Tuesday, May 22, 2012

We suffered a couple of little, very little, setbacks this week, but we'll get right back on our doll horse and keep going.

During our weekly chat--overcoming the vicsitudes of the hangout itself seems to occupy a good percent of our time, Lizzy was showing me the wonderful website on Wix she had created for the Uganda group.  It was amazing!  I loved the font she chose!  It was readyfor the Publish button. 

And then poof! it was gone like something in Harry Potter. I'm looking forward to showing it off to Etheldreda when it's redone.  Lizzy said that having done it, she will be able to knock out another one much more quickly.

Etheldreda said she did not receive the doll patterns I had photographed and sent as an email attachment.  Could not open them.  AND she had lost her cell phone, so had been unable to correspond.
But we got together in a series of emails. I re-emailed the patterns over facebook, and I think she was able to open them and make a copy. Haven't heard anything new yet.  But she is working on her facebook page, adding photos of her kids (grown) and updating her own photo.

I checked out Wikitravel.org as a point to link our Traveling Dolls page to, so that the dolls people can check out their cities and countries.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

St. Bruno Doll Making Group

16 May 2012

So much has happened since we started our Traveling Dolls project a couple of years ago.
The main thing is that we found a group of women in Uganda who already make dolls a lot like ours,
run by the friendly Etheldreda Yatuha, Chairperson, since 1995. They are the St. Bruno Doll Making Group, a part of WOUGNET (Women Of UGanda Network).

The mission of the WOUGNET http://www.wougnet.org/cms/ is
"to have a group of women involved in practical work, to improve their standards of living. St. Bruno aims at encouraging women to get involved in fulltime work and to create women entreprenuers to enable women to create rather than seek for jobs."
We have shared a few emails in which Miss Etheldreda sent pictures: a doll of a woman with a child on her back, a doll of an older child, and a picture of her shop.

The St. Bruno Doll Making Shop
Mother Doll with Baby
Older brother or sister

St. Bruno Doll Making Group' is a community-based group that specializes in doll making. Rapha African dolls under St. Bruno was initiated way back in 1995 by Etheldreda Yatuha under the supervision of Sister Regina of St. Franciscan Sisters of Nsambya. With the knowledge of art and tailoring, she made a doll which she code-named RAPHA. The doll was made from cut-offs she picked from a tailor. Soon after, Etheldreda picked the cut-offs again and made a man for RAPHA. She also made babies, a boy and a girl to make a family for RAPHA. After 3 years, RAPHA asked for another baby, which she is now carrying on her back. This gave birth to Rapha African dolls under St. Bruno.

As you can see, this will be a great group to partner with.  Today, I emailed her our patterns. We'll see what develops.

Meantime, Lizzy and I get together on Sundays at EST on Google+. We are hoping that Miss Etheldreda can join us someday soon.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

India!


a small school in mumbai

one boy practicing his numbers

the dolls seemed happy as could be and the children loved them

this boy particularly loved the dolls


we wondered how all that can fit on a bike!

rikshaws or tuk tuks were the way to go


we were stunned by this beautiful tree and the sun streaming through it

no traffic today!

the dolls liked this painting

12 people on 3 motorcycles, not even enough room for a doll!

a temple for gnesha a hindu god

beautiful himalayas

wild orchid on a morning walk

the dolls really liked the colors

this lady had a beautiful yellow sari and the headdress "bandit fashion"

these people lived in the street median! the dolls wanted to help them.

street vendors with yummy food!

a holy cow on the road!

what a beauty, with a perfect bump for a doll to ride!

up in the mountains, don't fall off!

panorama


the dolls gave this monkey a chocolate!



Had a great trip to India!

Friday, September 2, 2011

Friday, August 5, 2011

Stuffing Choice




We went for the organic wool stuffing. It was the easiest to work with and the springiest.

Napo Wildlife Center

This is where we thought up the idea, and where we are thought we might find some willing Anangu women to sew the dolls. The town is very modern with internet and everything! They make their own thread from palm frond fibers. Grandmama and I thought having people we met make the dolls would be truer to the idea.
Our guide Delphine told us all the men in the community either left for the oil drilling and destroyed the rain forest or went to the Napo wildlife center. All the people in the town have decided to stay and help their ecosystem. I think that kind of commitment is really the most important thing in a entrepreneurial business.

Prototype




This is my prototype of the Grandmama. (the finished version will be nicer )