32. Helen's description

Helen - the doll for Hania - custom order.

Helen is a Waldorf inspired doll. She is about 14 inches tall. She was made from a special cotton jersey designed for dollmakers (swiss cotton with Oko-Tex label). It is firmly stuffed with clean, carded sheepswool, but soft enough for hugging.

Her head is sculptured in the traditional Waldorf style. Helen's simple facial features (eyes and lips) are embroidered with floss. In her face you can notice a tiny tip of the nose. For her medium-length hair I have chosen a light brown woolen mohair for hair.  It is a woolen yarn specially produced  for dollmakers in beautiful natural colours. It is certified with EN71-3 label, which means it can be safely used in doll making. I made her hair by applying strand by strand to the embroidered , with the same yarn, head. It is very strong. Her hairstyle can be easily changed, and it needs to be finger styled. From time to time you can comb her hair using a comb with rare teeth to make it more fluffy. Helen's hair is very natural, it looks like children's hair. Her face is delicately coloured with wax crayon. She has coloured cheeks and nose.

As she is made of sheepswool. Helen is soft, warm and nice to the touch. It is very pleasing to hold her and cuddle. She smells of home and gives her little friend a sense of security.

The doll has quite many clothes. I made them in accordance with Hania's Mom suggestions. It was my pleasure to cooperate with her. Thank you Ania.

Helen comes with the following outfit of clothing: cotton pants, light coloured cotton dress, dark blue cotton pinafore, two pairs of leggings (vanila and pink) made from cotton velvet, navy-blue wollen shoes, grey-blue woolen cardigan, woolen cap in the colour of the blue of the sea, grey woolen foxy scarf, pale green socks-bootees, pink cotton night dress and two red and grey woolen ribbons to tie her hair. Her clothes are mostly in blue shades, with beige and red accents.
The doll herself and all her clothes I made from natural materials such as cotton jersey, cotton, cotton velvet, sheepswool and many different kinds of wool.

Thank you for dropping by. Have a nice day!

31. The doll for Hania

The story about Little Fox moved me. On and on the doll was recollecting their games. 

I thought I could make her a little present to make her feel better.

Is this for me?,  she sked when I gave her a little scarf with a little fox. How lovely! He had exactly the same nose. It had white cheeks as this one. Now Little Fox will be with me. Thank you. She was pleased.

     

                                   ***

In the meantime I worried that I could not help Helen find Hania. Where is she..?

Well, one day I received an email from a lady. After exchanging a few electronic letters, she and I quickly came to conclusion that  we both  found what we were looking for. I found Hania, and the lady found the doll her little daughter named Hania could not forget.

Just imagine. On that very day when Helen was in the park and overheard Hania talking to her Mom, Hania noticed a fox. It was Little Fox who lurked near the bench where they both sat. As you remeber he had something in his little snout. "A doll!" - whispered Hania. - "Oh, gosh! I would like to get to know her. I'm sure we would like each other..." The little girl did not forget about the doll she saw for a moment in the park. Every day she talked a lot about her and her Mom promised to find her...

"You will have a wonderful home and a lovely friend." - I said to Helen when I finished telling her what happened and how Hania's Mom found us. I had to repeat it several times because Helen could not believe that she would meet Hania soon.

***

In the evening we watered our pot plants standing on the window sill. Helen looked through the window. The setting sun was turning her face gold. On her neck she had her foxy scarf 
I gave her the other day . She was a little wanderer. So precious.

Thank you for visiting us! Have a relaxing weekend."

30. A stroll on a beautiful day

It was getting warmer outside. The best time to be out for a stroll. I wondered if it was going to be Helen's first walk. Helen's? Yes, Helen's, because this was the name of our little new doll. 

You may ask  how we have discovered this. I should explain, though it was very easy. 

While the doll was admiring her new arms, Marianne asked her about her name. 

Guess!, the new doll said and she was laughing.

Sophie?, inquired Marianne.
The doll only shook her head and spread her arms helplessly saying, No, unfortunately not.
So maybe Tosia or Nela?
No, no, we hear her, He-len. I am Helen.

***

As we walk across the meadow close to the house, we sit on the last year's dry grass, observe trees covered in fresh catkins, and I look at Helen curiously. She intrigues me. I'm sure there must be a story about her,  I meditate. Almost each doll has her own story. What has happened to her? She is so cheerful and self-confident."

***

Helen tore off a blade of dry grass and started playing with it. I am looking for Hania.Will you help me?, she asked briefly. Well, I will try, of course... And who is Hania?, inquired I in turn.

She is a little girl I have met lately. I heard her asking her Mom for a doll. I liked her and I started listening to them. At once I thought I could be this doll. Why not?..

It was in the park, where I often played with Little Fox who was my friend. He usually put me into his little snout, lifted into the air and we ran together. It was fun... 

On that day after some time the girl's Mom said to her" "It's time for us, Hania. Let's go home!",  and off they went to the bus stop. I wanted to run after them, but I couldn't do anything. I just lay under the tree next to Little Fox , while they were moving away towards the bus approaching. I looked at Little Fox. He caught me with his teeth and we ran in their direction, but they weren't at the stop. They must have got on the bus and left. We stopped. I was very sad...

In a moment Little Fox started to run again. I felt he wanted to help me. Suddenly a group of children noticed us. They shouted at us. Little Fox got scared and he changed the direction. He ran into the wood where it was safer. Slowly the surrounding around us changed, there appeared hills. All of a sudden we began to fall down a steep cliff and found ourselves on a little beach in the end. 

It was frightening. What to do? 

There Little Fox noticed you with Marianne. We walked creeping behind you until you came to your house. A few minutes later Little Fox noticed Marianne in one of the windows. She was playing on the table. My Little Fox looked at me and slowly he tossed me onto your table. Yes...

***

Suddenly I remembered the day when I walked on the beach... I was with Marianne and I saw a fox running in front of us. Really. It was a blue little fox and he carried something in his snout. He looked frightened. Soon he disappeared. I have never met him again.

 Was your Little Fox ginger as most of foxes?, I asked Helen. 

No, not at all! What an idea, replied she, He was blue, grey-blue. Only his nose nad a tip of his tail were snowy and white."

Do you think about him?

Yes, sometimes.

***

We went to the meadow again late in the afternoon. 

Helen was holding a stick in her hand and wandered through the bushes in search of new adventures.

Do you think she will find Hania?

Thank you for visiting us! Have a lovely day.

29. So we did as we decided

Our little trunk's head

The little "trunk" that appeared in our previous post is restless. 

You can see at once she is going to be a very playful doll.

I look at her thinking about her face. "What does she look like?

I start picturing her in my mind. 

Her eyes will be blue. But what if I make them grey-blue? Yes, right. 

Grey-blue eyes, not too big, of usual size, let's say in the shape of almonds. Yes.

Now rather small lips in pink, dark pink, or even raspberry... Yes, this will be good. 

And classical proportions where eyes and lips make an nice equilateral triangle... 

That's it."

What about hair? What hair has she got? Fair, dark?

Fair-haired doll

Hair mixed with ginger

Or darker shades of hair

***

While working on my new doll, from time to time I have a glance at Marianne. 

She is sitting just beside me and I can see her cheeks are turning pink. 

She says, I like it so much. You know to choose the colours and all that.

***

As for the hair I eventually decide on this.

Half-long mohair hair in the shade of light brown

What else? 

Just legs and arms and the doll is finished. At that very moment she calms down. 

She does not jump nor tumble as we have expected her to behave. Nothing of the kind. 

She puts her back against my sewing machine and looks at her hands in admiration. 

"So marvellous." - I can hear her voice.

"Hi, how are you?" - says Marianka...

Thank you for dropping in!
I wish you all nice and relaxing weekend.

28. All of a sudden

There is a new doll on my table.
She has been here for a short time and has no clothes yet. I like looking at her.
She makes me think of Sophie a bit, do you remember her?

So when I look at Marianne, my new doll, I see her rich dark velvety hair shining with different shades of brown. But after a while I discover in her hair plenty of navy, violet and claret-coloured streaks interwoven. Yes, her hair reminds me of something I cannot name at this moment.

Marianne is sitting on the table and we are looking at some fabrics spread all over to choose a few of them for her clothes. And we are talking at the same time.

"And d'you remember the name of the lake where we met for the first time?" - I hear Marianne's questioning voice.

I had no time to answer because all of a sudden I noticed there was something happening on the table...
   
What was that?

To our surprise there it was another doll.
She was near Marianne on the table, among the strewn cloths.

As a matter of fact she was not a doll, or being precise not a complete doll.
She was just a little trunk with her head only formed.

Oh dear! Now she is clambering slowly over the cloths.
So we help her a little, because otherwise she wouldn't manage.

"Look, she has neither eyes, nor lips, nor hands or legs. Help her. You must! - says excited Marianne.

"But what about you?" - I am asking her just in case, because I feel she is right.
"We were to make clothes for you."

"It doesn't matter? I will wrap up warm with a blanket and I'll be fine." - answers Marianne.
"I can wait."

"Well, well,..." - I think amused. - "What a nice doll she is. A true doll with soul ..."

And I say aloud. - "Very well then, she can't even tell us now how she arrived here, can she? And it's going to be an interesting story, I'm sure."

"Exactly." - confirms Marianne.

But after a while she is einquiring again. - "Did I look the same as she?"

"No. Come on Marianne, when we met, you were already a beautiful doll, and now let's help our new friend, right?" - I change the subject.

***

Our "little friend" cannot speak, but I am sure she understood every word of our whole conversation, because unexpectedly she starts bouncing on the table.

I glanced at Marianne. - "Wants to tell us she likes it, doesn't she?"

Marianne nodded her head watching the little one at the same time.

"Be careful, you'll fall down!" - suddenly she cried and caught "the doll".

Thank you for dropping in!