A Special Piece

Toy Chest Father Christmas created in 1993

This was one of the first Father Christmas pieces I did. I had just started using polymer clay - which the hands were sculpted from. His face was sculpted jersey knit fabric which was then treated to multi layers of paint to give it an 'oilcloth' look. The body is batting wrapped wire armature with tee-shirt knit covering and the clothing was made from repurposed vintage pieces.

This piece, Father Xmas, toy chest, etc is all mounted on some 100 year old barnboard which is approx. 14" long, so it makes a substantial display piece.

Why is it special to me? It is one of the few pieces that I still have from the early days of my doll making, so it is fun to see

just where I have gone with this craft. The main reason though is that the toy chest was the base for a floral arrangement that my mom gave me when my eldest daughter was born. Several of the toys used in the display were also her's, including the small peridot doll

sitting in front of Father Christmas.

My mom passed away in 1996 and when I look at this I have such fond memories of how excited she was that she had 'helped' me

create this piece by using some of the items I did. My mom was such a big fan of my work, always cheering me on and I miss her dearly.