I call my dolls Natural Fibre Art Dolls or Waldorf Inspired Dolls, depending on how they have been made. I also make baby dolls both ways.
1. Waldorf Inspired Dolls
They are my more simple dolls. Their faces are shaped with strings, using the traditional Waldorf doll making method. This way the face is less detailed, more simple.
These days I do enhance some features using needle felting technic, to make sure that the doll has an expression I desire and has the look of a younger child.
For the hair of these dolls I used to use yarn, but these days I often create wigs for them using animal hair.
Mostly I make the wigs for them using natural wefts, but sometimes I use ready made mohair wigs.
What I use for the hair depends on what I wish to achive.
These dolls are floppy, their limbs are fairly firm. The arms are sewn on using sewing machine, and the legs are sewn on by hand.
These dolls can only stand with support, but they can sit on their own.
They are not suitable for your children. They are more suitable for children over the age of 6 or as a collectible item.
2. Natural Fibre Art Dolls
My Natural Fibre Art Dolls are more detailed. They have faces, legs and feet that have been sculpted using a needle felting technic. They have sculpted lips.
These dolls always come with wigs that have been created using animal fibres.
Into their neck I build in an armature, so they can tilt their heads slightly. My standard natural Fibre art dolls have very similar body to my Waldorf inspired dolls, only the face is more detailed, and the knee caps are needle felted.
Recently I have been making some of my Natural Fibre Art Dolls with jointed head, legs and arms. These dolls have armature in the legs as well as in the neck, and sometimes also in the ams.
They can stand on their own, they can sit unsupported, their legs and arms can bend, they can turn and tilt their head.
These dolls are lots of fun to pose for photography or to just have around as a companion.
My Natural Fibre Art Dolls are most suitable for collectors or children over the age of 7.
Materials
My dolls are all handcrafted using entirely natural materials.
The outer fabric of most of my dolls consists of good quality, strong cotton Swiss stockinet to make them last for a long time. This fabric is designed for doll making. It has OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 class 1 certificate. The Swiss stockinet comes in various skin tones.
For my art dolls I sometimes use Witte Engel Doll Fabric/ Meaningful Craft.
These day I also have been using another fabric that also has the OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 class 1 certificate. A lovely fabric that has been created in Turkey by WaldorfiaHago.
Inside, my dolls are filled with sheep’s wool which makes these lovely dolls warm and soft.
For my Waldorf Inspired, more traditional looking dolls I used to make the hair
using mohair boucle yarn( curly hair )or brushed mohair yarn(straight hair). For this I used
DollyMo or Wild Mohair yarn. These days I use only the brushed mohair yarn for creating
short hair.
For longer hair I tend to use anymal fibres, like Angora Mohair, Alpaca fibres Pickwick
Wool or Wensleydale. I sew a weft from these fibres and crochet it into a wig. This a lengthy process.
Sometimes I buy ready made commercial mohair weft. This weft is a bit corser then the one
I make, but these days you get some beautiful once that are almost as soft as the once I make, and they can take more handling.
Occasionly I also use ready made mohair wig.
The dolls that have wefted hair are not suitable for little hands, they are more suitable for older children (from the age of 7) or as a collectable item.
