Louie Louie Bebe’s Handmade Waldorf inspired dolls
An introduction, or : How it all began
When my sister and I were little, we loved playing with dolls. Naturally, a big part of the game was dressing and undressing them and since at the time, ready made doll clothes cost a small fortune, and were not on our budget, my mother taught me how to sew. As my family and friends keep reminding me, I spent hours drawing pictures of fancy clothes for the dolls. To be honest, the simple clothes I made were not as elaborate as the sketches, but our vivid imaginations turned them into fabulous ball gowns. Indeed, imagination played a key part in our lives.
We had an old armoire in our bedroom, and my creative mom took out its’ doors, painted it and drew pretty flowers on it, and tuned it into a dolls house. My sister and I made furniture for the dolls from scraps and found objects. We decorated an old cigar box and turned it into a bed, a shoe box became the dolls’ wardrobe, with real doors that opened and closed. A candy tin was a perfect dining table. Everything was possible in our make believe world. Our dolls had a history, a life, they formed relationships, loved, hated and fell ill. We were the story tellers but we were constantly surprised by the dolls, who sometimes acted foolishly and did not listen.
To this day, we both remember those olden days fondly. We smile when we think of our young selves, so innocent and easily pleased.
Why Waldorf?
Perhaps this is what fascinates me with Waldorf education, and Waldorf dolls in particular. They don’t have to be sophisticated in order to make a child happy, and this simplicity, that is the core of Waldorf respects the innocence of children, their mysterious, magical world where everything is possible.
***
How I became a Waldorf Doll Maker
After a long career as a fashion and costume designer, I finally found my passion on a cold winter evening, at my sons’ Waldorf-education kindergarten. Parents were invited for a doll making extravaganza. We all sat on tiny wooden chairs and made little star and little bunting dolls for our children. It was a lovely, fun evening and it could have well ended at that but then, someone pulled a Waldorf doll out of nowhere and I took one look and fell head over heels.
I spent the next couple of weeks glued to my computer, frantically trying to figure out how to make these dolls. I ordered every book I could find and bit my fingernails with anticipation.
But by the time the books arrived, I was already making dolls.
Waldorf dolls, a Love affair
I love making dolls, even though it is a long process and my fingers constantly ache from the pulling and tugging and sewing. I am constantly thinking about new dolls, searching for better techniques, different material, but in the end, the beauty in making Waldorf dolls is the simplicity of it all:
A bit of natural wool roving, cotton thread, embroidery floss and a bit of mohair wool, and voila! A doll emerges.
Making Waldorf dolls allows me to explore new techniques and crafts, which is perfect for me, because I have a curious mind and love learning. Not only that, but over the years it also introduced me to wonderful new communities and people, and I promise to write more about that.
* * *
Where does it all happen?
I work at home, in a lovely, spacious studio adjacent to the children’s playroom, which is where quite a few of the dolls and toys end up, smudged in chocolate and bananas, after enduring some, err, heartfelt affection from my 6 years old daughter, Sophia. (She is 11 now..) She likes to ‘test-drive’ my dolls and if I am not careful, I will end up with absolutely nothing to sell. My 8 (now 12!) year old son, Luca, enjoys helping mom operate heavy machinery. He comes into the studio and we have little chats about my work and the machines, shipping stuff, packing stuff. He is into scissors nowadays, so he likes to see me cut fabric and help me make Thank you cards.
About my dolls:
- All of my dolls are meticulously and lovingly hand crafted.
- I use the finest natural, {usually organic} materials
- All of the doll and clothes patterns are my own.
- I spend many hours making each doll, knitting, sewing and creating the accessories.
- Each of my dolls is One Of A Kind.
Thank you for reading and visiting!
Please visit again and make sure to sign up for the Newsletter, so you do not miss out all the fun!
xox
Einav
©Louie Louie Bebe 2017