Jul 16

Jul 16 Morning Sun with Cora, a Natural Fiber Art Doll

The birds started their chirping business quite early, as is usual. The blinds outside the windows were pulled up one by one, in a noisy manner, revealing furniture, strewn objects from the previous night, dust in the air and light…so much light. It was already warm.

Cora, a natural fiber art doll, 16” tall wool sculpted articulated bespoke doll by Fig and Me.

Cora started dressing herself. White pantaloons trimmed in lace, her brown dress with pearl buttons, the one with the rolled hem on the sleeves. We chuckled together at how clever we felt when we made those sleeves!

Though the morning sun was warming up every lit corner of the garden, there were still quite a few spots were the shadows encouraged a little shiver. Wool shoulders love wool shawls, or so they tell me.

And they also make great picnic blankets or soft landings when you decide to sit on the rocky walls of the garden. I would never attempt to sit on one of my hand-knit shawls, as they literally take me eons to knit, but since they don’t knit they have no clue.

Children are all the same.

Doll clothing details: pintucks and pearl buttons. By Fig and Me.

The dolls have always been of a curious nature. Inspecting holes on the ground and anticipating rounded-belly gentleman folk coming to meet them. Or perhaps a furry rat with beady eyes, or a hedgehog wearing a red tie? Who knows… but they do expect most marvellous surprises from holes on the ground. Yes, they also love the beginning of The Hobbit.

If you don’t follow my adventures in dollmaking as a Patron, you probably have no clue of the mad love affair I have with my (new to me) sewing machine.

I have temporarily relocated to Portugal, and so I was in need of a trusty steed that would take me through valleys of hemp, wool and linen; to gently guide my hands and fabrics through mountains of doll skin knits and land me in friendly waters when it comes to pintucks and sewing lace. Lo and behold, I found just the thing!

Waiting in a dusty corner of a thrift store in the city of Coimbra, I happened to find a minty green Automatic Husqvarna. All cast. All original. All treadle machine. With cams for decorative stitches. I have never used a treadle machine or cams. But her beauty was upon me and I took her with me.

A trip to the service man, an electrical motor adaptation (it had a little light, so it must have had some sort of plug at some point), a late-night scouting of the internet for the original sewing manual and I was MADLY in love.

While I will forever love my Janome 6500 (I love her so much I did not want to risk bringing her across the Atlantic with me), this machine is a thing of beauty. It feels ancient, strong, very accurate. It sews very fast and very slow. It makes the tiniest stitches that sit so pretty on all fabrics.

It came with all her presser feet so I can make the daintiest of rolled hems…but, since we are also hand-sewing fools we decided to tackle such things by hand. We can’t let Husqvarna have ALL the fun!

So I feel perfectly entitled now to add pintucks here and there, and everywhere. To create french seams, use odd embroidery stitches by machine and (no…don’t say it!) attempt buttonholes. The world is now my oyster friends. You just sit tight and watch me.

Cora, being the smart girl that she is, waited until I had this sewing machine to start asking for clothes. She chose her fabrics wisely and we had the most rambunctious fun sewing for her. So much so that we kept adding little dresses to her wardrobe.

So I will have to take one more photoshoot with her and show you. For now you must wait.

Love is in the details. Custom fiber art doll by Fig and Me.

By the way, aren’t her little suede shoes so cute? There is a similar pattern in my store if you want to make them and these Mary-janes are made of felt. Much easier and gentle on the woollen feet 😘

Don’t worry. Miss Cora is also waiting, but she unlike you, is sitting in the studio, watching me make mushroom dollies and talk nonsense all day.

Good times, friends! Good times.