Crochelves

 

It was a fair morning, as some people call the early hours of warm summer days. 

The billowing steam of the morning dew after night rain, gently filtering away and the sun adding a tinge of yellow to a world in waking slumber.

 I made a strong brew in my flask, donned my summer cardigan and headed outside to the garden. I like to inspect the garden as soon as possible, because it never fails to amaze me and it starts my day on the right foot.

After checking in on the apple tree, I felt a tumble at my feet and looking down I witnessed the aftermath of a fairy crash. 

I placed my flask on the grass succumbing to the need to aid a helpless being and fairy was so surprised to see herself being picked up by strange hands and started to slowly gain her senses back.

We heard little steps and lo and behold, another fairy appeared behind the apple tree. Concerned for the reckless air acrobatics of her sister, she decided to hide and wait for civility to enter the morning garden. 

They both looked at me so amused. They had never encountered a waking human.

I have had the extreme fortune of meeting fairies - apple fairies, flower fairies, lake fairies…even Gaelic ones! 

But I had never met a dandelion fairies and I am very happy I just did. 

They are very skittish and when scared they turn into a dandelion flowers in the blink of an eye. I witnessed this.

They have furry wings and their favourite thing is to see children blowing dandelion seeds. They go to bed very early and they get up before all the other fairies have a chance to open one eye. 

They like to be the first in the meadows and gardens, coaxing all the dandelions to open wide. They also like to hide inside nests and cover themselves with poppy petals when they take a nap. 

I truly feel that my heart is softly whispering that I am happy making dolls and would love to make dolls - my elves and I feel my true expression through doll-making. 

Trough my dolls I present my expression of my storytelling heart.

 My dolls created by my eager hands, forged through the creativity of my doll dreams.

I hope one of them finds their way to your heart. 

They all live in mine!

I wanted to see a large family of my dolls from my hands, but I wanted them all to have different pattern and have different personalities. 

They are all unique, just like way I created their faces.

Doll-making is a way to fantasy and time travel and also to freeze time. 

All the dolls are made entirely by me. From rolling the wool to sculpt their faces, sewing arms and legs by hand, embroidering eyes, wefting hundreds of inches of fiber for their hair, stuffing little knees and bums, sewing cute sleeves and collars, adding buttons and crocheting all those wee shoes.

A lot of people laugh a little at the thoughts and sentiments I have toward my dolls - elves. 

While at the beginning it must sound absolutely bonkers to them, and I am sure they just attribute my insanity to “too much time alone playing with dolls”, eventually they come to understand the deep love I have for my dolls.

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Handmade, handcrafted and homemade items.

For selling locally made items: items that are handmade or crafted by you. For example: gifts, cards, knitwear, painting, jewellery, woodwork and are all popular categories. 

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A lot of people laugh a little at the thoughts and sentiments I have toward my dolls. 

While at the beginning it must sound absolutely bonkers to them, and I am sure they just attribute my insanity to “too much time creating and playing with dolls”, eventually they come to understand the deep love I have for my dolls.

Babies, toddlers, children and adults smile with wonder at the cute designs of my crochet elves and quirky expressions, parents smile at the joy of watching their little ones and knowing that their purchase also help people with all forms of neurological condition to lead longer, healthier, happier lives - a 10% of profit made from sales will go to charity.

My general line of art inquiry concerns itself with the status of textile art and especially of a crochet art as a ‘craft’, and it explores intricate floral patterns, exotic blossoms in a garden or the treetop canopy in a tropical forest for creating garden elves dolls.

Creating my mythical creatures I investigate abstract crochet forms unbound by geometrical parameters schemes and patterns, harnessing the characteristics of different yarn fibers to execute undulating forms and sinuous organic forms, drawing great inspiration from nature herself.

While considering the potential of crochet in both delicate lacework of dresses for my garden elves as well as its ability to be translated through different mediums in large items, my work aims to re-frame this craft in contemporary society and times and question the relevance of this slow ancient art in a fast-paced society.