Jul 28

Jul 28 Heidi, a natural fiber art doll ready for play

storytelling, mannikin, figlette, dollmaking

She is finally ready to find a home and we are all very excited. Of course we will miss her deeply, that goes without saying, but part of the joy of making dolls for me is to find them homes and see them fulfill their destiny.

They are created with love by my two hands and imagination, in the hopes they bring you joy. With the sincere wish that they remind you of your childhood, perhaps that you feel a kinship to them or they bring back memories of a loved one.

I hope my dolls bring light and magic into your life, in the very same way they bring it into my life.

So now, let me show you what Miss Heidi is all about.

Heidi, a natural fiber art doll by Fig and Me. Wool sculpted over an armature, poseable and fully loveable. A sweet redhead with a face full of freckles!

Dollmaking and photography. By Fig and Me.

As I mentioned earlier on Instagram, “prepare yourself for something dreadful…” because I went a little overboard with the photos and to be honest I couldn’t help myself.

Heidi is a great wool child to photograph and watching her puts you in a really happy mood. Taking photos of my dolls is such a pleasure and when they are so agreeable to the camera, like Miss Heidi, well…one gets a little too snap-happy!

Especially this morning as we were under cloud cover (thank goodness) and we were both in the mood for a romp around the gardens. Oh! you can imagine the questions coming out of this little mouth.

Heidi, like any other 5-year-old, is always eager to learn about the world around her. Of course gardens are privy to so many secrets that one must explore them at length.

The first order of business is to look under the great pumpkin leaves and tries to poke her fingers through the lacey leaves of the cabbages, who are by the way in such a state! They are literally being turned into intricate lace patterns by all the little bugs in our garden. Heidi giggles at the fuzzy legs of the pumpkins and tries to steal a currant or two, while asking unendingly about the arrival of the raspberries.

Dad had the fortitude of cutting the grass so that Heidi could walk around more comfortably. The tall grasses were almost as tall as she is. Which of course Heidi doesn’t mind but I was a tad concerned of losing her amongst the ruckus of this wild kingdom.

After inspecting the vegetable garden, eating a couple of rose petals and red clovers, she decided to inspect the gardens-at-large. That’s just what we call the meadows and woodland around the house.

They were so many butterflies and bees at work that we had to be very careful not to disturb them. We walked slowly and Heidi even lowered her voice whenever she asked me questions.

We stopped many, many times. A leaf here, a daisy there. Inspecting the progression of the juneberries and the tansy. It was a beautiful morning.

But though it pains the heart to say god-bye to Heidi, I know that she must find her own path in life. She is a wonderful doll and I am incredibly happy to have had created her. I truly am, and I feel so happy that so many of you seem to have connected quite deeply with this little girl.

I mentioned in my last post that she is one-of-a-kind and is a rather clever mix of several patterns. This is the first time I construct a doll this way, this size, so there are obvious things I am already planning for my “next” iteration, but she truly is a bundle of joy and love. I have put so much care in every single stitch and I hope you can see that.

If you would like to welcome this garden-dweller, she is looking for a home. She is a 22.5” tall art doll, sculpted in wool over an armature but she has none in her arms. Her head is articulated so she can move it freely, she can sit and stand without support, with careful handling and clever balancing.

She is an art doll, recommended for an adult collector or an older child 12+.

She is fully sculpted in canadian wool and covered in cloth. She is part Mannikin, part Figlette. Though she is quite tall, she is of very petite construction. Her hair is made of mohair weft and mohair yarn and can be extensively styled. She loves it when you play with her hair! and likes to try many new hairstyles.

Heidi’s face is full of freckles, her eyes are blue and she comes wearing a lovely summer cotton dress, with flutter sleeves trimmed in lace; a pair of jersey underpants, socks and leather shoes.

She is also wearing a summer cardigan, made with upcycled cotton material to which I added a crochet collar made also in cotton. I used the same yarn to make her a lovely sun hat.

Art doll photography. Storytelling and dollmaking, via Fig and Me.

Her price is $1750 USD plus postage. I ship all my dolls with tracking number, shipping to the US and Canada is $65 USD. Other countries will need a revised quote upon method of shipment.

Heidi is available for sale comment-style. If you are interested to welcome her into your home, you can enter your details in the form below and on Saturday July 31st at 7 PM Toronto time we will draw a name at random to go forward with Miss Heidi’s adoption fees. We will notify you via email and send you a Paypal invoice, which is due upon receipt.

Form has been deleted and a new family has been notified of Heidi’s pending arrival. Thank you so much to everyone that opened their arms wide for this little girl. Your kindness and willingness to welcome the work of my hands into your homes is very uplifting and inspiring. I shall keep making dolls!

Art doll photography. Dollmaking and storytelling via Fig and Me.

Doll Photography. Storytelling and dollmaking via Fig and Me.

Heidi has taken me weeks to finish and I would love to spend more and more time making her more and more clothes, but I know you are all waiting and I do feel a little bit mean when I take forever to have the dolls ready.

Lucky for me all her clothes came out just right and they complement her personality and her innocent face so well. I hope you agree. She loves twirling in her dress, likes how cozy her cardigan is and how comfy her shoes turned out to be.

Thank you so much for coming to read about her and if you are looking forward to welcome her in your family, we thank you deeply for your generosity and support of the work of my hands. Now I will go and play with Heidi for a couple more days before it is time to say good-bye.

See you all soon!