Natural fibre Art Doll

Linde

Jacqueline 29 October 2020

With the leaves turning colour and the days getting colder, it was clear that Autumn had arrived. Linde could not wait to go on a toadstool hunt and she had been begging me to take her to the forrest for days. So on a sunny afternoon we dressed her in her warm woolen jumper, strapped her dolly to her waist and we were on our way. Luckily we found a group of beautiful toadstools right at the shore of a magical green lake. Linde very curiously inspected the toadstools to see if there was a door for the gnomes to enter.

Laying on het belly, she stared intently to the base of the toadstool. Since her hair kept falling in her eyes, she used the strap that carried her dolly before and tied it around her head. After a long time she sighed deeply. ‘Maybe you can only see the door at night…’ she said, ‘when the moon shines its light’. ‘That must be it’ I said, ‘Lets walk a little further and see what else we can find’.

When we continued our walk, a small frog hopped in front of us. Linde’s eyes grew large and shiny and softly she whispered in my ear: ‘do you see that little frog ? That must be an enchanted prince !’ Very gently I caught the little frog in my hand to give her a better look.

Linde leaned forward to take a closer look and tried to kiss the little frog on his tiny body. But before she could reach him, the frog jumped from my hand and hopped away. ‘Maybe you need to be a princess to break the spell’ Linde said, and she skipped away looking for something new.

After a long walk we found a beautiful tree trunk to take a break and rest our legs. The sun was already setting and cast long shadows on the yellow leaves. Linde’s hair turned golden in this beautiful light and she took her time telling her dolly a long story. It will not surprise you that it was a story full of gnomes who lived in toadstools, princes that turned into frogs and princesses. Because that are the things she loves and talks about all the time.

We did find some beautiful golden leaves that came to life in the sunlight. It was getting late so it was time to head home where we lit a fire in the fireplace to warm us.

Linde is inspired by the traditional Waldorf Doll but has a more pronounced face and body. This is done by needle felting the face and body, a method that enables me to sculpt the wool and form a nose and chin etc. The traditional Waldorf doll has more simple features and is more suitable for younger children. This doll also known as natural fibre art doll is more suitable for older children or adult collectors. For more info on the doll please visit my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Poppelien

Mia and a beautiful day in June

Jacqueline 12 June 2019

 

It is a lovely day in June when Mia and I take a walk along the river IJssel, Mia is holding her friend Mr. Teddy, it would be unthinkable not to bring him along. Mia loves the river landscape, the grassland with the wild flowers and the vastness of the landscape. The sky above us is blue with white clouds that look as if they came straight from one of Ruysdael’s paintings. Down the waterfront we hear some very loud frogs who try to impress with their croaking voices. A Heron balances on one leg ready to catch one of the loud creatures, but as soon as we come in sight he spreads his wings and sails into the safety of the trees.

Mia is full of energy and runs ahead, but the sun is hot and soon we have to stop and remove some of our layers of clothes. Mia takes of her cardigan and we take a sip of water. In her Yellow pinnofore dress she blends in with all the lovely flowers around us.

We find clover en buttercup and different types of beautifull long grasses. There are a lot of buzzing insects around us and Mia spots a Dragonfly who flies of as soon as we get closer. Mia picks a few flowers to put on her bedside table later on.

We take a rest and lay down on our backs with the grass tickling between our toes. White clouds sail over us and we spot a Swan and later the head of a Dog. Mia yawns and only minutes later I see her drifting of into a deep sleep with Mr. Bear firmly in her arms.