Mother Earth and her Fairies

Time has slipped by me again – time that was busy with a trip to Montreal to deliver artwork to my agent, purchase paper for my art and seeing friends. I also dropped by Loyalist College where I will be teaching a 4-day wet-felting class in July to meet the lovely Heather Cockerline who I have been working with. 

Back at home I have been busy felting flowers and creating dolls for the two Mayfair Festivals I will be attending this coming weekend: Westdale Children's School in Hamilton on Saturday May 26th from 11am – 3 pm, and Halton Waldorf School on Sunday May 27th from noon – 4pm.

These fairies, star children and Mother Earth will be available at the shows (if you have your heart set on them, I recommend you come and visit me in Hamilton, or send me an e-mail before the show). They are 6" and 8" tall. 

File-10-Posable-dolls

I am also working on a new group of Olive Sparrow Children that I will keep under wraps until the show. (A girl has to have some secrets.. giggle)… There are a couple of large 52 cm dolls as well as smaller ones available. 

Other Olive Sparrow goods – playsilks, crowns and doll clothes will also be available. 

 

The Olive Sparrow Child – Baby Dolly

Aa dear client requested if I could possibly make a small baby doll in a sling for her daughter's birthday. Although the deadline was very tight, timing worked out wonderful to create this little as of yet unnamed baby. 

She is about 9.5" or 25 cm tall.

Baby-detail-sling

Cuddling in her sling.

Baby-detail-sling

Wearing teeny-tiny diapers that close with little snaps. 

Baby-detail-sling

The sling fits a 44cm Olive Sparrow doll with the baby snuggly cuddled around mami-doll.

Baby-detail-sling

Fluffy baby hair.

Baby-detail-sling

Wearing her itty-bitty hat.

Baby-detail-sling

Smilling and waiting for her pickup at the studio. 

 

My client and I discussed that they baby should be somewhat unisex in appearance, so that her daughter could pretend to either have a baby-girls or a baby-boy. I think that was successful, as both my husband and my son couldn't right out say which gender the baby is. 

While working on the baby, I also started another small doll. I just picked out the colours for her clothes and hope to work on her later today – now, I'm going to let Huxley create some bean bags on the sewing machine – a first for us and we're both very excited. 

____________________________________________

Each doll is made up of the following materials.

Skin: 100% cotton (Swiss-made to Öko-Tex-Standard 100)
Stuffing 100% “green-processed” wool batt from Canada
Hair: 100% Wool, or a Mohair/Wool Blend
Clothing: 100% natural fibres (linen, cotton, silk)
Shoes: Recycled felted wool sweaters, or pure leather
Face: 100% cotton Embroidery Thread

Workmanship:
Each doll is created individually by artist Monika Aebischer, the proprietor of The Olive Sparrow. She sources and uses only the highest quality materials in her creations – swiss-made skin fabric, Canadian green processed wool stuffing,  wool/mohair for the dolls hair (often hand-dyed by her). Hair for the Olive Sparrow Children is made by crocheting a cap that is sewn to the head, allowing for replacement should it ever become necessary (although most children will object to this, as it changes their doll dramatically). For the wispy hair, a special german mohair is used and a labour-intense technique, for the loose longer hair each strand of wool is individually knotted into the crocheted cap. This is the prime technique for doll-wig creation.

Doll clothing is made from up-cycled vintage and clothing fabrics, in either pure linen, cotton or silk. Up-cycled fabric is wonderful for doll clothes, as the cloth has been washed soft, gentle and free of textile manufacturing products. Monika also felts used woolen sweaters to use for doll shoes and clothing. She knits the doll’s hats out of prime quality knitting wool. Each seam on the doll’s body is sewn twice to allow your child to fiercely love their Olive Sparrow Child. Clothing is sewn with finished seams and some are fully reversible.

 

 

 

A lot goes on inside

You might be wondering where the dolls are. I have been talking about new ones in the works, yet no pictures and no status reports on this here blog. Last week was the school March break (we spend 3 days in bed with the flu, then had some fun – pix to come), the week before I finally got the studio in order and actually did some work on the newest dolls. Here a bit of background.

Last fall, I spent a focussed time of almost 3 months working exclusively on The Olive Sparrow items. My painting practice was put on hold, so that I could focus on the dolls and doll clothes. Not completely though. In the background I spent time restructuring and renovating my studio. For those of you new to visiting here, I am also a professional painter (Monika Aebischerand the other slightly forgotten blog). I have maintained my professional artist studio going on 18 years. It is a lovely space in downtown Toronto with a gorgeous 3rd story view into the west. My dolls on the other hand have been created in my downstairs studio here at home. I have not been able to do textile work at the painting studio for the past 6 years, because of the resin that I work with on my artwork – resin is a magnet for even the smallest fiber floating gently in the air. 

Splitting my work up between home and the rented studio has felt wrong for some time. I love my studio and like to spend time there. Last summer this all overwhelmed me and I fell into a dark hole. A hole that didn't let me see any sunshine and made me question my artwork, my dolls, my life – not fun. One day (one of many) where I sat in my studio, with hands paralized by darkness, I looked around and was struck by an idea – if I build a wall to seperate off the resin area, I can do different work again at the studio. Reinvigorated, I set myself to organizing the task – simple I thought and quick – not so… Together with the help of my amazing superintendent in the building, supplies brought there with the help of my husband and son, and most of all time and gentleness towards myself, I started the process in August 2011. The beginning of this year I worked on a painting comission, then I set 3 weeks aside to get it all done! I even painted the floor white, and the whole space is a new inspiration. (I'll show some pix in a bit). 

Two weeks ago, I brought some of my dolls in progress there and each day spent a few hours working on the babes. Here is another type of inside look that shows how I weight out the stuffing for each doll limb. I have developed a chart for each pattern so that I remember the weight for each part. I find that important, so that every time I stuff a limb, it will be the same – quality control. 

Doll-arm-leg-stuffing

The head and wig-base for a 44cm doll, hand stuffing, inner arm, outer arm. Legs with the feet done and the inner leg and outer leg stuffing. 

Doll-leg-stuffing

Lots of weighing out to be done for each doll. (There is another babe in the background)

Doll-foot-stuffing

One foot stuffed, the beautiful eco-wool for the other foot ready. I am always amazed at how much wool will fit into a dolls to make it solidly stuffed. 

When I stuff the limbs, I create an inner core that I needlefelt very solidly, then wrap it with a loftier outer layer. It all is inserted into the limbs with help of a "funnel" as I call it. If a doll isn't stuffed very solidly, it will easily misshape over time. Especially when a child sleeps with a doll and possibly ends up laying on top of it. Hence compacting the wool as much as possible at the outset means that the wool doesn't really have any place to compact into. Also wool naturally felts together through rubbing, so why not start that process before putting lofty fiber into a limb. I tried many different ways to stuffing a doll and this process has become the one most logical for me.

Finding a rhythm in the creation of my various endeavors is a challenge, one often thwarted by life getting in the way (grrr). But I have been gifted with various ways to express myself and to create not one type of work, but many. Often when I make something "just for fun" and "just as a little gift" – one or more of the dear ones in my life comment "you could sell that". But not everything I make is meant to become a commercial enterprise. Rather on the other hand. I have decided that I am very selective of what I will offer to the world for purchase – my paintings, wet-felted and The Olive Sparrow goods. There is also teaching in my future – dolls and wet-felting, in my studio and as a traveling instructor (more to come about this).

Suzy and Baby Jo

I finally am ready to let Suzy and Baby Jo go into the world. I listed them in my Etsy store today:

To the store

Blogged about here.

On other news, I am working on a series of five new Olive Sparrow Children. They will be in the following sizes: one at 54 cm, one at 44cm, two at 35 cm and one at 31 cm. I will post details as I move along. 

January has been a recuperating and re-grouping month for me. I worked on a painting commission at the studio, finished another painting that I had to re-do, (thanks to a product that was sold to me as a professional art product, but didn't behave as such), did a lot of work on Huxley's knitted bed spread, submitted a course outline to Loyalist College for a wet-felting course I'm scheduled to teach in the summer and mostly went to bed at a reasonable time every night. The downstairs studio is all cleaned up, the pantry and the fridge have been completely cleaned out and re-organized. Now I'm working on my desk and next up will be the chest freezer downstairs. I have crochet all the doll caps for the dolls I'm working on, so from here on their becoming will be swift. I always find it amazing how at a certain point the babes almost create themselves.  

I also picked up quite a selection of wonderful fabrics and clothes to be made into doll clothes.

Today Astrid was sent of to her new family in Rochester – she was one of my favourite babes that I created before the holidays and I had her sit with me for a while before I was ready to list her on Etsy. Now I am so happy that she has been adopted and can't wait to hear how her trip was.

Okay, before it is too late, I am going downstairs to get the new babes further along their journey.  

The Olive Sparrow Child – Astrid

Astrid is a 35cm (14+") Olive Sparrow doll with bright orange-red curly hair. 

Both Pippi Longstocking and Astrid Lindgren served as my inspiration for her.

Astrid is a fun, silly girl that certainly is up to some funny business sometime, yet she also has the gentlest soul. I wouldn't put it past her to chase after robbers and pirates.

 

Astrid-35cm-portrait-close-blog

For the photos Astrid insisted in wearing her hair in pig tails, although she also loves wearing it loose, or done up in one pony tail.

 

Astrid-35cm-portrait-close-blog

The blue bias tape on the diaphanous linen blouse is faced in a light blue cotton and matches her eyes. When I was taking this picture, she was just about to turn her head to ask me if we were done with the photo shoot, because her patience with sitting still was not so great. (which is quite typical of Astrid, she has too many ideas to be realized each day).

 

Astrid-35cm-portrait-close-blog

One more shot she allowed, where she is wearing the blue-dotted side of her tunic out and also her silk rainbow scarf.

 

Astrid-35cm-portrait-close-blog

I was very quick and even snapped an image showing her sitting down.

Astrid-35cm-portrait-close-blog

After she had run off and played with the other Olive Sparrow children and Huxley's doll Odillon for a bit, she agreed to come back and to take her picture with the green side of her tunic facing outwards. It is being said that green is calming, and it certainly had this effect on Astrid. As it was near bed time, we spent some time sitting and she told me about all kinds of adventures she had while playing. I then asked her to change for night time and she said that she really wanted to sleep in her white linen shift, because it made her think of times long gone by when people didn't have special night clothes. 

Astrid-35cm-portrait-close-blog

Her striped tights and bootlets are all part of the fun. (Now I did insist that she remove the bootlets, and she obliged. 

 

Astrid also told me that she is ready to go on a trip to meet new people and to find her permanent family.

 

She is available in my Etsy-Shop.

Astrid was adopted on January 26. 2012.

 

If you think she might be right for your family, feel free to contact me with any questions you might have.

_____________________________________________

Each doll is made up of the following materials.

Skin: 100% cotton (Swiss-made to Öko-Tex-Standard 100)
Stuffing 100% “green-processed” wool batt from Canada
Hair: 100% Wool, or a Mohair/Wool Blend
Clothing: 100% natural fibres (linen, cotton, silk)
Shoes: Recycled felted wool sweaters, or pure leather
Face: 100% cotton Embroidery Thread

Workmanship:
Each doll is created individually by artist Monika Aebischer, the proprietor of The Olive Sparrow. She sources and uses only the highest quality materials in her creations – swiss-made skin fabric, Canadian green processed wool stuffing,  wool/mohair for the dolls hair (often hand-dyed by her). Hair for the Olive Sparrow Children is made by crocheting a cap that is sewn to the head, allowing for replacement should it ever become necessary (although most children will object to this, as it changes their doll dramatically). For the wispy hair, a special german mohair is used and a labour-intense technique, for the loose longer hair each strand of wool is individually knotted into the crocheted cap. This is the prime technique for doll-wig creation.

Doll clothing is made from up-cycled vintage and clothing fabrics, in either pure linen, cotton or silk. Up-cycled fabric is wonderful for doll clothes, as the cloth has been washed soft, gentle and free of textile manufacturing products. Monika also felts used woolen sweaters to use for doll shoes and clothing. She knits the doll’s hats out of prime quality knitting wool. Each seam on the doll’s body is sewn twice to allow your child to fiercely love their Olive Sparrow Child. Clothing is sewn with finished seams and some are fully reversible.