art is knowing ~ art is healing ~ art is playful FUN!

Rosann Whale

QuiRky Story Dolls

Quirky story dolls

What a fun day we had at the QuiRky Story Dolls workshop! A spring poem about transformation and unfolding set the tone for this day of play, followed by an exploration of our personal symbols and colour preferences. We set an intention and let go of trying to make the doll look a certain way.  Instead, we allowed ourselves to be led by intuition, trusting our heart and hands to create what wanted to be born.

Our guiding motto became, “Let my work be Spirit’s playground!

Prep work involved cutting what seemed like endless strips of fabric. It was time-consuming, but gave us a colourful rainbow of fabrics to choose from. Have I mentioned that I’m a hoarder collector of stuff? Some of those fabrics included leftovers from curtains I’d made 20 years ago, and an Easter outfit for my (then) 8 year old daughter. I knew there’d be a use for them – someday!  haha

It took the better part of the morning and afternoon to create a form, dress, and embellish our dolls.  Participants were invited to create an installation using their Story Doll, scarves, images and words chosen earlier in the day.

There was time for written reflection. A name was given. A story emerged.

Here’s a few examples of the dolls made:

Making dolls was a favourite past-time when I was a little girl, and anything – paper, sticks, fabric and yarn – could become a figure that resulted in hours of play.  Who would have thought I’d still be having so much fun – making and teaching – this creative process as an adult?

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thank you!

Rosann