Tiny Dolls

A selection of plainlycanvas tiny dolls.

The plainlycanvas tiny dolls are made entirely from fabric, wool and thread. They are an intricate, time-consuming job to make – but I love seeing them completed! They are sewn together extremely securely, and made to last a very long time. They are robust enough to stand up to all sorts of adventures, and can easily be washed and dried (hand washing and line drying). They dolls don’t have faces sewn on, so children are able to imagine their look and their expressions. After looking at them so closely when I make them up, I forget that they don’t have visible faces =)  The dolls stand approx. 9.5cm tall. They are available just as they are, or with a removable fleece or lined cape – there is one of each of these in the photo above!

Tiny dolls made from vintage fabric.

Each doll has a depression in the base so that it stand’s up more easily.

The dolls are designed for children who love collecting all sorts of bits and pieces from nature ……. and anywhere else …….. and then making use of everything to create miniature worlds ……..

A miniature scene

There are so many natural resources to be found around the place, and so many possibilities as to what to do with them. Looking at items closely, with make believe settings in mind – every little thing can take on special significance ……

Tiny sticks

Daisy’s

Small seed pods

Sea glass

Everyday items like buttons, beads, lace, fabric, string etc are also great to make use of.

Opportunity shops provide all sorts of curios that are fabulous to play with. They are a great place to look for storage containers for all sorts of precious collections – tins, baskets, bowls, boxes ….

Small drawstring bags are also great for holding collections. I have a drawstring bag pattern that I have saved as a PDF file – please let me know if you would like me to email it to you. They look like this …….

Drawstring bags – sewing pattern available

Tiny dolls and a wide range of possible collections!

A canvas carry bag – holding all of the above!

To see if a child might be interested in tiny dolls and miniature worlds, a piece of wood with a few holes in it can help. Any natural (untreated) piece of wood is fine – holes can be made by banging in a nail and then removing it, or pushing a metal skewer into the wood – or a drill makes things easier! Once a few tree branch cuttings are standing up in the holes, a whole new scene starts to take shape. There is a lot of information available on the internet, regarding which plants are safe for children to make use of.

The main requirements for children who are looking to create tiny worlds – are time, and lack of interruptions – so that they can become fully immersed in their imaginations. If you have the opportunity to watch, without disturbing a child’s concentration, you will see the most beautiful and fascinating scenes taking place.

Thanks so much to Lizzy and Rebecca for sharing their beautiful photos. The little wooden house, and the tiny tea set, were bought at the Michael Park School Fair (Nov 2017, Auckland, NZ).

Nature provides the most beautiful settings where the little dolls can come to life. Gardens, parks, bush, the coast – even tiny areas can be big enough. Once a tiny person is placed in a setting, it looks like a new landscape has been created.

Setting with rocks and busy Lizzy plants

As well as letting your imagination roam freely, interacting extensively with natural resources provides a great appreciation of all that nature offers us. Having an awareness of what is freely available in our own local areas, can add huge possibilities to children’s play experiences.

More information on the tiny dolls can be found on my website –

http://plainlycanvas.co.nz/cloth-dolls

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or thoughts,

Best wishes,

Ali.