maybe you can be the one to read them to her.

She wears a cotton double-gauze dress, that opens fully at back. Her little pinafore is made with cotton corduroy that I dyed with avocado pits and it has leather straps. Nelly wears jersey underwear and cotton ribbing socks. Her shoes are made of wool and cashmere.

Nelly’s eyes are almost teal and her hair is a gorgeous red. I hope you can welcome Nelly in your doll room.

If you would like to bring one of these dolls home, please enter your details in the form below. Their price is $1200 USD each and postage is $50 to Canada and the US. International customers will need a revised quote depending on country of residence. All dolls travel with tracking number and insurance.

You can enter for more than one, but you will have to submit the form each time.

I will leave the entry form open until Friday September 17th at 7 PM Toronto, and at that point I will close the form, select families at random for each doll and notify you via email.

All dolls have found a home. Thank you so much your support!