At a craft show last month, I bought my great niece, Maple, a fabric doll. She is very simple and floppy with a pink gingham dress and bonnet and a stitched smily face and I did not take a picture of it...
These fabric dolls from Ukraine, I find to be a little bit creepy with their lack of hands and a cross for a face. But, apparently the face represents the solar sign, the Sun and the cross is a rainbow. The vertical lines are symbols of masculinity and the horizontal lines symbols of femininity.
These are traditional Motanka dolls and are made by winding bits of fabric - usually whatever was on hand - and is never sewn or pierced with a needle. The dresses were made from bits of cloth from a grandmother's or aunt's clothing. I found this website that explains in detail how the dolls are made. At one time, every child had one of these made for them as a 'guardian of the family and a symbol of the hearth', but now they seem to be more of a decoration.
then there is this much older postcard showing dolls languishing in this milkmaid's buckets.
the card was unsent and had 'postcard' written on the back in several languages, including Russian, but I am at a loss as to what it might represent.
an old and a new card for Postcard Friendship Friday
They are strange but I suppose everything is until it becomes usual. I don't like the image of dolls in a bucket but then it seems too close to me to ventriloquist's dolls which I find really creepy.
ReplyDeleteThey are a little creepy at first, I agree. Note the doll on the left has a little baby.
ReplyDeleteI can't decide which is the creepiest....those buckets of babies strike me as a little 'out there'.
ReplyDeleteMost odd... both types of dolls. I found it interesting that you said that the Ukrainian dolls are not 'pierced'... I wonder what is the significance of that. I shall have to look it up.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post, thank you!
Such an interesting post!
ReplyDeleteThe fabric dolls without their faces are definitely unusual, but I guess if one is used to them and they have the significance of being a guardian, then they are probably a great comfort.
How wonderful is this?! Therein is a mystery which must be solved. (grin) Happy New year, dear one.
ReplyDeleteMost dolls, beyond the tradition style that I'm used to, generally creep me out. Interestingly, these really intrigue me, especially the doll with the baby.
ReplyDelete