Turning children’s drawings into sewn artwork has definitely been on my mind lately, so I was intrigued when Sarah from TOUCH sent me a link to this collaboration with German designer Alexa Lixfeld and children from Sri Lanka. The dolls above are designed based on the children’s drawings and sewn under fair trade practices by an organization called Selyn in Sri Lanka. I love the whimsy and playfulness of the dolls with their folk-art feel. The positive impact on the community makes them even better. As my children get older, it’s becoming nearly impossible to focus exclusively on handmade gifts for the holidays, but I’m still making an effort. I think these dolls would make a great addition to any kid’s collection.
“The aim of this project is to promote the growth of the handloom industry and provide a sustainable livelihood to the artisans and their families, as well as bring enjoyment and cheerfulness to children all over the world. Lixfeld and Selyn are both making an earnest effort to foster ‘the intellectual, social, ethical, moral, spiritual and emotional development of the less fortunate children of Sri Lanka.’ Participants included students of grades one, two and three.”
Visit TOUCH to purchase the dolls or visit the Selyn website to learn more about where the dolls were made.
How wonderful! What a great project, and even though I don’t have any small children I can really appreciate these dolls.
Hugs XX
Barbara
how fantastic to see this. Was in Sri Lanka on holiday over the summer and visited the Selyn store in colombo and was very impressed with the fabrics brought back a few for my stash!The beautifully dyed yarn on the selyn website gallery looks positively yummy.thanks for sharing this.
aliza
When I go to the TOUCH website I can look at the dolls but can’t add then to a cart to purchase..thanks for any help!
Apparently you have to e-mail them to purchase the dolls. This is from their website:
“products on site are available for purchase. contact us by eMail or phone if interested in a particular item.”