Lavendilly House is moving - please follow me to my new home.

Dear Friends of Lavendilly House - thank you for joining me on this blogging journey ... with three little children and all the sewing and felting I do I find it challenging to update all the blogs I have, so I am joining them all up. From now on all my posts will be over at my Lavendilly Blog. This blog has been going for several years, and I do invite you to have a look through the old blog posts for some interesting bits and pieces :)

Please do follow me over to www.lavendilly.wordpress.com and click to subscribe to this blog by email - there you will receive updates for new dolls, new doll kits, musings and reflections on parenting and early childhood, news about my work with Melissa Joss and Sacred Essence and also news about my work as an Authorized Marriage Celebrant.

Next year I am also re-starting my playgroup, and no doubt there will be a few updates about the fun and adventurous times we have together.

I will endeavour to move all your wonderful doll photos over to the new blog, and set up a gallery for everyone who has made a doll from a Lavendilly Doll Kit. You can also see photos there of my own dolls and expressions in felting.

Wishing you a joyful, creative and relaxing Christmas with your loved ones!
Jennifer

Repairing Old Dolls: Baby Hans visits the doctor

This is Baby Hans. He is the original Lavendilly Doll, made before my first child was born, 8 years ago. In that time he has been loved and hugged, left lying around, lost, done a bit of gardening and a bit of drawing too. He has been washed many times and has many a long soak in a nice warm (lightly bleached) bath. He is proof that Lavendilly Dolls last and are loved even when they are a bit grubby.

As you can tell though, from my daughter's unhappy face ... Baby Hans wasn't well. His arms and legs were loose and one leg had a seam coming undone, which required a handkerchief bandage until he could be repaired. Rosella was insistent that Baby Hans need urgent care, and wanted to hold his hand through the whole process. Such a good mother, there she sat, in her best gardening tutu, stroking his hair and singing to him softly while I patched him up. I am sure it made all the difference. It certainly settled me :)

With my tool kit nearby I was very gentle, and his leg felt much better soon. I talked to her about how her finger was stitched together by a doctor with a needle and thread when she was a baby and she had caught her finger in a door hinge. Macarbe conversation maybe, but this child is a bit melancholic and it seemed appropriate to share the experience with her baby. What I was a bit anxious about sharing with her, however, was the next part: re-attaching Baby Hans' arms and legs. They would need to be snipped off and re-attached with the doll needle.

The previous night, at my Craft Night, I was asked if I ever made the dolls while the children were watching. My answer was no - they might see bits of unfinished dolls, and they have seen me stuffing parts or making hair, but the bits that involve using those gigantic doll needles I have never completed in the presence of children. Those needles make me squeemish - I can't imagine the effect upon a child watching unattached limbs or a blind doll head being stabbed with needles as long as my hand!

It had to be done though, while the time presented itself, and I knew Rosella wasn't going to be entertained anywhere else until her baby was feeling better. She took it better than I did when I watched her have her finger stitched up at the hospital (I fainted on to the floor and had to lie there with my head on a pillow, while my baby presented her finger as if she was having a manicure!) My stoic daughter watched with interest, and said to me: "It doesn't hurt him mum. My baby is a doll." 

Right. Ok.

I'm still not going to do it again.

Anyway, here's how he was repaired:

I snipped the joint thread between his legs and his body and pulled all the old threads out. If Rosella wasn't watching, and if I had more time I would have re-stuffed his legs a bit too. Then I threaded the doll needle (see what I mean about how long it is!) with a really long piece of strong linen thread (which I buy HERE). I took the needle straight through one leg, the body, through the other leg, and pulled it out the other side.

Then I inserted the needle about 1cm away from where it came out and brought it back through the 2nd leg, through the body and through the 1st leg, coming out about 1cm from where the thread entered the 1st leg. I pulled the thread tight and tied it in a double knot. Then I re-threaded each end of the linen thread separately and brought them back through the 1st leg, the body, and out the 2nd leg, where I tied them together tightly in a double knot.

Then I brought each of the ends out underneath the leg, close to where the joint was made and snipped the thread very close to the fabric, where the end will disappear into the stuffing and won't be left hanging out. Nice and neat.

His arms received the same treatment, and he was looking much happier. So was Rosella :)

I trimmed his hair a bit (gave him the equivalent of a #3 buzz cut) and gave him a new mouth, as the thread of his old mouth had faded so much that you couldn't even see it. Then we gave him a bit of colour in his cheeks, which really made him look happy!

This was done by rubbing a bit of crayon on some paper and then lightly rubbing the paper in a circular motion on his cheeks. It is good to practice on a bit of unwanted fabric first.

All this took a bit of time, because as you can see my littlest assistant came along to sort through my toolbox. She's still in training, and actually, she isn't very helpful yet.

Baby Hans was returned to his mother and greeted with a big cuddle. Then Rosella said, now it is Baby Rosie's turn! Baby Rosie is even older than Baby Hans. She is stained and bald and her mouth wore off a long time ago. We had great fun working on her together ... but I will tell you about that next :)

Christmas Craft Classes - and felt for sale

Lavendilly House has been crazy busy. It is pretty much madness around here from this time of year until Christmas ... and then a nice big long rest, which is great because I am generally really OVER making craft and felt by that time!!

In my attempt to catch hold of the madness and reign it in a little, I am scheduling craft activities to Monday nights where I will be at Silkwood School helping people make dolls and felts. I have been trying to craft during the day, but with my two youngest at home full time, as you can imagine ... little is being completed because one (the littlest one) is busy investigating the contents of my craft cupboard (and unable to resist the natural urge to stack and re-stack and then wander away with things she finds interesting - and she is so cute that I am unable to resist the urge to watch her do it) and the other one wants to help or do craft of her own, which of course means I do not finish the projects I need to work on! Unfortunately, recently this has included people's orders (thank you for your patience!).

Besides, at the moment I am finding it much more rewarding to actually be present with my little ones. Craft might have to happen at night, but I think I am at the space where I have to leave the house for it to happen or else I just go to bed and forget to do it!! So .. every Monday night is craft night now at Silkwood (except the Monday nights that Melissa and I are doing Sacred Essence - coming up on Monday 14th!)

Would you like some child-free time to start and finish a few little Christmas gifts? What would you like to make? Tell me and I will help you make it. Buy kits and materials from me or bring your own.

Come along and join me! Here are the details:

Monday nights (except the 2nd Monday of each month)

Silkwood Moonlight Prep Room

39 Shepherd Hill Lane

$10 per evening 

7 - 9:30pm

Bookings to jennifer@lavendillyhouse.net

I've been spending my time making lots of felts to sell and display at the Goddess Conference, held recently on the Gold Coast. Some items were for display, and others were for sale. Here is a little selection of my favourites:

 Sheela Na Gig - I made two of these and they both disappeared from my table in a jiffy!

(Yes - I will take orders, if you are still interested!)

Fire Elemental Meditation Mat - I made a large and a small and they have both sold. 

(yes I will take orders!)

Earth Elemental Altar Mat. You can still purchase this one if you visit ETSY

The MUSE. 

I love her. She has been a very inspiring presence for me in my studio, but now it is time for her to inspire others. You can find her at ESTY too.

Air Elemental Altar Mat - this one was a late comer to the conference so I am not sure anyone got to see her. She is a really pretty mat, perfect as a small meditation mat, a largeish centre piece for a table, or as a mat to create sacred space for your altar. Still for sale at ETSY.

The Secret of the Doll: Beauty, Truth, Goodness

BEAUTY

Waldorf dolls were inspired by the teachings of Dr Rudolf Steiner and by the doll-sculpting techniques of Kathe Krusse. They were originally very simple dolls possessing the barest essence of humanness in their features, for this allowed the child the freedom to connect to the doll’s beauty and spirit through their imagination. A lovingly-made doll with simple features has greater capacity to transform and connect in a child’s imagination. This doll can take on any expression and emotion the child needs in order to replay, process and heal their daily life experiences.

Waldorf dolls have become much more formed over the years, but my favourites are still the ones that just have eyes, but even the really formed Waldorf dolls are preferable to a lot of the dolls available to children at the moment. Popular dolls now have exaggerated features - heads impossibly big for their bodies, limbs that could not support such a head, facial features that are also too large. Not to mention the issue of body image and the misuse of marketing to children. These dolls, particularly for the girls, are often designed as an induction into teenage- and adult-hood, and yet are marketed to four and five year olds. Imagine what kind of nourishment they provide for the imitative growth of a child? Indeed, our children are entering adulthood long before they are emotionally ready.

I don’t believe however, as Dr Steiner indicated, that ALL formed toys and dolls are damaging to the growing child’s formative forces. Every little girl I know has fallen in love with a plastic baby doll at some point.  We have one in our house who is lovingly dressed and tucked in beside the handmade baby dolls. While of course I believe handmade dolls to be the most suitable playmates for my children, balance is a healthy thing. There is a place for other toys. The attention and love given to a child’s special plaything is what imbues it with life and warmth.

TRUTH

Waldorf dolls emerged to serve as a plaything that supported children’s developing sense of self. The doll is a child’s support in development because it provides the child with another human experience. The doll, in a child’s image, is a child’s equal, friend, confidante, and a representation of another loving human being: someone who can receive and receive and receive and keep on receiving. The doll is a willing participant in every activity (what more could a mummy wish for?!), someone who listens and who will give you a hug whenever you need it.

Giving the doll to your child is more than presenting them with a toy – we are giving them a friend that they can model our behaviours with. It gives our children the opportunity to play out the role of adult to, and in their imaginations practice behaviours and replay scenarios for their own healing.

GOODNESS

Waldorf Dolls are so delightfully appealing and so lovely to hold and cuddle. Anything handmade is imbued with the love and labour of the maker – that is something worth having just there. You can be sure it is not mass produced, and once you have made a Waldorf doll you can appreciate the time and effort that has gone into the making of these sweet little ones.

Using natural fibres is a bonus too. Natural fibres are washable, they breathe and they retain and return the warmth of the one who is holding them. Natural materials are made from things that have had LIFE and provided they are not processed too much they retain that quality of life in their new form. Synthetic and plastic toys are made from chemicals that may affect our hormonal activity. Not hard to choose what I’d rather have my child playing with!

In our society now it is difficult to avoid synthetic materials for toys.  Making our child a special doll with love and with materials made from Mother Nature will mean a lot to them, and it may not be their doll of choice to play with always, but it will still be a constant companion, and if treated with due respect to its ‘child-like’ nature then it will always be a healing presence in the playroom. 

Little Banjilann

Little Banjilann has already found a new home.

She came into this world for a young girl on the Gold Coast to love.

Her name is a Yugumbeh word meaning butterfly.

She's a darling, isn't she?

Ready For Some Fun!!

Hi! I'm on my way to the Sunshine Coast to help a beautiful girl celebrate her birthday!!

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Her mummy said she is a bit cheeky and lots of fun ... so I'm dressed ready for play! This is my favourite top, I especially like the frilly sleeves and green buttons.

And these little shoes are ready for skipping, dancing, running, jumping and climbing ....

My hair gets a little crazy when I play so I put my rainbow headband on. I love rainbows - don't you love rainbows?

Can't wait to get there!!

Creative Challenges!! Whale Sharks, Jungle Girl and Jemima

It was party day today!! All week we've been getting ready for a little household party for the newest four year old. He rather likes sharks so I was asked to create this wall hanging for his bedroom:

It is a whale shark, in case you can't tell! Yes, I know whale sharks are a LOT bigger (hence their name) and this little guy is all head and no body, but perhaps he is a four year old whale shark ...

In between working on the shark, we started making some costumes for his birthday party. It was a "J" themed party (his name is Joachim) and we had to think really hard to come up with some ideas to dress up in! Among the attendees we had a jailbird (with manacles, ball and chain), Julius Cesear, Jock the Scotsman, a jasmine flower (that was me), a jouster (as in a knight who jousts - my son of course), two jesters, two jungle girls, two joeys (baby kangaroos), two Jemimas (from Playschool) and a smack of jellyfish (yes, I checked, a 'smack' IS the correct collective noun for jellyfish!). Here is the birthday boy - a supersonic JET!!

Here is one of the Jemimas ... my little baby (who had her first birthday last weekend). Now here is where some doll-making skills came in handy for me today ..... I crocheted her a little beanie and attached the wool for her piggy tales to that, so we could just put the hat on when she needed her hair. .... 

it took a bit of convincing .... 

but eventually she didn't mind very much.

And my other daughter went as a jungle girl. I am glad that I had some helpers to make her jungle vines. We hand felted strands of fleece into lots of 'vines' and I sewed them into a felt belt that I tied around her waist. 

A few more on some hair bands for funky hair ... but of course she didn't want them in her hair but on her arms. Not a very charming photo ... and by this stage she had stripped off other parts to her costume but three-year-olds move quickly and this was the only photo I managed to take!

It was a really fun event .. and before it was over I took off my jasmine petal collar (made of felt - of course!) and put on my christmas elf hat and disappeared to a Christmas in July "Crafternoon Tea", which I have no doubt at all that you will read about on Mama Moontime tomorrow!!

It has been a week of creative challenges, that is for sure!