Big Dolls

I remember a teacher in college explaining how they felt "compelled" to paint from the moment they woke up each day. I never felt that compulsion to paint and didn't understand the desire to make "art for art's sake" until I was jobless and home during summer 2020, early covid-era.

That's when I rediscovered the half-scale mannequin I'd acquired, along with tape measures, pins and other apparel-making paraphernalia, from art school. I'd since collected odd yards of discarded fabric and yarn (it's affectionately called "deadstock") from years of designing in NYC.

With an abundance of time, between job applications, I began to design a little collection, things I wanted to make, dresses that felt like they filled more space than just the little mannequin itself. The dresses had personalities, and using the proportions of the mannequin I designed a rag doll to wear the clothes.

The mannequin itself is a bust - think top of the neck, to low hip. It has the princess-seams and the tape at the high-waist point. It's 8" from high point shoulder to waist. The really fun thing about it is you can be quick and not use much material to drape garments, and then simply double your measurements for full size. I haven't gone full sized with any designs (yet) but it's totally doable.

The resulting doll shape, with extra long arms and legs, and a funny Cycladic-marble inspired head, is 32" long, tip to toe. It's a fun size. It has heft, and presence. It can sit on a shelf, or small chair, and seem to convey words of encouragement from across the room.

While the size was dictated by the available supplies and materials, it's lent itself to a scale I can hold comfortably, add enough detail, and feel compelled to keep making.