Esme - A Lancashire Lass

 This is Esme, a Rhoda doll dressed in fabric from the Fairtrade fabric range.  Their fabric is great to work with and comes in checks, squares & stripes in lovely colours.  She has a vintage cotton broderie anglais underskirt.  As always she is 50cm tall with a hand dyed calico body and a hand embroidered face. Her hair is a new colour to me from the Clover Natural Woolroving Range and I love the brunette look it creates. I think she has a no nonsense gaze and would be someone you could really talk to who would listen, offering solid advice.

Whether its the pattern of the fabric or the combination of colours but she reminds me of old sepia photographs of young girls from the Lancashire mill towns in their Sunday best. When working these lasses always had long white pinnies and their sleeves rolled up, really down to business.  An elderly friend of my Grandma Ida and a regular visitor to our farm when I was a child used to proudly tell us she ran seven looms. Looking at photos, I was once romanticising about the long dresses they wore and she very quickly told me about walking to the mill on winter mornings through the snow.  Your dress dragging on the floor getting wetter and heavier and then having to work all day with damp skirts and underskirts chilling you to the bone. Not so romantic! So here is Esme in her Sunday best, I hope you like her.

Tuesday Talent - Nadya Sheremet

 All of Nadya Sheremet's girls have the most soulful names, the doll I have featured here is 'The Girl from the Irish Coast', which is just lovely.

Nadya is another find on Pinterest and I am so glad I found her. I want to put more embroidery into my own dolls and here is lady doing such a good job of doing that.  

I know very little about her, she is from the Ukraine but now lives with her family in Russia.  She has a blog at 'Nadya-Sheremet.blogspot.ru' which sadly is not up to date but has wonderful dolls within it.  There are lots of pins on Pinterest, many that feature her earlier red,black and white work which is really good but lacks the subtlety of these dolls.

If she sells her work I have no idea where or how but her brand is titled 'Family Toys' and much of her blog is in english, there is also a contact email.  But have a look at her blog just to see more of these wonderful dolls with their gorgeous names. I think she is a real find and am very happy to share her with you.

A Grand Day Out - David Jones, Mandy Coates and Wendy Lawrence at Ruthin Craft Centre

 Angels on Washing Lines is the new collection of work by David Jones being shown at Ruthin Craft Centre until 17th of April.

The work is a body of sculpted wooden figures painted in joyful colours and patterns sitting, standing or hanging on washing lines around the gallery.  The wooden pieces are complemented by a series of glorious prints, some black and white others in vibrant colours, all so appealing to someone who loves patterns as much as I do.

This exhibition makes you smile from the moment you step into the gallery.  The sheer number of figures makes it hard to know where to start, but whilst exploring you get a real sense of the artist and his sheer exuberance & love of colour.

Mandy Coates has a stunning collection of her work in galleries two and three and it is not often I covet but I covet these baskets, they are utterly lovely.

She has a film following her making process running alongside the gallery exhibition and she is running workshops in March and April to further add to the experience.  Her work is so skilled and the results so restful that you want to stay and stay among them in the gallery.

Last but by no means least is the small exhibition of the work of ceramist Wendy Lawrence that is being shown to the back of the retail gallery.  My daughter cannot speak highly enough of this lady's kindness and dedication as one of the tutors on the Ma Ceramics at Uclan and her work is stunning.

The sinuous movement, textures and interplay of subtle colours make for truly beautiful pieces of ceramic sculpture.  You want to touch and stroke them even though you shouldn't because they invite such intimacy.  Wendy's pieces will be on show in the gallery until 31st March - try to see them they are well worth the effort.

The gallery experience at Ruthin is always worth the trip and it is still free.  So if you are in the area take the time, I'm sure you will enjoy your visit.

Just a note, the wonderful cafe is not open at the moment so no lovely coffee and cake but they are working to reopen soon.

Tuesday Talent - manifattive

 Welcome to the wild world of Italian designer doll maker 'manifattive'.  I just love the colours and contrasting textures he uses - cotton prints, felts, lace and buttons - all materials close to my heart.

You can find lots of images for this doll maker on Pinterest but there is also a blog at 'manifattive.blogspot.com.br'.  The blog seems to be visited only a few times a year but there is a vibrant shop at 'manifattive.oneminutesite.it'

I know very little about manifattive other than he is Italian and I think the maker is a he but my Italian is such that I may be reading it wrongly.  Either way his use of colour is great. Pink cheeks, big hair and buttons for eyes, every one is different and so unique.  Take a peek at his website and just enjoy the vivacity.

A great place to buy lace, tulle & broderie anglaise trim.

As a doll maker I am always looking for interesting laces and trims.  They are great for pinnies or underskirts and knickers.  In the past I have sourced vintage trims but have been ripped off with expensive tea or coffee stained tat that is supposed to be antique.

So I started looking for exquisite modern trim and have found a supplier on Ebay that is just wonderful.  The shop is called 'zettayotta' and is located in South Korea.  She ships super fast worldwide and her trims are just great, so crisp and well detailed.  I have never seen such lovely tulle or net lace in ages and am very happy with everything I have bought from her.  Just thought I would share such a great buy.

Clarice - All in Apple Green

This little Rhoda doll is Clarice and she is all in apple green Tilda fabric called Apple Bloom.  The fabric is just lovely and its design reminded me of Clarice Cliff's pottery.  Maybe not enough orange but evocative of that period.  

As always she is made from a tea dyed calico body with a hand embroidered face.  Her hair is apple green wool tops that has been hand styled.  She sports a jaunty little crocheted hat and a tonal scarf with bead detail - her piny is vintage lace and just sets off her outfit.  She stands 50cm tall and has a tiny waist with a comfortable plump bottom.  She sits well or could hang with a brass ring as she is very light.  She has stripy legs, with coordinating knickers and underskirts with a net underskirt for lift.  The net is horrible to work with as it needs to be pinned to excess to stop it slipping but it does give a lovely lift to the skirt.  

Looking at her you could believe that spring is on the way, I hope you like her and I am very pleased to share her with you.

A Grand Day Out - Queen Victoria's Dolls

Mademoiselle Sophie Taglioni

If you find yourself in London and have an hour to spare go along to The Museum of London and have a peep at a few examples of Princess Victoria's doll collection.  The museum is free entry and if you are interested in a history of London from prehistoric sites through to the modern city its very good.  But I have to say we stopped off on route to the British Museum just to glimpse Princess Victoria's dolls.  They are in the section, 'Expanding City' and are just lovely.

The dolls I saw where wooden 'Dutch Dolls' from the Alpine Gröden Valley and the young Victoria dressed them herself with the help of Baroness Louise Lehzen, her governess.  The lonely child accompanied by her governess regularly attended the opera, theatre and especially the ballet. The dress and names of her dolls where based on the performers and their costumes.  Mademoiselle Sophie Taglioni was based on the character of Sophie in 'La Tyrolienne' and the performer Marie Taglioni who starred in the role.  So taken with this ballet star the young Victoria named other dolls in her honor and even had drawings of her in her sketch books.

The dolls I have shown here, (photos belong to Museum of London) were from around 1832 and formed part of the Princess's doll collection which numbered around 132 pieces.  The doll collection was so well known that a book was published in 1894 by Frances Low detailing the collection.  The dolls are quite small but still in a lovely condition with clear faces and crisp clothing, well worth a visit.

Just a note to day trippers to London, if you go on a Friday - the British Museum is open until 8.30pm, the National Gallery is open until 9pm and Tate Modern & the Victoria and Albert are open until 10pm so as long as you don't mind a late return home you can enjoy museums & galleries all day and into the evening.  Its such a long way down that we always want to get the most out of our day. The Museum of London is quite central not too far from the British Museum and very close to the Barbican and St Paul's - it makes for a very special detour.

Fatima

Madam Gladstre Taglioni

Tuesday Talent - Maiwenn Philouze

 Maiwenn Philouze is a young French illustrator, graphic designer and sometime rabbit maker.  She is a graduate of LISAA (École d’Arts Appliqués et de Design) and also holds a degree in Art History.  She is much travelled but currently lives in Brittany.

Her Confiture de Paillettes or Glitter Jam project seems to be a personal project looking at design and branding of a children's toy.  Her design is adorable, with a restrained palette and charming detail.  If you look at her Pinterest pages at Maiwenn or her website to be found at www.maiwennphilouze.com, you will see the branding for the project as well as more shots of her delightful bunnies.  Not only has she designed and made her rabbits but she has hand printed much of the fabric for the bunny hats.  I love the long pink gloves - tres chic.

Sadly she is not taking any commissions at the moment but seems open to contact. Her website is lovely and showcases much more of her talent. If you have enjoyed the wonderful work of Maiwenn have a peep also at the work of Lieschen Mueller, another European designer, this time from Oberursel in Germany. Again with that same very muted colour palette and truly original, quirky characters, less sweet but more folk art, Lieschen Mueller's work is well worth checking out.

Tuesday Talent - Anna St of Magic Dolls

October Collection

 I am so pleased to be able to share these little dolls, which are so beautifully designed and made.  They come in a host of colours and patterns, with pretty cross stitch detail and oodles of charm.  I spent ages trying to track them down on Pinterest before finding the maker.

The maker of these little dolls is Anna St of Magic Dolls from the Ukraine.  Her blog is an absolute treasure and can be found at www.magicdollstoys.blogspot.com, have a peep and you will really enjoy them.  Should you wish to buy one, you just email her from the blog - under contacts.  It's my 50th this year and I am dropping serious hints to my family!

The dolls stand 11cm and each comes with its own coordinating crochet hat and scarf, a cross stitch pinny or crochet bag and a theme.  Be it maple leaves or chocolate, all are different and all are stunning.  I think her colour, fabric and yarn choices are amazing.

So pop along to her blog and enjoy magic world that is MagicDolls, they cannot help but make you smile.  Its still very soggy her but I send my warmest dryest wishes to everyone for February.

Acorn

Maple Leaf