Sigrún woke up a bit earlier than usual, the promise of a wondrous day outside beckoned her out of the warm blankets. Timid naked feet poked out of the bed, to slip inside cozy slippers. A warm rug welcomed her stance, she stretched, yawned and looked out the window. Still darkness. Much to do.
Gathering groggy and unsympathetic sisters is the routine of many an eldest sibling. Up-and-at-ems, morning-sunshines, out-of-bed-sleepy-heads are greetings that have to be repeated many times before any sort of movement is achieved out of the relatives in question. Only the smell of tea and warm toast can sometime awaken the beasts. And tea and toast was what Sigrún opted for this morning, the day just had that name.
Getting dressed for the long walk through the forest posed threats and a yell or two. Giggles, jokes, and knotty brushes were thrown about, until everyone was ready. Mahthildis insisted in wearing a large bead as a bow, and Freyja pouted the whole way there. Something to do with a rock in her boot, and no common sense to stop and do something about it. “Younger sisters are a pain in the neck”, thought Sigrún as she walked under canopies and mossy-skirted trees welcomed them into their realm.
Cooperation came easy. It is always like that when there is a battle to fight, a room to tidy up for unwanted visits, or soup to simmer to calm barking bellies. Everybody got busy placing cut up paper snowflakes, the orange peel garland they worked in last night, and a pine cone or two. All strung unceremoniously and with lots of giggles. “Giggling sisters are just the biggest treasure”, thought Sigrún to herself as she helped them accomplish the task at hand.
Brown-papered packages were bought at the village shops, always decorated so beautifully at this time of the year: greenery boughs and dusted sugar on windowsills, gingerbread houses and cookies everywhere. The girls walked home with lifted hearts while singing every possible carol they could remember. Always Mahthildis changing the words for rhyming counterfeits that made her sisters burst out laughing. Naughty girl. I suppose being the youngest grants you permission to be a little more terrible than usual. The air smelled pungent and strong, the sun was waning, and they knew that home waited with blankets, books, mugs of hot chocolate and twinkling candles.
Such is the life of three sisters.
Sigrún is the eldest, and Freyja her close second. Mahthildis the youngest and chief mischief maker. They are all made in my Petite Fig style and measure 20” tall. They were made with cotton fabric and stuffed very firmly with wool. Their hair is mohair weft, sewn to a wool cap. Their faces embroidered and their rosy cheeks blushed naturally with red beeswax. All three dolls wear lovely dresses, long wool underwear, boots, and hats. In the case of Freyja she wears a hooded cape. All dolls come with two outfits that are inter-changeable and the pieces go well together.
Their story is not over, and I will come back tomorrow to show you their winter gowns. We wanted to introduce them first with their “day outfit”. But do come back again so you can see their handiwork as they themselves made lovely crowns to wear with their brand new clothes.
If you want to welcome one of these three girls in your home, please enter your name in the form below. You can enter for all three but you will have to submit the form for each doll (If you are confused about which one is which, just scroll over the photos and each one has a name). Please refresh the page every time so that the form re-appears once submitted. We will gladly and most humbly accept entries for them until tomorrow Sunday December 13th at 7 PM EST. If you are selected to purchase a doll, you will be sent a Paypal invoice and payment is due immediately. Please only enter your name if you are personally interested in bringing a doll home and can proceed to the transaction. Do not enter on behalf of somebody else. The price for each doll is $1300 USD plus postage. Taxes apply to Canadian customers. Shipping varies on type of service (Expedited or Express Post) and place of residence, all dolls travel with tracking number.
—THE FORM HAS BEEN DELETED. ALL DOLLS HAVE FOUND A HOME. THANK YOU!!
To celebrate the season the girls got new Winter gowns. A bit depressing that we couldn’t find a lump of snow to get camouflaged (one of their favourite games) and after a little deliberation the girls decided it is better this way, because they can go to bed at night wishing for a white Christmas. And after all, is there anything better than to go to bed wishing for something magical to happen? Very few things in the world can top that sentiment.
After picking up their big packages from the village tailor, the girls got unpacking and discovering all the little details that make girls twinkle: a fluffy furry skirt that hugs your waist just right, a sweet bonnet with hand-sewn rosettes and pearly details, cozy cashmere top with a shabby button (just the way you imagined it!); a hooded cape full of hearts and angora, with the longest ties so you can pretend you’re a medieval princess, a lovely apron on your dress, just right to wrap around your hands when Father Winter bites, two creamy buttons that remind you of sweet toffee; little vintage glass buttons on your mocha dress, with just a hint of pink because even though you don’t want to admit it, you’re a bit girly and very much sweet; a big point hat because sometimes you still play pretend and like to imagine you’re a little gnome girl playing pranks on your elder sisters, with the funnest cascading trim that reminds you of icicles and snow drifts.
The girls put on their outfits and grabbing their largest blanket headed outside. A bit of string and three different trees and they created the perfect compliment to their winter gowns: greenery crowns. Winter greens have always been a symbol of magic, as they stay green for the time when everything else seems to have died or gone to sleep. The girls selected fir, holly and boxwood and made soft crown to grace their faces. They danced, they giggled and after a little bit of merry decided to sit down again and sing a song for me.
I guess this is their way of saying thanks for putting up with all their shenanigans and this is my way of saying thanks to them for letting me be the beginning of their journey. It is a most wondrous opportunity to be able to create dolls, to see them develop under my hands and to witness how pieces of fabric and lengths of thread become little people. Thanks to these little people I have gained immense knowledge and a renewed confidence in the power of stories. I guess the biggest act of magic they have performed over me is to make me realize that anything can be accomplished: if I was able to learn to make dolls, anything can happen. Thank you for being part of my journey.
