About
the Dolls
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The Big Dolls
The instinct of
a doll-maker runs deep: if we glance back more years than our
doll-maker would like to admit, we would find Effie at the age
of six bargaining with her mother for fabric: "...to make a
doll, Mummy!"
We would follow
Effie's bemused mother, who is following her six year old into
the garden, where she has amassed a pile of suitable sticks, or,
according to Effie: "Dolls in the waiting". Together with the
newly obtained fabric she would proceed to make a 'Cindy',
'Jennifer' or 'Elizabeth'
Since those
days, Effie's doll-making passion has grown in line with her
ability. For the last ten years she has been steadily building
a porcelain world, filled with characters from both her
imagination and history. What gets this doll-maker's eyes
really shining is the creation of period pieces: 'Creatures of
incomparable elegance and glamour'.
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For the last few
years Effie has focused exclusively on the recreation of
historical figures, most recently Anne Boleyn (second wife of
England's King Henry VIII), their daughter Queen Elizabeth I of
England, Queen Elizabeth's rival Mary, Queen of Scots, a
challenger to the Tudor throne. And a seventeenth century French
courtesan.
Each doll is
lovingly and painstakingly recreated according to extensive
historical research and embroidered by fanciful imagination.
How the dolls are made
A doll of this nature often takes up to
one year from beginning to completion. The process begins with the
cleaning of the raw porcelain (called 'greenware') - a delicate and time
consuming task which involves the refining of the porcelain figure to
resemble the historical character.
You will notice that many of the dolls have delicate hands and long
fingernails: these are individually carved by hand, each nail taking
over one hour.
The dolls are then fired in a kiln after the initial shaping and taken
out for their first painting. The dolls are painted by hand (Effie often
works from historical portraits). In the first painting, colour is added
to the dolls in a process called 'washing'. They are then re-fired and
'washed' several times to obtain the desired skin tone. After this
point, the painting of the character's features begins. Each stage of
the doll's creation requires meticulous attention to detail and unending
patience and skill. Painting the doll's features is no exception. This
process can take many days to complete.
Upon completion, the doll is taken back
to the kiln for re-firing. When Effie is happy with the results, the
doll is brought to life. She is put together - arms, legs, torso and
finally the head to become a full doll.
At this point the costuming of the doll begins. Every part of the
costume is sewn by Effie in a process that often takes months. In a
similar style to high courturiers, the outfit is first patterned and
then entirely made and fitted as a toile in calico. In the next stage,
the perfect fabric is found to bring life to the character and sewing
begins. The quality is second to none and no detail escapes Effie's
attention as she re-creates these figures.
The costume creation is one of the most
complicated and difficult parts of the doll's 'birth'. The French
courtesan, for example (shown in the pink Rococo' period gown), hides a
torturous construction of wires and corsets under her gown. Closest to
the doll's skin are the undergarments; bloomers and a petticoat, both of
which are ribboned and laced. Covering these undergarments is a
crinoline made from graduated circles of eight aluminium steel hoops
encased with fabric and held up by cotton tapes, then trimmed
individually with lace. Attached to the back side of the crinoline is a
quilted sausage pad (bum roll), typical for the 'Rococo' period. Over
the crinoline sits a cotton-laced quilted petticoat with train.
Matching is a lace-up boned corset with gussets.
Finally, we come to the extraordinary skirt
and bodice: the bodice, which can be seen in the portrait above is
tightly fitted with an extended lace-up back which sits over the
bum-roll. Above the bodice rests a wired lace ruff and connected to the
bodice are elbow-length sleeves with delicate lace carefully flared and
ruched, and topped with ribbon roses. The train over-skirt is attached
to a chinoiserie embroidered under-skirt (with train) and cartridge
pleated to a waste-band (again typical of that period). The over-skirt
hem is 'hand pleated' and delicate gold lace is stitched between the
pleating and the skirt. At the front of the open over-skirt are 32
pearled roses.
Her shoes are made of brocade fabric,
with a buckle and small heel and cover knitted stockings. She wears a
hat common to the early 'Rococo' period made of ostrich plums, roses and
lace. Her elegant earrings, hand-made choker and open-laced fan,
complete this masterpiece.
Effie works on only one doll at a time,
and the dolls are individual collector's items. The dolls are not
replicated which means that only one of each of Effie's creations exists
- purely for the delight of the discerning doll devotee. |
