Solveig, a little ray of sunshine - a natural fiber art doll ready to play.
My sweet Solveig is finally dressed and ready to find a family. Oh lucky stars, on whom will you shine this time?
Making cloth babies has to be one of the sweetest activities in the world. If you are a mother it sure brings memories of your own children when they were little. If you are not a mother, well…I don't know then, but we humans are programmed to have strong emotions of empathy towards the faces of little babies, and not just of our own kind.
Whilst creating Solveig and sculpting her face over many hours of needle-felting, I could see her emerge from that wool and every time my heart did a little jump: a real baby! with chubby and tender cheeks, a happy smile from being content when all your simple needs are met, smirky eyes, button nose, and then when I weighted certain parts of her body - it was all over. I might have to take a wee break from making cloth babies and keep the hands busy with the 'older' children because they sure break havoc in the hormones around here.
As you can see, Solveig is at that state which babies are sitting by themselves, this is a blessing as they are very curious and can keep themselves busy looking around them, but is also a bit unnerving as sometimes they lose balance and off they go. Surrounding her with a few pillows or setting her down on a cozy blanket with a bit of cushy filling, will take most of the nightmare out of the equation. I do recommend baby-proofing the house even if she is not crawling yet.
Solveig is already eating a bit of solid foods, however please keep her on a high-wool diet. She is *very* messy when she is trying to feed herself, so be patient and always provide ample space and a sturdy bib that can be easily washed. Some days she gets mad if you take her bonnet off, so I find that feeding her with her hat on is a sure trick…the bonnet does get trampled at meal time but is easily hand-washed and lay flat to dry.
Solveig is a natural fiber art doll, weighted with glass beads in several parts of her body. She measures approximately 15" all scrunched up, and if she stretches real nice she measures up to 18", this due to the fabric joins that allow her arms and legs to move around in a more realistic baby pose (she is not jointed!). She is stuffed very firmly with wool and was created using swiss cotton fabric. Her hais is made with mohair yarn and can be gently styled ( I used a bit of water and a pencil to curl her hair). Solveig is recommended as a toy for a child 7+ or an adult collector, she needs to be treated *very* gently due to her weight and age.
She is wearing a comfortable kimono-style dress with long skirt, gathered sleeves and twill ribbon ties. Dress is made with beautiful fabric designed by a dear friend (Amy at Nana Company - so happy to use her fabrics on Solveig!). She has a pair of cozy lambswool pants, a diaper obviously, knitted tall boots to match her sweet wool bonnet and a lovely angora mini-shawl/collar that can be tied around her chest for layering. All of Solveig's clothes must be handwashed and treated with loving care, just as they were created.
If you would like to be Solveig's mother, please fill your name and details in the form below. We will wait until Saturday January 30th at 7 PM to choose a person at random to purchase Solveig. Her price is $785 USD, shipping is $45 to the US and Canada, International customers will need a revised quote. Solveig travels with insurance and a tracking number for peace of mind. Taxes apply to Canadian residents. Only enter if you are personally interested in giving Solveig a home. If you are chosen you will receive an email and a Paypal invoice, which is due upon receipt.
MISS SOLVEIG HAS FOUND A HOME. Form has been deleted now. Thank you so WARMLY for offering your loving arms to this sweet baby.
Now a little tidbit about her name. I call her my 'little ray of sunshine' not just because of her bright smile and beautiful fiery hair, but her name is derived from Old Norse, and means sól "sun" and veig "strength". It is pronounced "sool-vie". Lately I am very inspired by ancient names and folk stories. Hope you love Little Solveig and are looking forward to whoever else will be coming out of my hands this year.
Now I must go and keep her happy. Be back tomorrow!. Good luck to everybody that wishes to give her a home. Thank you for coming to visit.
