Friday 9 January 2009

The Idea Of A Doll

This doll was prompted by thinking about why I like dolls and what they mean to me. As I said in the last post I was not that interested as a child but am now. I think I like collecting and making them for the same reason-the emotions they convey to me and their magical (to me) quality-to do with their miniatureness. I am not quite sure. Anyway, I was thinking about what dolls are in our lives in the usual run of things and I made a very simple doll to express my opinion about that. I was not going to do a mouth and nose but decided that would be cruel!
I started from the word doll and used it to make an acrostic. (Can you say an acrostic or does it have to be an acrostic something?-poem?) I made it into a little dress.

The rainbow ribbon is to cover up the eye wires poking out of the back of her head.

13 comments:

Lynne said...

Thanks for your info about making dolls. I have always loved dolls and I think I played with them until quite late I suppose. But I did always enjoy making clothes for them, and I made a family of paper dolls.
Wylam! Ask him if he knows Throckley just down the road from Wylam. That's where we lived and my children still do. It's on the outskirts of Newcastle. We could walk along the River Tyne to Wylam past George Stephenson's Cottage. Wylam and the surrounding area is lovely. In fact I passed quite close by to Wylam today on the old Newcastle Carlisle road. Small world!

Anonymous said...

I love the acrostic and the doll...I can't wait to see how she turns out. I also really liked your appetizer stars and I'm going to steal that idea for my next dinner party...I love fussing with the presentation almost as much as the food!

Anonymous said...

I am excited to see how this doll turns out. I played with dolls so much when I was a little girl. I was quite the "mommy" to them.

Candace said...

Oh Sarah, well done. Thanks for sharing but -- now don't laugh but is there a "Doll Virus" going around? There must be! I was just thinking how to "do" My Hands Across The Water figures into 3-D dolls today! AND I just bought a magazine on dolls.

My favourite two dolls...? Well, I guess that's for a future post on my blog.
Looking forward to seeing more of your work!

Brother Tobias said...

D'you know, that doll is perfect just like that. There is something nostalgic and haunting about dolls, like those scenes in films where an abandoned swing rocks in the breeze and there is an echo of children's voices at play. Perhaps we still, as children do, invest them with personalities and feelings. There is a breath of voodoo in every doll.

Sarah said...

Hi Lynne,
That's ok. Last night I found that there are lots of doll making videos on youtube after looking at the red fairy video. The best thing I saw was someone using one of those rubber brush things as a tool-it might be the answer to my mouth problems! Andy does know Throckley. It is a small world!
Thanks Sarah! It is unusual for me to cook at all so I was quite pleased with these. Hope you had a good holiday.
Thanks Liz! I think she is finished-I wanted something really simple for this doll.
Hi Candace!
You may be right, the world and his mother seems to be making dolls at the moment! The more the merrier I say. I look forward to seeing hands across the sea 3D!
Thanks Brother Tobias, that is a beautiful comment.
Have a good weekend everyone!

ARJUN MS said...

hai.........
there is something special ......
i liked its simplicity .
hope it will have a great time ahead.
ARJUN MS
INDIA
www.stylisharjun.blogspot.com
(please visit and comment)

Paper Dolls For Boys said...

ok - that acrostic dress is brilliant. I really like that idea and am racking my tired to brain to think what I could write an acrostic about! Thanks for the inspiration. Maybe on the cover for my sewing machine. Glad to have found your blog!
Cheers,
Tracey

Sarah said...

Thanks Tracey. Likewise!

A.Smith said...

I used to make dolls, reproductions of antique dolls. German glass eyes, 16 joined pieces with perfectly round little balls joining the legs and the arms so they could be posed to please. But porcelain and I didn't make friends ever. Finally my doctor decreed that vacuum table and all, I was no longer allowed to make them. It was a sad time.

It took me years to part with my molds, it had been very hard to find them, but I guess the time was mostly symbolic of my not wanting to part with my incipient Geppetto personality. So of course I love dolls, and this one in particular. It has spirit and when you make a doll, unless you let them "be", they say nothing to you or to anyone else.

This one speaks volumes. Good for you Sarah! for those who understand the dolls' language, there is no leaving them behind.

Sarah said...

Thanks Allegra for your lovely comment. I think you are right about letting them be. Their personalities and meanings appear as I make them. I am in awe of ball jointed doll makers. I don't have one but I have seen videos of a maker posing her dolls and they are amazing. Truly like real miniature people.

Karin said...

What a wonderful doll!

Christine said...

What a great doll..I played with dolls as a kid but didnt give them much thought until a few years ago when I saw modern ones that were simple. I really like this paired down one. I hope to experiment with my dolls this year and I'm taking up sewing :) Nice too see that you are getting into the"idea" behind dolls.