About meI am a maker, teacher and parent. I have been living in Hackney with my family and dogs for 20 years and am lucky enough to have a studio space at the end of an overgrown garden where I can run my workshops. I am more interested in the way these handmade dolls are holding the maker's time and love than in seeing someone make a perfect doll. Giving a child something that was made just for them by hands that care is letting them know they are important and in this digital, over-consuming world I'm happy to be a part of that! |
The dolls are traditional European cloth dolls, often called Waldorf dolls as they have been used in Steiner kindergartens for the last 100 years but in fact they have been around longer than that. They are made from natural materials and have simple embroidered faces on heads that have been formed by binding string around wool stuffing. The faces are kept intentionally simple to allow open ended play.
I believe dolls should be given to both boys and girls and try to keep some of my dolls gender neutral for the child to create the character they wish.
It is important to me to use natural, ethically sourced and local materials as much as possible.
I often use hair wool from Garthenor in Wales which is undyed and organic. The clothes are often made from recycled or waste fabric. I have used cashmere offcuts from a Scottish wooden mill , an end of roll handwoven hemp, beautiful handspun cotton from Brixton market...
Wool will absorb warmth and the smell of home, it will repel damp, is biodegradable and renewable. While it would be cheaper to use synthetic stuffing, I use natural sheep's wool. Some is left overs from 'Devon Duvets' and some from Rosewood farm in Yorkshire where the sheep “live entirely on our synthetic fertiliser and pesticide free pastures, lamb naturally without human intervention and require no routine medication or synthetic pesticides, meaning a residue-free fleece and an entirely sustainable and natural end-product” All good to know if your child is cuddling their doll to sleep at night.
