Go figure Imaginative play inspires dollmaker’s handmade creations The Creators
By: AV Kitching Posted: 2:00 AM CDT Saturday, Jun. 8, 2024

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This article was published 08/06/2024 (503 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As a child Melanie Wesley was obsessed with dolls.

Growing up in a creative household, Wesley’s mother was a firm believer in the power of imaginative play and encouraged both her and her sister to develop hobbies that would stimulate and challenge them.

The siblings played with paper dolls they made themselves, creating tiny make-believe worlds in dresser drawers pasted with pictures from old Sears catalogues.

Today the 51-year-old still continues to “play” with handmade dolls, albeit ones which are made with rather more robust materials.

“I get to play when I work,” the dollmaker laughs. “I get to exercise my creative muscles and my imagination on a daily basis. I feel that keeps me young and engaged in life. Some people describe their job as soulless, but mine is completely the opposite.”

Wesley’s latest doll collection is based on rag dolls from the early part of the 20th century. She often has six to eight types of dolls available at a time and each doll can take anywhere from six to 20 hours to create.

Each doll assembly differs in size — Ragamuffins are 21 inches; Moppets and Minty dolls are 14 inches; Raggedy dolls are 11 inches; Dancing Mice are 15 inches and the Little Sister dolls are 15 inches — and have deliberately rudimentary shapes to reinforce the inspiration behind them.

Made with raw linen or cotton fabrics, the heirloom dolls are stuffed with Canadian wool and have mohair wigs.

“The wool gives each doll a warm and mouldable feel as well as a bit of weight,” Wesley says.

Dolls are dressed in clothing made from cotton and linen scraps Wesley sources from her own wardrobe of handmade items, and shoes are painted on and distressed to evoke a vintage feel.

Each doll has a delicately embroidered face, and often their expressions come to her easily, she says.

“The dolls have a very nostalgic look and feel to them. Their facial expressions have changed a lot over the years. I am trying to capture and reflect the innocence and joy the dolls bring me,” she says.

Dollmaking is Wesley’s response to today’s fast-paced world. She gravitates toward natural materials because they speak to her ideals and embody a simpler time for her.

“It’s really easy in our world of abundance to get overwhelmed by stuff. It all just becomes inventory… you have to take care of it, and you end up forgetting about it.”–Melanie Wesley

“It comes down to what I value in the world, what I view as precious. I love the slow pace of engaging with materials like cotton and wool. It’s a way of me hanging on to the things that are important to me.”

The heirloom dolls are created for collectors, not for children, she cautions. While they are made of hardy material and can withstand gentle play, they are not the type of toys to be “dragged around in the mud.”

The artist also restores dolls and hopes to one day have a doll “hospital” where she can fix dolls in need of care.

She believes we should be looking towards preserving and repairing what we have, instead of buying new things to replace broken items.

“It’s really easy in our world of abundance to get overwhelmed by stuff. It all just becomes inventory… you have to take care of it, and you end up forgetting about it,” she says.

Wesley is currently working on a collection of miniature chairs as part of a collaboration with another dollmaker. She also works with clay and textiles and has a small collection of “magical beings” which she has left rough and rustic, with unrefined and raw features.

She posts pictures of her creations on her website melaniewesley.com and also on her Instagram @melaniewesleystudio.

“I am a hybrid artist; I have my art, and I am also able to create dolls that are now all over the world. It’s very cool.”

av.kitching@freepress.mb.ca