{"id":84155,"date":"2018-02-21T10:58:18","date_gmt":"2018-02-21T09:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=84155"},"modified":"2026-01-16T16:34:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T15:34:23","slug":"elke-pop-is-uniek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2018\/02\/21\/elke-pop-is-uniek\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Each doll is unique\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Janine van der Linden works at ESSB\u2019s Psychology and Educational Sciences teaching office. By day she is a regular ESSB staff member, but after hours she changes into a passionate doll maker. And not just any dolls, but so-called Waldorf dolls.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAnna Mazur<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Waldorf school.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cI attended a Waldorf school from age eight onwards. It had an annual autumn market, and there was a woman there who sold dolls. I was already a little too old for dolls at the time, but I did really like those dolls. Later, after I started working at EUR, I got to the point where my life consisted entirely of working. So I found myself a hobby. I ended up taking a doll-making course.\u201d<\/p>\n

Natural materials.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cMaking Waldorf dolls requires a certain technique. You\u2019ll start with a bag of wool shaped like a tennis ball. This will be the head. After that, you\u2019ll create the body. Waldorf dolls have specific characteristics. They must be made of natural materials \u2013 sheep\u2019s wool, organic cotton. And they can\u2019t have any sharp parts. In other words, they will have embroidered eyes rather than plastic ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Piece of cloth with a small head.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThere is a different type of doll for each age category. Small infants will get a piece of cloth with a small head attached to it, with a neutral facial expression, allowing the child to imagine for himself or herself how the doll is feeling. Slightly older children will get sturdy dolls which cannot easily be torn apart. The next level up is a doll with clothes that can be easily put on and taken off. Older children also want more details.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEach doll is unique. If you lower the thread forming the eyes by three millimetres, you\u2019ll end up with a completely different face \u2013 much younger. If the eye line is placed a little higher, it will elongate the face. Sometimes you don\u2019t even fully realise what is causing these things. They are all made by hand, so once a doll has been sold, people can\u2019t order another one exactly like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lot of work.<\/strong> \u201cI currently make about one doll per month. Each doll takes me about 32 hours to complete. I curate a shop on Etsy, called Kleine Juffies<\/a>. I\u2019d love to earn all my money creating dolls, but given the amount of work required, you will always have to do something else on the side. If I could be a full-time doll maker, I would.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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