It occurred to me that some who have landed here may be new to handmade cloth dolls and particularly to Waldorf-style dolls. So if you have never encountered this type of doll before, this post is for you!
Technically, a Waldorf doll is a plain doll made from natural materials. It has a minimum of features in order to leave as much as possible to the imagination of the child. Especially the dolls intended for the youngest children are to be mere suggestions of the human form, perhaps just a ball wrapped in a piece of a fabric. Older children can benefit from having a more detailed doll with clothes to dress their charges in or babies which could be diapered. The emphasis is on learning to take care of and nurture another human being and developing empathy. At least that's how I understand it.
But really the Waldorf way of making dolls is based on a traditional European one. It seems somehow natural to stuff a cloth doll with wool. And the art of tying the head ball with string so that it takes on a human shape must have developed over time. Mothers have always made dolls for their children to play with using whatever materials were readily at hand.
And today cloth dolls are made in whatever way their maker finds pleasing. Nose or no nose, ears or no ears, lips or no lips, belly-buttons, knees and elbows--from so "realistic" you might mistake them for a real child to stylized and fanciful, all dollmakers seem to have their own unique vision. Sometimes they're called Waldorf-inspired or fiber-art dolls when they go well beyond the Waldorf ideal. I absolutely love the variety that is out there! And of course, over time, I have developed my own ideas about what kind of doll I want to create.
What most Waldorf type dolls have in common, however, is the natural materials used to make them: 100% cotton skin fabric which stretches just the right amount for proper stuffing. And then mountains of lovely sheep's wool for the inside. (I know I tend to go on about this, but it is absolutely my favorite raw material).
The result is a soft, cuddly handmade doll which feels warm to the touch and smells like a hug. Like the Mona Lisa, a subtle smile graces their lips, and their eyes seem to follow you around the room. It's uncanny!
Anyway, I could go on--we converts tend to be a bit, well, enthusiastic about our little darlings. Some of us even have a hard time letting them go when the time comes... If you have questions, send me a note, I'd love to hear from you!
