I will share a few of what dolls makers might deal with , and how influenting for the working process.
Sometime ago I had a costumer who was so pleased with my dolls that she even bought another one right after her first purchase, in a heartbeat.
We communicated a bit in private and she was so kind as to show me the dolls once home, in their environment.
I love those kind of pictures. It makes me feel that the love put in them just continue spreading...
But she also had undressed them....
I mean completely and totally.
And those were not intended to be undressed ever, and they even had a head piece that was well fixed upon their head.... never would it have come to my mind that it would be removed (I always indicate the parts that are fixed and the ones that are removable in my descriptions).
Passed the shock mixed with sadness, I accepted that the dolls were in new owner' hands therefore had a new life beyond my control and that it was all right. ( but boy, how violent was this to me!
I am not attached any longer to dolls I sold, because I know they are welcomed in their new home and that it is the way to be. But I was totally unprepared for actually seeing a radical intervention on the doll).
In a bad reflex I often have, I thought my dolls were not good enough so that it needed the change, or worse cheapy enough to just be costumised...(I need to work on my self confidence I know.)
And then after thinking and thinking and crying inside, came peace .
Because after all, not only the dolls are not mine anylonger, and were not even intended to be mine, but they actually were so loved by their new mum who indeed reowned and cared for them in a dearest way.
And then I became happy again, but something still in the back of my mind kept running...
(This is going to be a long post, I held so much since this summer....please feel free to grab a cup of tea if you plan to stay along with my story.)
I also could not enjoy my needle felting the way it did, having a big difficulty to actually focus on one project.
Well , I had guilt feelings (did I said I need to reconsider some of my emotional relationship toward my work?) because anything that concluded to making a doll did interfere with my needle felting technique that bored me.
I had attempts at other things, also gave a try to some kind of new jointing system with my Puppy doll...but nope I was not in the mood after that. (true, in the meanwhile I also had a custom work that gave me worries and breaks, did I mention I am much too sensitive a person too?).
I kept wanting a doll that would be more of a doll doll, yet not a toy, but less an art doll to be seen or held in the hand, but one that could be manipulated with courage.
And that was the beginning of a big conflict for me.
Needle felting allows as much freedom in shapes as you wish. It can be hard and soft ,holds the shapes and yet be pliable, like a softie....You can add a structure inside and it will hold the movement, and even better, all this without seam, without break in the line .
Except and even though I did some advanced researched and improved greatly the actual pipe cleaner insert as an armature, I kept feeling that it did not make the job, that it was still difficult to handle for the person without more knowlege in basic anatomy or who did not care that much about it ...(did I mention I have an over control thing over everything issue yet,...?)
I also work needle felting slowly, meaning I have too few dolls to be available as to make a proper income for it. Try to find a system.(or die)
Came the idea of jointing with discs....like teddy bears are.That was the first version of Pomme as you might have seen.
Sometime ago I had a costumer who was so pleased with my dolls that she even bought another one right after her first purchase, in a heartbeat.
We communicated a bit in private and she was so kind as to show me the dolls once home, in their environment.
I love those kind of pictures. It makes me feel that the love put in them just continue spreading...
But she also had undressed them....
I mean completely and totally.
And those were not intended to be undressed ever, and they even had a head piece that was well fixed upon their head.... never would it have come to my mind that it would be removed (I always indicate the parts that are fixed and the ones that are removable in my descriptions).
Passed the shock mixed with sadness, I accepted that the dolls were in new owner' hands therefore had a new life beyond my control and that it was all right. ( but boy, how violent was this to me!
I am not attached any longer to dolls I sold, because I know they are welcomed in their new home and that it is the way to be. But I was totally unprepared for actually seeing a radical intervention on the doll).
In a bad reflex I often have, I thought my dolls were not good enough so that it needed the change, or worse cheapy enough to just be costumised...(I need to work on my self confidence I know.)
And then after thinking and thinking and crying inside, came peace .
Because after all, not only the dolls are not mine anylonger, and were not even intended to be mine, but they actually were so loved by their new mum who indeed reowned and cared for them in a dearest way.
And then I became happy again, but something still in the back of my mind kept running...
(This is going to be a long post, I held so much since this summer....please feel free to grab a cup of tea if you plan to stay along with my story.)
I also could not enjoy my needle felting the way it did, having a big difficulty to actually focus on one project.
Well , I had guilt feelings (did I said I need to reconsider some of my emotional relationship toward my work?) because anything that concluded to making a doll did interfere with my needle felting technique that bored me.
I had attempts at other things, also gave a try to some kind of new jointing system with my Puppy doll...but nope I was not in the mood after that. (true, in the meanwhile I also had a custom work that gave me worries and breaks, did I mention I am much too sensitive a person too?).
I kept wanting a doll that would be more of a doll doll, yet not a toy, but less an art doll to be seen or held in the hand, but one that could be manipulated with courage.
And that was the beginning of a big conflict for me.
Needle felting allows as much freedom in shapes as you wish. It can be hard and soft ,holds the shapes and yet be pliable, like a softie....You can add a structure inside and it will hold the movement, and even better, all this without seam, without break in the line .
Except and even though I did some advanced researched and improved greatly the actual pipe cleaner insert as an armature, I kept feeling that it did not make the job, that it was still difficult to handle for the person without more knowlege in basic anatomy or who did not care that much about it ...(did I mention I have an over control thing over everything issue yet,...?)
I also work needle felting slowly, meaning I have too few dolls to be available as to make a proper income for it. Try to find a system.(or die)
Came the idea of jointing with discs....like teddy bears are.That was the first version of Pomme as you might have seen.
I very much liked the result in term of line, but it involved a lot of little parts to be put together and to make...and... back to thinking .
Then I decided that there was no way I could have the "Frankeinstein aspect" on a doll with all the seams when I could just needle felt a piece as a whole.(guilt guilt guilt) .I am speaking of the joints, Pomme was first sewed in felt for gaining me time in the working process, but I intended to needle felt those parts)
I thought again over the piece I made this spring with Puppy and how the joints were made. I decided the beads should be covered all the same as the doll.
Then do I have to mention my main wool supplier to cease activity and the search for a new local reliable one? sigh...
And then came the actual Pomme.
I have issues to resolve, and compromise to do over her proportions.....but overall I am quite happy with the posing she can make. She is around 20 cm tall (8 inch) , barely bigger than my pixies. and hey! I will create new dolls!
Yes, I am a doll maker first. AND I needle felt. My dolls are needle felted, also.
But most importantly, I know who I am again, I am making dolls and that is what they are!
Could have I spared myself so much suffering? Probably yes, jointed dolls are not a new thing, even as a cloth doll.
Well, probably not, as we all need to experience ourselves the means and why of our own path....
Then I decided that there was no way I could have the "Frankeinstein aspect" on a doll with all the seams when I could just needle felt a piece as a whole.(guilt guilt guilt) .I am speaking of the joints, Pomme was first sewed in felt for gaining me time in the working process, but I intended to needle felt those parts)
I thought again over the piece I made this spring with Puppy and how the joints were made. I decided the beads should be covered all the same as the doll.
Then do I have to mention my main wool supplier to cease activity and the search for a new local reliable one? sigh...
And then came the actual Pomme.
I have issues to resolve, and compromise to do over her proportions.....but overall I am quite happy with the posing she can make. She is around 20 cm tall (8 inch) , barely bigger than my pixies. and hey! I will create new dolls!
Yes, I am a doll maker first. AND I needle felt. My dolls are needle felted, also.
But most importantly, I know who I am again, I am making dolls and that is what they are!
Could have I spared myself so much suffering? Probably yes, jointed dolls are not a new thing, even as a cloth doll.
Well, probably not, as we all need to experience ourselves the means and why of our own path....
The body is not yet shaded on these photographs, Pomme is in her sketchy white self.
I plan to have a few similar dolls available in my shop, before christmass if I can, I will also update a few of the changings that has ocured.
I plan to have a few similar dolls available in my shop, before christmass if I can, I will also update a few of the changings that has ocured.
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