Like so many others, I'm charmed by the bright colors and folky art of Russian dolls or matryoshka. Over the last couple of years, demure little matryoshka have become a fierce trend in crafting and design. Russian-doll jewelry, ornaments, beads, fabric, embroidery, and home decor can be spotted all over the internet and in stores. (Fun links at the bottom of this post.)
Amidst the Russian bunch, the whimsical dolls of Emily Moss of
Ravenhill stand out -- playful stuffed matryoshka made with a variety
of prints & details.
Emily’s inspiration for creating these unique dolls was her “growing stack of beautiful fabrics and pretty ribbon," combined with her new-found enjoyment of embroidery. As a result, each doll has her own personality.
I first spotted Emily's dolls in my Pop Garden & Bijoux Flickr group where she has uploaded a several cheery, floral ladies. See a wide variety of fabric combinations in her Babushka Softies Flickr set as well.
Emily’s
dolls were not always exactly what she envisioned. Though the overall
doll design appears simple, fine-tuning the shape & structure took time. Emily went through several drafts to develop
the dolls she makes today.
“It took a lot of practice and experimentation with various tool and mediums… I have learned so much from this process and would encourage others not to give up when the first prototype is far from what was planned. Plow ahead and persevere.”
Emily offers Matryoshka dolls in her Etsy store. Or stop by her blog to see what’s new.
More Russian doll links:
- Russian doll fabrics
- Russian doll jewelry galore
- Another cute necklace
- Rose Hip doll ornaments (love!) Beata, where do I get that striped cord?
- Russian dolls for your bed or wall.
*For more information about Feature Friday & the artists spotlighted, click here*
Photography in this post courtesy of Emily Moss
