Heartfelt Dolls
  • Home
    • About me
    • I Am A Dollmaker: crafter's statement
    • Beware when you honor an artist
    • Heartfelt Dolls: Fool's Errand or Heroine's Journey
    • Doll making as a spiritual journey
    • Igniting creativity with Heartfelt dolls
    • Heartfelt doll-making: a healing experience
    • Heartfelt Dolls: the memory keepers
    • Heartfelt Dolls on life and death
    • Heartfelt Dolls: aesthetic meditation
    • Heartfelt Dolls: using textile crafts in contemporary art
    • Heartfelt Dolls: seeking a definition
    • Heartfelt Dolls: A Political Voice?
    • Heartfelt Dolls: Face On/Face Off
    • Heartfelt Dolls jammin' with JAMTV
    • Heartfelt Dolls @The Open Studios Project Blog
    • Heartfelt Dolls @ ArtsMad Rotorua
    • Heartfelt Isolation
    • Exhibitions old and new
    • Heartfelt Inspiration: a blog of that which inspires me
    • Testimonials
    • Contact
    • News
  • Dolls
    • Heartfelt Dolls: companions for the journey
    • The Quotidian Doll: an introduction >
      • The Quotidian Doll Blog: introducing a Heartfelt-doll-a-day
    • Diaspora: the 101 dolls project
    • Heartfelt Dolls willing to leave home (for sale) >
      • Matariki
      • Through A Glass Darkly
      • Stitch Yourself a Boyfriend
      • Pink Walkers
      • Steampunk Dolls
      • Selfies
      • The Heroine's Journey
      • An English Country Garden
      • Hobo Chic
      • The Fisherman
      • I Shall Wear Purple
      • Enraged Woman Riding a Black and White Dog Writing Wrongs
      • Salute to the Sun
      • Old Woman in a Shoe
      • Soul Sisters
      • The Smiles Project
      • BFF
      • Blue Belles
      • Shades of Gray
      • Angels with attitude
      • Angels of gold
      • Angels
      • 'Ladies a plate'
      • Cosy up with a bit of skirt
      • Ice Palace
      • Troupe de verde
      • Animal Antics
      • Male dolls
      • Carnivale: stiltwalking dolls
      • Calendar Girls
      • Dammit dolls
      • Oh Cliche
      • Heartfelt Graffiti
      • Double Trouble
      • Lilliputians
      • Kiwi Icons
      • Faeries
    • Heartfelt Fundraisers >
      • Volunteer Fire Fighters
      • Memory keepers
      • Shades of Gray >
        • Shades of Gray Duets
        • Shades of Gray Men
      • Calendar Girls
      • Pink Walkers
      • Bandanna Chic
      • Selfies
    • Heartfelt Companions: sharing my journey with you >
      • One-of-a-kind heartfelt dolls >
        • Julie Has Flown North For The Summer
        • Hot Flash!
        • Whoops!
        • Medusa
        • The Bag Lady
        • Purple people eater
        • Social Climber
        • Place
        • Fertility Fairy
        • Smile
        • Blue Baths Belle
        • An Artist's Book
        • Pink Lady
        • Beloved
      • Heartfelt dolls in a series >
        • The Rainbow Connection
        • What's in a cup?
        • The Apple
        • Hi-Cut Internet Dolls
        • Godde Dolls
        • Shrines
        • The Rites of Autumn
        • Bibliophile
        • Seeing the world through different eyes
        • Akuba: encouraging change
        • It takes a village
        • Umbrella and Umbrage
        • A cautionary tale ...
    • Heartfelt Process, Heartfelt Transformation >
      • Matron Saints
      • Creative Guardians
      • The Nest
      • Freeing the caged heart: the poets and the dollmaker
      • The Unemployment Blues
      • The Bare Necessities
      • The Heroine's Journey
      • The Alchemy of Change
      • Sticks and stones
      • Stitch yourself a boyfriend
      • Inner Child
      • Salute to the Sun
      • Bindings
      • Euphrosyne: reclaiming joy >
        • Freeing the caged heart: poetry to lift your spirits
        • The Smiles Project
        • Dancing Feet
        • Irrepressible
        • Greening: a lenten journey
        • Wild Women Like to Dance
        • I Am Woman
        • Harakeke flowers
        • Circle of friends, vessel of hope
        • Dance
        • Spirit seekers, spirit guides
      • The Great Divide: one woman's experience of divorce >
        • Numb
        • Bound
        • Burlap and lace
        • Naked
        • Reclaim
        • Bitch
        • The Devil on my back
        • Burdened
        • God alone is enough
        • Simple heart
        • Broken dreams
        • Will the real me please stand up?
        • The Classifieds
        • Sing-a-song
        • Dark nights >
          • You are dying ...
          • Beast of burden
          • Wounded healer, broken heart
          • A moment of conversion
          • Unbuilding
          • Peace
          • Transform me
          • A clean heart
          • Unwrapped
          • Doormat
          • The weight of expectation
          • Promise
          • A new me
          • The fabric of my life
          • Struggle
          • Hanging
        • Dance me To The End of Love
      • Black Dog: one woman's experience with depression >
        • The Anti-depressants
        • Some days
        • What I wish you knew about depression
    • Heartfeltfelt Emotion >
      • Gold Angels: coping with tragedy
      • Emotions: a challenge
      • Lamentation
      • Heartfelt Anger >
        • Anger Management with Dammit Dolls
        • Dammit!
    • Heartfelt Celebration! >
      • I Shall Wear Purple!
      • Birthday dolls
      • Birthday cards
      • Julie's 21st
      • Celebrate my femininity!
      • Troupe de verde
    • Heartfelt Graffiti
    • Heartfelt Care >
      • Ageing >
        • I Shall Wear Purple
        • The Seven Ages Of Woman
      • For the children
      • Living with dementia
      • Say 'NO' to family violence >
        • You don't have to take it like I did
        • Are you the one?
      • Heartfelt Conservation >
        • Seduced By The Wild
        • Feathers Over Hamurana
        • Birds
      • Living with cancer
      • Breast Cancer Awareness >
        • Hello Dollies: an article
        • Pink Walkers
        • Primal scream
        • Flat Out
        • Paradox
        • Just Checkin'
        • I Love you, Mum
        • Mammogram Slam
        • Friends for the journey
        • Hair Today
        • Domestic Goddess
        • Deconstruct Reconstruct
        • Sewphie the stitcher
        • Nana and Gran
        • Procrastinating Polly
        • Colour blind
        • BRAve New World
        • Unzipped
        • Lord, to whom shall we go?
        • Knitting Nellie
        • The nay-sayers
        • Vessels of hope
        • Dancing Woman Labyrinth
        • Breast Labyrinth
    • Time Capsule series
  • Heartfelt Creativity
    • Heartfelt Fun
    • Heartfelt Comfort >
      • Girl Reclining on a Sofa
      • Cotton-soft boas
      • Wild Women Like to Hang About
    • Heartfelt Stitch >
      • Mother's Little Helper
      • Needlewomen
      • Old Woman in a Shoe
      • Delight in a cup
      • Heartfelt Companion
    • Heartfelt Wrapping >
      • Colour Blind
      • Spirit dolls
      • Bound
      • Aspects of Self
      • Wrapping as an art form
      • Wild Women Like To Dance
    • Heartfelt vestis >
      • What a wonderful world!
      • A thanksgiving vest
      • Dalmatics
      • In Praise
    • Labyrinth >
      • Shell labyrinth
      • Breast Labyrinth
      • Labyrinth scroll
      • Stitched labyrinth
      • Dancing Woman Labyrinth
      • Hopi labyrinth
      • Bead labyrinth
      • Journey
    • ANZAC: a tribute >
      • ANZAC Quilt
      • Rawene Boys
      • ANZAC jacket
  • Heartfelt prayer
    • Heartfelt crocheted rosaries
    • Heartfelt Retreat >
      • An Advent Retreat in Daily Life
      • Our daily medicine: a 28 day reflection on living and dying
      • Hidden in Plain View: a retreat in daily life
      • 24 hours: a retreat reflecting on the passion of Jesus
      • Stations of the light
    • Heartfelt waiting: reflections on the season of Advent >
      • Matron Saints of Un-named Women
      • Advent is a vessel
      • Advent is a pilgrimage
      • Advent remembers we are all related.
      • Advent is creative
      • Advent is a ritualised experience
      • Advent is expectant
      • Advent names God
      • Advent is a door
      • Advent: a sacred space
    • Stations of the Cross >
      • Christchurch Stations of the Cross
      • 24 Hours
      • Stations with haiku
      • John Badcock "Stations of the Cross"
    • Heartfelt Season: reflecting on the season of Lent >
      • A Lenten Walk
      • Lenten Prayer Flags
    • Heartfelt Hallelujah: reflections on the season of Easter >
      • Voices on the Via Lucis
    • Prayers from the Ark >
      • The Mouse
      • The Spider
      • The Dog
      • The Elephant
      • The Lizard
      • The Lamb
      • The Peacock
      • The Giraffe
      • The Toad
      • The Parrot
      • The Mother Hen
      • The Goldfish
      • The Cat
      • The Lion
    • Heartfelt Belief
    • Heartfelt Reflection >
      • These Parables Blow Me Apart!
      • A Single Thread
      • Every moment is gift
      • Harvest Wheat
      • Stepping out in faith
      • Harvest Heart
      • Dream catcher
      • The Sewing Basket
    • Sacred Story >
      • The Road to Emmaus
      • The Loaves and the Fishes
    • Listening To Winter
    • Genesis
    • Heartfelt Writing >
      • Joy on a String
      • Changing Landscapes
      • Rites of Passage
      • Sowing and Reaping
      • Hidden In Plain View
      • An Emmaus Journey
      • God and Dog
      • Dear Julie
      • An Intentional Walk
      • The Widow's Might
      • Does God Exist?
      • The Sewing Basket
      • Advent: A Sacred Space
      • A Secular Liturgy
      • Your Call
      • Dance me To The End Of Love
  • "100 day" projects
  • Prayer flag project
    • Blessings on the wind: a year of blessings >
      • April blessings
      • March blessings
      • February blessings
      • January blessings
      • December blessings
      • November blessings
      • October blessings
      • September blessings
      • August blessings
      • July blessings
      • June blessings
      • May Blessings
      • April Blessings
      • March Blessings
    • Prayer flag blog
  • Gratitude Flowers

Doll 61: Joseph Tobin

22/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Joseph was the 3rd son of Brigid and Kieran Tobin.
Born in 1884, he was one of 5 boys.
Joseph was a devout young man,
and felt a calling to join the Order of the Friars Minors.

This order of Franciscans has a mission to serve in the Holy Land.
" ... to serve the local church
and to look after, restore and protect the holy places of Christianity
" Paul VI
A number of shrines were acquired over the course of the years:
In 1867, Servant of God Pauline Nicolay gave the Custody the shrine at Emmaus;
in 1875, the 7th Station on the Via Dolorosa was acquired;
in 1878, the shrine of Naim; in 1879, talks concluded over the shrine at Cana;
in 1880, the shrine of Bethpage was acquired;
between 1889-1950, the Franciscans acquired the right to take possession of the 5th Station,
the "Dominus Flevit", Tabgha, Capernaum, the Shepherds' Field near Bethlehem,
the Monastery of St. John the Baptist in the Desert, Mount Nebo,
the place of Jesus' baptism on the banks of the Jordan,
a small place in the immediate vicinity of the Holy Cenacle and Bethany.

This was not an easy calling for Joseph and his brother friars.
Troubles were frequent.
In 1901, bloody attacks arose partially due to tensions concerning the status quo.
On one occasion, Greek monks stoned friars
over whose right it was to sweep the square next to the stairs
that led to the so-called chapel of the Franks.
In 1920, Turks killed three priests and two friars over tensions
related to the persecution of the Armenians.
Picture

The template is pretty well abandoned in this figure.
The body has been shortened,
and cut across the base.
Short curved legs are added.
Long narrow arms are stitched to the shoulders.
The head is shrouded by a hood.
For reflection ...
Joseph believed the Holy Land belonged to the Christians.
How can a faith system based on compassion and mutual charity
be so judgemental and exclusive?

0 Comments

Doll 60: Mairead Tobin

21/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Mairead Ryan was born in 1885 in Belfast.
Her parents were hardworking and loving.
Mairead did not enjoy school and left to enrol in a secretarial school.
On completion of her course,
she got a position at the shipyards.

In 1902, Mairead married Declan Tobin,
who was working at the shipyards where she worked as a typist.
They had 5 children:
Caitlin b. 1904
Eamon b. 1906
Liam b. 1907
Fintan b. 1909
Siobhan b. 1912.
Picture
The lower torso and legs
are in the shape of the teardrop.
The upper torso is elongated,
nipping in slightly at the waist,
and has a slight shoulder shape.
Long narrow arms are buttoned to the
base of the neck.
For reflection ...
Mairead did not enjoy school.
What responsibility do we have to meet the differing needs
of the children in our care?
Can a single model of education enable each person
to discover their talents and help them become the best they can be?

0 Comments

Doll 59: Declan Tobin

20/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Born in 1882,
Declan Tobin was the second son of Brigid and Kieran Tobin.
Declan had a love for the sea, and for engineering,
so at 14 he set off for Belfast to work at the ship yards.
He got an apprenticeship with Harlands and Wolff, Ship Builders.
This was the company that built the Titanic
for British shipping company, the White Star Line.
In competition with Cunard, and German shipping lines,
the company decided to build bigger, not faster,
with devastating consequences.

In 1902, Declan married Belfast girl, Mairead Ryan,
who was working as a typist.
They had 5 children:
Caitlin b. 1904
Eamon b. 1906
Liam b. 1907
Fintan b. 1909
Siobhan b. 1912.
Picture
I used the teardrop template
to shape the upper body.
It has a shortish neck
and exaggerated head.
The legs curve inward at the feet.
Long narrow arms are attached to the shoulders.
For reflection ...
The working and living conditions for Declan
were sub-standard and life-threatening.
What responsibility do we have to ensure that each person
has adequate shelter and a safe workplace?

0 Comments

Doll 58: Sean Tobin

19/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Sean was the eldest son of Brigid and Kieran Tobin.
In response to his mother's prayers and encouragement,
Sean became a Mill Hill priest.
The Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill
was founded in 1866 by Herbert Alfred Vaughan.

After his ordination,
Sean was sent to eastern Uganda.
A few years before his arrival,
22 Catholics and 23 Anglicans were brutally executed
killed on the orders of King Kabuka Mwanga of Buganda.
The Mill Hill priests first arrived in Uganda in 1895.
Picture
This figure has steeply sloping shoulders
which reflect the teardrop template.
The neck is elongated
and there is a slight hint at a head.
The lower torso and legs
fall straight from the waist.
There is a slight curve inwards in the legs.
Long narrow arms are sewn to the base of the neck.
For reflection ...
Sean was a man of prayer.
Do I believe in the efficacy of prayer?

0 Comments

Doll 57: Nadia Vasiliev

18/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Nadia Vasiliev was born in 1900 in the USSR.
She was a talented circus performer,
specialising in acrobatics and dancing.
She fled Russia when Lenin nationalised the circus in 1919.

Nadia met Maurice Donovan
when she joined PT Barnum's Museum, Menagerie and Circus.
They married in 1923
and had 2 children:
Olga b. 1925
Vladimir b. 1926.
Picture

The teardrop shape can be seen in
the lower torso and curvature of the legs.
The upper torso is more feminine
with a nipped-in waist
and shapely shoulders.
Long narrow arms are buttoned to the
base of the neck.
For reflection ...
Nadia left her homeland to follow her passion.
What would I do to realise my dreams?

0 Comments

Doll 56: Maurice Donovan

17/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Maurice was the youngest child of Clare and Colm Donovan.
He was born in 1886.
His father died from consumption when Maurice was 2 years old.
Maurice's mother remarried in 1891.
The new family moved to Boston to be closer to Clare's family.

Maurice was always different from his siblings.
He had no desire for tertiary education.
Instead he loved the performance arts.
In 1900, Maurice ran away to join PT Barnum's Museum, Menagerie and Circus.
Initially he was an acrobat - tumbling, balancing and juggling.
Later he moved to the trapeze.
The flying trapeze was invented by Jules Leotard,
(Yip! He also invented the leotard!!)

At the circus, Maurice met Nadia Vasiliev.
They married in 1923
and had 2 children:
Olga b. 1925
Vladimir b. 1926.
Picture
I created a very straight figure.
No evidence of the teardrop.
I also added 1/4cm around the pattern
to make it more solid.
There is a slight curve below the hips.
Long narrow arms are sewn to the shoulders.
For reflection ...
Maurice was a professional entertainer.
How important is participation in the arts to our well-being?

0 Comments

Doll 55: Maeve Donovan

16/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Maeve Donovan was born in 1884 to Clare and Colm Donovan,
in New York, USA.
Her father died when she was 4 years old.
Maeve's mother remarried and the new family moved to Boston
to be closer to her mother's family.

Maeve was always a quiet studious child.
She inherited her parents' love of learning and has an insatiable curiosity.
Maeve studied psychology at university.
She gained a Ph.D at Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University.
Later, she became a Professor of Philosophy at Vassar College,
and became head of the psychology department.

Maeve never married.
Picture
The teardrop can be seen in the lower torso
and the curve of the legs.
The main body is lengthened
with a more horizontal shoulder shape.
The neck is lengthened.
Long narrow arms are stitched
onto the shoulders.
For reflection ...
Maeve sought refuge in books and learning.

Is the book publishing industry under threat
with the increase use of electronic devices?
Which do I prefer?

0 Comments

Thinking about change ...

16/7/2017

0 Comments

 
As I adapt and manipulate the teardrop template,
I have been thinking about how the Brennan family
and their descendants adapted to the changing circumstances of their lives.

Different climates -
dry Western Australia,
tropical French Polynesia,
icy Canada,
cold New York,
bleak London.

Different living conditions -
tenements in industrialised cities,
tents and temporary shacks in the Australian desert,
cold, poorly insulated buildings in Belfast and Dublin,
wooden and tin dwellings in New Zealand.

Different social climates -
confronting the policy of breeding out 'half-caste girls' in Western Australia,
facing prejudice against Irish Catholics in America,
a pioneer spirit and 'can-do' attitude in New Zealand,
'ownership' of women within marriage which allowed domestic violence,
issues of land ownership,
inter-marriage (religion and race),
rights of women to work and to vote,
rights and treatment of indigenous peoples,
control of populations by governments.

Death of siblings and children,
injustice and penal colonies,
the violence of world war,
closed adoptions,
the stigma of solo motherhood,
desertion and abandonment,
suicide,
gender difference,
remarriage and blended families.

Differences in diet,
health care and traditional medicines,
language and traditions,
dress,
social class,
availability of education,
modes of transport.

In each situation,
the people involved had to reflect on their foundational beliefs,
consider what needs to change,
what can be discarded and what must be retained.
They had to adapt skills they had to a different and changing environment.

Just as I have to reflect on the foundational shape (the teardrop),
consider what needs to be changed
and what can be retained
(the long narrow arms are consistent throughout).
I had to adapt the body shape to reflect the character that was emerging.

Adapting to change is easy for some.
They seek the novel and the different.
They look for and revel in challenge.
They focus on the present moment but with a heart for a different future.

For others, change is just too frightening.
Their lives need structure and routine.
They shoulder familial responsibilities.
They deal with small, incremental changes from the known.
If there are large demands for change, they crumple or withdraw.
0 Comments

Doll 54: Ella Brennan

15/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Ella Young was the second child of John and Elaine Young.
John was known as a 'robber baron' who used unscrupulous methods to become rich.
He habitually habitually cheated and robbed investors and consumers,
and corrupt government officials in his business dealings.

Ella went to Brilliantmont, a finishing school in Switzerland.
Brilliantmont, founded in 1885, was to become an international secondary school.
On her return, she met financial whizz kid, Cameron Brennan.
The wedding of the year was held in 1910.
They had 3 children:
May b. 1911
Annabelle b. 1913
Harriet b. 1916.
Picture
The slope of the shoulders
is the only reference to the teardrop shape.
The torso is elongated
and shaped into a dress form.
Short legs are stitched into the base.
Long narrow arms are attached to the
base of the neck.
For reflection ...
Ella received a very expensive and exclusive education.
Does such an education contribute to the betterment of
the individual and of society,
or does it perpetuate and widen the gap between social classes?

0 Comments

Doll 53: Cameron Brennan

14/7/2017

0 Comments

 
Cameron was the youngest child of Clarence and Gabrielle Brennan.
His mother died giving birth to his brother, David,
who also died.
Cameron loved New York
and became quite unsettled when his father moved to Boston with his new bride, Clare.

As soon as he was old enough,
Cameron moved back to New York
and secured a position on Wall Street working in finance.
He fell in love with socialite Ella Young.
The sweethearts married in 1910.
They had 3 children:
May b. 1911
Annabelle b. 1913
Harriet b. 1916.

Cameron was devastated with the Wall Street crash on 1st October, 1929.
Faced with failure, poverty and loss of social standing,
Cameron committed suicide in 1930.
Picture

The main torso
uses the teardrop template.
The neck is extended
and a bulbous head added.
The legs follow the curve of the template
and then straighten up.
Long narrow arms are sewn
to the lower neck.
For reflection ...
Cameron committed suicide.
What are the signs I need to look for in someone who may be suicidal?
How should I react?

0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>

    Liz Pearce

    A creative spirit story-telling through cloth dolls

    Archives

    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.