Polly had a Dolly
Traditional sculpted wool dollmaking (Waldorf dolls)
Contact
Staplehurst
England
United Kingdom
TN12 0NA
About
Beautiful artisan dolls individually created and made for play. Lydia Stonely has a passion to spark children’s imaginations and encourage creative play through her dolls. Drawing on Steiner philosophy her dolls appeal to all the senses and inspire open-ended play.
Her dolls are made using pure British wool and draw upon traditional Waldorf dollmaking techniques.
Steiner philosophy (used in Waldorf education settings) encourage play with dolls that have deliberately simple facial expressions. This is to stimulate the creativity within the child, helping them to portray their feelings and emotions on to their doll and allowing them to engage in a deeper level of play.
Each doll is made from pure, natural materials and the British wool stuffing is the most important. Wool the best filling for dolls as it absorbs the child’s body heat making it super comforting; it has a density and weight which is reassuring; and, practically it is naturally antibacterial, eco friendly and fire-retardant.
Reconnecting with nature is a theme in her work and her leaf baby collection encourages children to venture out of doors in search of woodland magic.
Sustainability is at the core and influences every decision. The whole of the lifecycle of the business is considered - the sustainable materials used to make the dolls only tell part of the story. From the bank chosen, to the paper based packaging materials, and even walking to the post office to avoid using the car, all these elements add up.
Every doll also can be returned to be repaired as many times as necessary - extending the lifespan and teaching the next generation that things can be fixed!
Toy safety is incredibly important and Lydia has worked to ensure, through self certification, that the dolls are CE/ UKCA marked and therefore safe for children.
Lydia Stonely is a maker member of the British Toymakers Guild and is part of the Craft Council directory.
Before Polly had a Dolly, Lydia graduated from Brunel University with 1st class hons in Industrial Design BSc and went on to work in a design consultancy. This creative education, combined with experience of working in the design sector feeds into her work every day.
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