Each Mourning Doll is a labor of love. I make Mourning Dolls as a way for you to nurture beauty while holding space for your grief and honoring your mourning.
Meet Eleanor...
"Eleanor stood at the cliff top and watched the ocean nearly every day of her Mourning. It comforted her to know that the sea, like her grief, could feel both known and unknowable. She began to think that each life was a wave, coming from the ocean, and that death was our return".
Eleanor's dress is a ruffled dream, layer on layer of tulle floats over a slim fitting under dress. Her neckline is antique faceted bead trim from a bodice that dates to the early 1900's. Her delicate drop earrings are from a 1920's necklace. In her hair, she wears a flamboyant ruffle with black feathers in it, it is held in place with an antique beaded and fabric ornament from the 1800's.
Her soft hair is hand washed and dyed sheep wool. She is 24" tall. She has the quote 'The wave returns to the ocean' hand written on her torso. She comes with two small black bordered cards, one with her name and one with her quote. I have handwritten both on heavy stock watercolor paper with a dip pen and sumi ink.
Eleanor was made in my home studio. I use cotton muslin for her body which I dyed. Her legs are black linen and sewn at the knees so they bend. Eleanor's body is made with a combination of machine and hand stitching. I hand stuff and hand assembled her using a needle and thread. I've given her elbows, so her arms bend.
80% of the profits of her sale will go to NAACP