A decorative Folk doll — an aesthetic decorative item which can be repurposed as a bookend, a paper weight or a door stop.
I have based her on colour images from the 1930s. I was looking to represent strong iconic females in this project. The inspirational figure of Frida was an obvious choice for me. Like Frida, the doll is strong but yielding, beautiful and individual.
I find the tradition of embroidery folk dolls fascinating…Traditionally home-made from (and stuffed with) spare scraps of material, they are one of the oldest children's toys in existence. Frida has been born out of naive, handmade folk dolls of the last century with their own highly individual embroidery. She is hand embroidered in tapestry wool and vintage embroidery thread and appliqué work. She has a distinctive embroidery style of the 1930s, drawn from my love of vintage Stitchcraft magazines of that period. Her body is made of repurposed vintage linen in line with the repurposing tradition in doll making whilst her clothing is taken from vintage Indian velvet and a sari.
My ethical principles come very much into play with the filling….only pure, unadulterated welsh sheep's wool teased with a handful of fragrant lavender …all weighted with fine shingle.
The result is a stand up beautiful folk doll…which can be a practical item too.
The body of the doll is made from vintage French linen. She has been adorned with extensive hand embroidery and appliqué work. Using vintage black velvet from India…repurposed from an Indian chair.
Stuffed with raw Welsh sheep's wool, a handful of dried lavender and weighted with fine shingle.
Height 26 cm / Width 8.5cm
Produced to order : two weeks
Price includes standard UK delivery