Wren Larkin is one of my newest dolls that has emerged from the earliest signs of spring here in Manchester.
We had recently planted a deciduous hedge in our tiny front garden and this year was very exciting as it was the first year the blackthorn flowered. I love the blackthorn as it optimistically puts out its flowers before leaves have even begun to bud, and so I have created this little nesting duo and their clutch of eggs as a similar show of optimism.
But I digress, because Wren does not have blackthorn, she has ivy – the evergreens come first; they sit out the grey for us and deserve to be celebrated too. Don’t ask me what the orange flowers are, they were inspired by the vintage 1960’s pillowcase fabric I used for her dress! Unlike nature, I am bound only by the whimsy my mind generates.
Wren is also sporting one of my latest obsessions. When I colour my drawings, I always use at least three colours. I have generally used this principle when adding embroidery to my dolls, and now it has begun to occur in my knitting. There is a variegated sock yarn and then a pink and finally a bright green. Her little egg incubator pocket struck out on its own with an almost neon orange – even here I have infused it with two other yarns.
The needle-felted elements have a wide variety of colour and texture, to which have added painted clay and painted elements to the felt flowers.
Working with colour and texture is a huge part of the doll making process but I am also very much enjoying the shape of my newer heirloom dolls. The more 3-Dimensional nature of them opens up interesting possibilities.
They can also sit very nicely, independently. I have been trying out a much firmer wool stuffing, that generally gets used for teddy bears, and it has a pleasing firm effect on these dolls.
Wren and Little Brid will be available in my shop this Sunday at 7:30 pm UK time. You can find her listing here .
