Dolls

Doll making has been with me for most of my life but recently I have found a new interest and a style that I am happy with and I'm enjoying the challenge of creating personalities from cloth. Inspired by the grace and dignity of the dolls made by Akira Blount I really love making these figures with fabric, polyfill stuffing and stitch, a pleasing counter point to my quilt making.

Some of these figures are for sale, please contact me for prices or to discuss any enquiries about commissions.

Contact Marie at marie@marieroper.co.uk

My latest doll is larger than I have usually made, the idea of a jester figure developed into a puppeteer.

The garments feature patchwork and quilting, other techniques include leather work and felt making

Pea Brush was made for the exhibition at Weavers Gallery, Ledbury, to coincide with the annual Poetry Festival. The inspiration this year was the Dymock Poets, a group of poets associated with Dymock, a village near to Ledbury. Members of the group included Robert Frost and Rupert Brooke. The time was 1908 to 1917, a highly emotional and unsettled time.

Pea Brush was written by Robert Frost and evokes a rural summer of innocence

My latest Commission is complete and delivered!

The Dragon Maiden

In a private collection

The Dragon Maiden is a strong woman though she does look a little wistful.

Her garments are patchwork and quilted with felted additions.

She wears ancient sharks' teeth as earrings.

Her pet dragon is needle felted.

Her staff is ivy wood found when I was taking my dog for a walk, I save such things for years until the purpose is revealed...

to see more details click below

Sugar Plums

Many groups have approached me to teach doll making, I've finally given in and these funny little characters are my latest addition to my workshops.

Contact me if you are interested.

Marie

Here are some of the varied and endearing dolls made by students, above, Sutton Coldfield Creative Stitchers, right, students at my studio classes, Hazel's Thelwell rider and Barbara's gardener.

Art Dolls

Paper Blue is the latest in a series of dolls into which I have incorporated dyed paper in the embellishments.

She has a stiffened paper skirt which is encased by a hand made book containing concertina pages.

She has a paper overskirt and trimmings to her outfit.

This is The Gatherer, with a skirt made from paper and twigs, her overdress of printed tissue and stitched paper, she has buttons and beads and lots of machine stitched cords to embellish her costume.

She gathers pine cones and carries them in her pulled thread bag.

The Daughter of the Owl Clan is inspired by the paintings of Susan Seddon Boulet, strange shamanic images hovering between reality and dreams.

Her two companion owls are needle felted and her clothes are fragile felt with quilting

Here are some of more of my dolls, the most recent first.

These are the 'Goth' sisters, I love the elegant fragility of the style

Dolly Daydream

My largest doll, 30" and fully jointed. Her garments are a combination of silk velvet and hand made felt.

In a private collection

The Reader was inspired by a sculpture made by Phillip Jackson.

She is an integral part of the hand made book which contains a collection of sketchbook pages based on my research into dolls, and the human condition. She has her own miniature book and bookmark

Lady in Grey

Another inspiration from Phillip Jackson, looking almost nun-like, yet not quite pure enough...

Her clothes are all made from hand made felt.

Springtime was a challenge from my quilt group, we were all given a fabric to work with, I added silk and leather and a little bit of hexagon patchwork.

The birds are made with self hardening clay.