Want a custom doll from me this year?
The time has come to open up my custom doll list again and I am here to tell you all about it.
If you are interested in having a one-of-a-kind art doll created just for you, I have a couple options to offer you this year.
Please read on and any questions kindly let me know.
How do I work?
First, some introductions. As you probably know, my name is Fabiola and I am a self-taught dollsmith exploring the gentle fiber arts, especially dollmaking, since 2008.
I love to create very unique dolls that speak directly to your heart and are made as one-of-a-kind art dolls.
I playfully arrange outfits for my dolls, based on their wishes and aesthetic inclinations, trying my best to come up with distinctive clothes because I truly dislike dressing the dolls in the same style of clothing over and over again. Just changing the fabrics won’t do it for me or for them 😅.
Instead, I enjoy creating clothes that speak clearly of the dolls’ personalities, of their requests and dreams, the season they were created, the story they have to tell, making their outfits as much a part of the doll as the shape of the eyes or the style of hair.
I work very slowly on custom dolls, giving myself plenty of time to create other woolly children that might surface from the subconscious, but I keep in communication with you throughout the process so you know where your doll stands in his or her magical making journey.
I only take very few custom spots per year, and I work my way through those orders throughout the entire year. I do not like long doll making to-do lists, and I find keeping my commitments short and achievable much better for my mental health.
So that’s how I like to offer custom spots for the discerning collector or potential doll parent.
Which dolls are available?
This year I will be offering again two styles as custom orders. The Petite Fig and the Mannikin. Both are 16” tall but with very different proportions and personalities.
The Petite Fig in this size represents a child approximately 5-6 years old. The Mannikin represents a 10-12 year old.
The Petite Fig has a moveable head, torso weighted with glass beads and firmly stuffed limbs. The Mannikin is a wool sculpture over a full body armature, so all parts bend and move.
They are both made with wool and cotton skin, options for skin tones and materials will vary according to your selections.
Fibers and styles for hair are equally vast, so we will get to talk about all that when it is time for your custom order to be started.
The Petite Figs are incredibly gifted little dolls that spark many ideas in their creative odyssey and they are great for collectors and for people who like to play a lot with their dolls.
This is the doll style that I most commonly make as a ready-to-go doll, but I am now offering them as well as custom orders.
The Mannikin is an older doll style but one that continually is experimented and improved upon.
Since they have so much mobility, they are the perfect doll for storytelling and for doll photography.
If you would like to see examples of both doll styles you can find them in the galleries below:
How does it work?
Upon successful admission to the custom doll wagon 🤓 you will be charged a $100 USD deposit. This is a non-refundable deposit if you cancel your spot in the custom doll journey. This deposit will count towards your custom doll payment once it is time for us to create a doll together.
You will be expected to provide a lot of personal information to me, so I can gather enough background stock to bring forth your special doll. This will all be clear via a questionnaire that I send once I am ready to start your doll.
For now all you need to do is decide whether this jolly fiber enterprise is something you want to embark on this year with me, and submit your details via the following form.
The form has been deleted. My custom list for 2024 is full. Thank you!
I take two main payments. First half when I start your custom doll, and the second and last payment when your doll is finished.
Postage charges are not included and will be quoted upon completion. Taxes and import fees may be due depending on your country. The deposit will be subtracted off your first payment.
We ensure the dolls travel comfortably and as safe as possible. We sometimes pack them with sweets so they don’t get too famished on their journey home.
My life will be a little bit insane this year so I am taking an extremely limited number of custom dolls so that I can also offer a few other dolls available for sale.
I am so excited to hear your questions, wishes, life stories and ideas regarding beautiful dolls that are still floating in the ether, waiting for us to turn them to real wool flesh and to look at us through their embroidered eyes, passively reflecting our emotions and allowing us to play and heal some of the damage inflicted by our harsh world.
Doll making has been the source of endless joy in my life and I am very grateful that people like you keep trusting my hands and supporting them via the honest work of needle and thread.
I know of many people that have been nurtured greatly by allowing themselves to enjoy playing with dolls. Not everybody needs it, but you might 🤗
Thank you for giving all this a thought and will be contacting each of you privately once your spot is allocated.
