Miss Willa, a Natural Fiber Art Doll from the Deep South

Little Willa likes to wake up early, as early as possible she says. Lord knows the sun will be up too and then there will be little to no time to water the roses. One must always think of the roses, and the birds, and the cats. All little creatures, be them planted or mobile, need help from us humans.

Willa takes off her cozy nightgown, which has been handed down in her family for generations. It’s the nightgown all girls in her family have worn and it has little patches of love, just like her favourite skirt.

Now I do admire her energy in jumping out of the bed, shiny as a nickel, without a doubt in her mind. At my age the linen pillowcase I just inherited and the cozy blankets seem to convince me every time to sleep just 15 minutes longer.

But not Willa. She springs out of the bed like a runner bean, no doubt in her mind of the task at hand. She better get to it. “The day is long Fabs, we must meet it now!”

Good heavens, these young wool people are going to kill me, but I too have to get out of the bed and follow her around…if only to keep her out of trouble.

Willa wearing her white nightgown made in handkerchief weight linen. Natural fiber art doll by Fig and Me.

Willa wearing her white nightgown made in handkerchief weight linen with corded pintucks, embroidery stitches and ‘entredeux’ made with beading. Natural fiber art doll by Fig and Me.

She tucks her braids inside her ginormeous side buns, splashes her face with cold water from the pump, and lays down her nightgown by the window. She likes to air her clothes before she folds them again. Same with her bed. She never makes it right away…needs to let it “wake up too” she tells me.

All this “waking up” and “airing out” happens as she toasts bread. Butter is her most favourite thing in the world and I do hope her energy keeps high or one day this butter wickedness will catch up with her. It is an absolute travesty to see her butter toast. One could almost say she is not buttering the toast, more like penetrating every single nook in there and making sure it is well covered.

Sometimes she adds fried tomatoes on top of her toast, sometimes she adds jam. It seems to vary with the seasons. it’s just a little snack she has before she runs outside with a handy bucket to water all her plants.

Willa wearing her white nightgown made in handkerchief weight linen, with a lower flounce and a nice button as decoration. Natural fiber art doll by Fig and Me.

She talks to the roses the most. She picks a few for the table, for Grandma’s night stand, for her desk. She loves their scent and to greet them first thing in the morning.

Once all the vegetables have been inspected for night time intruders, properly watered and she feeds the chickens, she comes inside with a big smile. My Lord, that girl’s smile can brighten a whole house for a day.

She heads back to her room, I follow her around like a confused toddler looking to hold the hem of her mama’s skirt. She makes her bed so carefully, playing a little with the blankets, touching the crochet edging of her pillow and remembering how Grandma made it for her under the shade of the front porch. She saw her come up with the stitch pattern ‘from memory’ and as her aged fingers made all those little roses and points Willa watched in absolute trance.

She folds her nightgown and puts it under her pillow. “See you at bedtime old friend”. She heads into the barn to see what Grandpa is up to, always tinkering around with ancient machinery. She does love how the smell of machine oil and rust is mixed with the sweet scent of hay in her Grandpa’s overalls.

Willa wearing her white nightgown made in handkerchief weight linen. A simple and ample design for sleeping in the warm nights of the deep south. Natural fiber art doll by Fig and Me.

As she goes by the kitchen she can already smell the abundance that Grandma is about to produce. Licking her lips in anticipation she runs outside and nearly falls on top of Gerkin, their fat cat. Gives old Gerkin a heartfelt apology and carries on towards the barn.

Willa wearing her petal collar, knitted in vintage wool with a snap and wooden button. Natural fiber art doll by Fig and me.

Days like these, full of simple but important tasks, comprise the beautiful humble life of Willa. She lives in a small farm, tucked in a corner of the Mississippi Delta, with her grandparents. She is being taught to cook, to care for others in many ways, and loves to send lovely letters to her friends and family on a regular basis.

Grandma can’t see very well so she is in charge of keeping the extended family well informed of the farm’s happenings and she’s also in charge of afternoon readings. School is finished for the summer so she is as busy as ever! Grandma has a passion for the cooking magazines and Grandpa loves to check the seed catalogue with her.

Willa’s clothes. Natural fiber art doll by Fig and me.

Willa loves their little garden out the back. The grow corn, green peas, squash, greens, tomatoes, watermelon…more food that you could ever eat. Their soil is healthy and vibrant and their arms and hands steady and strong. But she loves the roses, oh my she really loves them.

Willa wears her pink linen blouse with pin tucks on the big, 3/4 length sleeves with flounce cuffs. Her skirt is trimmed with eyelet lace and has an attached apron. Her collar is knitted in virgin wool.

Miss Willa will soon be heading to the wondrous lands from whence her inspiration came from. I have spent many days pondering ideas with her and I have to be honest: she unlocked something in me.

You see, Catalina was such a hard doll to work with. Hard in the sense that I was trying to “find her” and she was being so elusive. That is, until the summer arrived and I came home from Portugal full of sun. Then Catalina started talking to me on a daily basis.

This was the opposite with Willa. I knew who she was almost the minute her Mom sent me her requests. I could almost see her.

I had a little bit of an issue embroidering her eyes and I’ve talked about it here. But once her hair was on, her freckles painted…I felt like I was welcoming an old friend.

Willa in her pink and cream outfit. Natural fiber art doll by Fig and me.

As you can probably tell from all the photos so far, I had so much fun working on her clothes. That’s what I mean when I say she unlocked something. It feels like she opened a little door and I walked through it and I am now in a sunroom, full of flowers, old books and lots and lots of threads and fabrics for me to play with.

I can open the windows and hear the water fountain outside, the birds singing and smell the summer garden. My heart is so full of love for this doll and I do believe it shows.

Willa wears her cotton cloche hat. Natural fiber art doll by Fig and me.

Willa wears her leather shoes, her blue seersucker dress and her cotton hat. Natural fiber art doll by Fig and me.

Red running stitch on her clothing. Natural fiber art doll by Fig and me.

I made her another dress in blue seersucker. The perfect fabric for the warm weather she is heading into. A white starched collar and red stitching seemed to be just the thing this outfit needed.

Even my husband said, as he watched me working all the hand-sewing on this doll, “you seemed to be enjoying so much working on her”. And I did.

But it’s time to send her home.

Willa in her cotton hat and blue seersucker dress. Natural fiber art doll by Fig and me.

Pockets are a girl’s best friend. Especially if they are decorated with red running stitch. Natural fiber art doll by Fig and me.

White on white embroidery on cotton cloche hat made in crochet. Natural fiber art doll by Fig and me.

Thank you so much Nadia and Aidan for giving me the chance to create her for you. I hope this little girl with her gentle eyes brings a little bit of love, a little bit of healing doll play and a little bit of good energy into your lives. She has your hopes, dreams and some memories in her and it has been my absolute pleasure to create her.

With much love, Fabs.

Willa, a Natural fiber art doll by Fig and me.