Many, many years ago I had the pleasure of teaching in Australia. After my class, I meet up with my husband, Mark, in Sydney. We had a great adventure together...scouting our way to an area called The Rocks...then happening upon The Puppet Shop.
Once inside this magical shop, we meet the owner A Frenchman, who we converse with about how we got here in Australia and my profession as a dollmaker..."Oh, do I have something for you!"...and with that he disappeared into the back room and emerged with a doll head gently cradles in his hands!
As best as he had knowledge of this arrived in Australia during the 1930's. Carefully looking at this wonderful piece, I noticed the style- a Boudoir Doll...the silk hair, the shiny painted eyes, the softly layered fabrics....and of course those glorious flirty eyelashes that Boudoir Dolls are known for!
He then told me that he had had this head in the back room for years and years and was just waiting for the right person to come along and please take it as a gift...needless to say I was THRILLED!
We talked a bit more about the possibilities for this doll head. Initially, I thought of taking it apart and refurbishing it into a new doll.
As time passed and home again, I took a second look at this wonder and really started to note how beautiful she was- patina and all. I just could not bare to disturb her as she was...beautiful in her own right.
So, being the doll artist I am, I decided to sculpt and mold my own face (since I had the perfect model)...then out came the research in Boudoir Dolls. I wanted to make her in the traditional very feminine fashion, using yards and yards of fabulous fabrics...
One of the wonderful thing about being a doll artist is you can buy just a bit of very nice fabric and use them in a spotlighted way...below is the embroidered fabric I purchased at Allyn's Bridal and Millinery Shop- for us locals it is a goldmine of treasures from long ago to fabrics of today. You have to be prepared to spend some time there because it is a true digging for treasure(s)...
embroidered silk organza
with beautiful scalloped edge
fussy cute same
fabric for shoes
machine embroidered
leaf design around underskirt
