holding space

Oh what fun I have had making this little family of dolls.

On Tuesday, when the post office opens again after the bank holiday the dark haired doll will be on her way to Shetland and the other two will be setting off for Tasmania. The dolls were commissioned from me by a long time reader of this blog. The 2 sister dolls are for her children. I worked from pictures from her own blog to help me capture the essence, likes and spirit of the girls. The dark haired doll is a gift for her mother, made in the image of 'mam' as a little girl.

I had so much fun working from vintage pictures, trying to match the look and feel of the doll to the era in which 'mam' grew up. 

 Her forest green wool coat, was a delightful challenge and I hope 'mam' will recognize her own, childhood coat in it.

This evening I finished knitting for another little boy doll who has been on my list and now I have 4 more dolls ahead of me that I have promised to make.
I stopped taking orders in October last year and this evening I counted how many dolls I made. There were 40 on the list, not counting the 2 doll house families and others that I made for sale in the shop and for gifts. That is a lot of dolls, and a lot of hours crafting.
Because of my family situation, and because of the fact that I need to give my complete attention to doll making when I am doing so, I only work in the evenings when the children are in bed. This means that for nearly a whole year, apart from a few evenings off for tiredness or illness I have worked on Waldorf dolls, every evening for nearly a year.
As I mentioned I stopped taking orders in October, I wasn't sure why, but as I was working through the list I  didn't have an inclination to take on any more. For the last month or so I have felt more and more strongly that I am going to stop. Perhaps for just a while, perhaps for longer, perhaps I will only make dolls for exchange or gift in the future. I don't know, but I do know that I need to hold some space for myself.
I'm excited by the prospect of having my evenings free for myself. There are lots of things I want to make and do for myself. I have yarn to knit myself some sweaters and leg warmers, I have fabric to sew skirts with. I have yoga I would like to do, books to read and films to watch. I have a garden calling to me to spend time in and perhaps a few dinner parties to give.
So, I am taking a break, holding space and enjoying the last few dolls on my list.
I thank everyone for their support and encouragement in my doll making venture and who knows what will come of the space I am holding (I may even just start doll making again lol).