Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Dolls,
Dolls,

Dolls



Made by me, last week, during Thanksgiving break. She has knitted limbs, thrift store cashmere sweater head and body, and garage sale lace clothing. She is 9 1/2 inches tall.

Made eight years ago. She is 4 1/4 inches tall.


I have always loved dolls. As a child I didn’t have the latest doll of TV commercials. I never had the walking, talking, Chatty Cathys which I saw at my friends’ houses. Either I knew instinctively that they were overrated or my mother subtlely instilled the idea in me that MY dolls had more play potential because they could say anything I wanted them to say. What my sister and I did have were a few beautiful Madam Alexander dolls: 8 inch Wendy, Baby Genius,

Cisette and 15 inch Elise dressed as a ballerina. They were not just for display either, a concept I abhorred, thinking all dolls should be to play with. I also dearly recall a Betsy McCall doll.

I loved paper dolls too, as I have written about in previous posts. My childhood was very simple

with few toys and a very small uncluttered house but my parents gave me ample paper and permission to cut, color, and glue to my heart’s content. My Grandmother provided fresh wheat paste glue, a stack of old catalogs, and free run of a craft closet. I remember “working” on the front porch of her farm house or in the cool cellar depending on mood and weather.

My mother bought me artist quality watercolors when I was 7 years old or so and my Grandmother bought me set of Windsor Newton colored inks when I was about 10 years old. My dad donated quill pens and showed me how to letter, if not truly calligraphy it was close.

Back to dolls and doll making. I no longer have my earliest doll making attempts. I remember making a cloth doll with the help of an elderly relative. My doll was sort of sad with seams ripping out and stuffing lumpy, etc. So she gave me one of hers. I felt a real kindred to pioneer children, and the stories I loved, when I played with that doll.

The earliest of my doll making efforts to survive is this one that I made when I was about 13. She accidentally got washed in a pocket at some point and lost part of her face and her yarn wool hair felted into dreads. She is almost 40 years old!



4 comments:

gunnelsvensson said...

these dolls are so sweet!

Anonymous said...

Molly,
your dolls are wonderful. I always loved dolls also, my favorite was my Revlon doll and my Betsy McCall doll. My mom recently sent me a small Betsy McCall doll which sits in my art room reminding me of a sweet time. I always wanted to paint doll faces in porcelain. Doll making is such an art. You are so creative in so many mediums.

Blessings, Karen

Judy Scott said...

Hi Molly Jean
thankyou for stopping by my little place, my daughter has been really poorly and has had me abit worried Ive not been able to concentrate on my college work or blogging ~ shes back at school now and abit stronger so I was able to go to college this week! I will be putting more up soon ~ today hopefully :)
thankyou for your interest in my blog.

Now to your dolls they are adorable I love the little treasure that survived all these years! We didnt have the latest all singing all walking dolls either but the little doll I did have was the best dressed (well I thought so) with clothes made by me. Its more fun and I think we had very wise mums ~ off now to try and load some pics on my blog, take care Judy x

Anonymous said...

That 40year old lady is soo beautiful! Washed and felted, it gives her the looks of a 'lived' life! She is indeed a piece of art and a fine memory to treasure!
Thank you for your lovely comments on my blog! I appreciate it very much!
lovely greetings from hilde from www.tantehilde.be (I don't have a google account and I don't know how to identify myself than writing it here...)