The Olive Sparrow

Summer Solstice Celebration

To mark the longest day in the year Huxley got to stay up until dark. That was always a dream of mine and at seven, he can handle it. 

I returned home from an appointment at 9pm, at which time we took a blanket out into the backyard with a bowl of fresh local strawberries, some yogurt and honey drizzles. The mosquitos promptly chased us to the front porch, where they don't like to hang out. 

As the light changed to that wondrous summer-evening dusk quality we decided to go for a walk through what is referred to as the dog-park in our neighbourhood. We did not meet any dogs, but we discussed how in the olden days this day was often considered the day of the fairies. Huxley said that was silly, as there are no such things. On our walk, we passed through a collection of trees, crossing a little bridge (although there is no water underneath it) and we paused there. Looking into the very dark woods, I got Huxley thinking about the darkness and how without street lights it would be easy to imagine that fairies move among the trees.

Our walk took us through the playground too, where we stopped for a bit of time on the swings. The sky darkened, but it was still not really dark (living in the city procludes that). Returning home, we each litt up sparkling candles in lieu of having a bonefire. 

Now the days will get shorter again. Knowing this makes my soul feel a bit on the heavy side, yet working in the garden and having summer vacation ahead of us lightens that feeling.

Did you mark the Solstice?

Tentative Friends...

She licked him a few times, he didn't get scared.

we're working on the other two to pose together..

 

Enjoy your weekend. I'm expecting visitors from Switzerland that are traveling in Canada and the US.

The Olive Sparrow Child - Molly

A lovely customer in Australia contacted me about a custom doll just after I insured my finger at the studio. I was so excited and yet so sad, because with the finger not working, most tasks in creating an Olive Sparrow Child are just impossible. Yet the finger started healing, I gently and gingerly worked on the doll over the past months. When I was able to remove the cast during the day, the finger was very stiff, but I actually think that I helped heal faster by working with it. 

About a week ago the doctor gave me the go-ahead of living cast free again, except for heavy work. Now the doll is finished and I am so excited to show her to you.

 

I asked her for her name and she said Molly. This is what I do with my Olive Sparrow Children, when they are complete, I hold them in my arms, I give them a big hug and ask for their name. Molly immediately responded.

 

We had beautiful weather yesterday afternoon, and she asked me to go into the garden to have a picnic amongst the strawberry plants. 

 

Molly loves bunnies and she wanted to have her picnic with them.

 

She tacked up Huxley's play horse and wagon to bring all the dishes and bunnies outside.

 

It was very warm yesterday (27 Celcisus), so Molly took off her shoes and smock. But she was still hot, so when she started running around the garden, she decided that just wearing her smock and bloomers was just the thing to do.

 

The smock is reversible, and the natural linen side is shown here.

Molly loves her cotton hat and thinks that it just looks so stylish that even though it is hot, she can still wear it.

 

I showed Molly the roses that have just started to bloom in the garden and she immediately wanted to see them up close. I asked her to put some of her clothes on again, as the thorns of the roses can prick her. She was happy to oblige.

 

 

The rose is called Rosemarie (my mother's name) and the sweetest, softest pink, and a heavenly scent.

 

Here Molly wanted to put on her green silk scarf to show you how warmly dressed she will travel to Australia.

 

Molly then wanted to pretend being a gardener, cultivating her own flowers. She changed her clothes again and is wearing her silk scarf as a kerchief.

We heard some birds chirpping and thought we should go see if we can find a nest. So we went to the front of the house to climb up the sour cherry tree.

 

Phew.. that was a lot of work, but we did find a nest.

That bird told us that his twin sister also had a nest with eggs, right across the street, in front of the high school in one of their young apple trees. We bide farewell to her and headed over.

 

What a magical encounter.

We were starting to feel tired and hungry.  

 

Molly sat in the high chair and had a little snack.

Which gave her a whole lot more energy and she decided that she wanted to play dress-up again, it was really hot after all.

 

Now I have to admitt, that I was getting tired, and asked her to put her travel outfit back on so that we could take some more pictures for her future family in Australia. She was happy to oblige.









Now Molly is waiting for her trip to Australia. Unfortunately, we're in the middle of a postal strike. Hopefully it will be over soon, and Molly can go on her long trip. She is such a sweet soul and so much fun, that it will be hard to let her go. 

Molly is 38cm tall (about 14.9")

Each doll is made up of the following materials.

Skin: 100% cotton (Swiss-made to Öko-Tex-Standard 100)
Stuffing 100% “green-processed” wool batt from Canada
Hair: 100% Wool, or a Mohair/Wool Blend
Clothing: 100% natural fibres (linen, cotton, silk)
Shoes: Recycled felted wool sweaters, or pure leather
Face: 100% cotton Embroidery Thread

Workmanship:
Each doll is created individually by artist Monika Aebischer, the proprietor of The Olive Sparrow. She sources and uses only the highest quality materials in her creations – swiss-made skin fabric, Canadian green processed wool stuffing,  wool/mohair for the dolls hair (often hand-dyed by her). Hair for the Olive Sparrow Children is made by crocheting a cap that is sewn to the head, allowing for replacement should it ever become necessary (although most children will object to this, as it changes their doll dramatically). For the wispy hair, a special german mohair is used and a labour-intense technique, for the loose longer hair each strand of wool is individually knotted into the crocheted cap. This is the prime technique for doll-wig creation.

Doll clothing is made from up-cycled vintage and clothing fabrics, in either pure linen, cotton or silk. Up-cycled fabric is wonderful for doll clothes, as the cloth has been washed soft, gentle and free of textile manufacturing products. Monika also felts used woolen sweaters to use for doll shoes and clothing. She knits the doll’s hats out of prime quality knitting wool. Each seam on the doll’s body is sewn twice to allow your child to fiercely love their Olive Sparrow Child. Clothing is sewn with French seams and some are fully reversible. 

Learn from me - Liquid Wax on Paper and Textile - Workshop at Meta4

On July 16 and 17 I will be teaching a workshop at Meta4 Gallery in Port Perry. It would be lovely to have you in my class.

http://www.meta4gallery.ca/courseCalendar/Programs.pdf

 

To register, please contact the gallery directly, for questions, please contact me directly.

 

 

 

Wild City

Opening the blinds of our east-facing window this morning, the sun shone right into my eyes. Half blinded I opened the window too, bending down to lean onto the windowsill to feel the early summer morning cool on my skin. I opened my eyes and gasped. One story below, in our shared driveway, stood a red fox. In my shock I called out to my husband and Huxley to come over to see it. The fox heard me too. He looked up and not liking to having drawn the attention of this female human, bolted down towards the back of my neighbours backyard. Ensuring that it wouldn't make a home in the garage where we keep our bikes, I went downstairs, grabbing my camera and barefoot went outside. The grass felt cool and wet against my feet as I slowly walked towards the back of the yard. I saw something move against the back fence. I lifted my camera, but in the shade it was too slow to catch a shot. I looked up, the fox looked right at me. What a powerful moment.

Growing up in Switzerland, foxes where abundant, my dad often talking about them taking the next door farmers chickens. I've seen road kill foxes, stuffed ones in a museum, and I might have seen a life one in a zoo. Animals like foxes have a very earthy energy. Humans tend to dislike them because we associate them with stealing our food. Killing the chickens we want to kill ourselves. Mysterious night creatures they are to me. Beautiful.

The fox bolted between the garage and the fence between my neighbours and our yard, right down the ally towards the street. Huxley had come out into the back yard too and would have loved to see him. I had the camera at the ready, but did not want to charge with Huxley in tow, just in case Fox tried to make a stand.

At the street he slowed down just slightly and that was my chance, a bit blurry, but here you go:

When we got to the street, he was gone. We tried to see if he might have gone hiding under my neighbours porch - safely of course, but he was gone. Not to be seen. 

Huxley and I know that we might never see him again. The human with the black thing in front of her face might be a deterrent from our yard. Yet again, when we build the summer-hutch for the bunnies, we will always take them inside over night. They certainly would not romance about foxes with me. 

 

Somebody's got new shoes...

El Naturalista clogs:

 

and during the same visit discovered our new Lego Store - all within 30min driving distance. 

That makes one very happy 7 year old boy and one very happy "multiple times 7 yr old" Mami (as I'm called around here - because as I've just been informed, Mom or Mother doesn't sound as much full of love -- smart kid, hope he keeps it up)..

More good news: the finger's cast can be off except for heavy lifting or dangerous work (Mothering and Wife-ing doesn't count I as dangerous and heavy work I was told).

Things that need to be improved this coming week: glasses broken for the 3rd time (new frame each time) need to be replaced - probably with a different frame, which is so sad, as I'm loving this one; ruptured ear-drum continues healing; final plantings need to go into the garden; time for doll making, felting and art promo must be created; piles of clean and sun-dried laundry must be folded and put away; farmers market must be visited to see if there are any strawberries yet (or other yummies); somebody must be hired to manage a steady summer weather temperature - the person currently doing the job should be let go.

Off to the laundry-line....

On the Trails

Living in the middle of a large city with 2,500,000 people has many benefits. Living in a house with a backyard big enough to plant vegetables in this large city is even more special. Harvesting sour cherries of my own tree in the front yard is a dream come true. Going for a very short walk through what is known around here as the "dog-park" with its trees and perspective that shows no other parts of the city is a quick escape in any season. 

Missing from this is a long walk in the forest, not a park, but a real, wooded forest. To have an experience like that we gather up food, water bottles, a first aid kit, swiss army knives, cameras, extra clothes, hiking boots, sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, napkins, snacks. We empty our wallets of too much weight, remember the bug spray. Then we get into the car and drive. And drive. And drive. Usually upwards of an hour to an hour and a half. At the end of this long drive, we get to a part of the Bruce Trail. We calculate a day to go hiking. 

For the swiss-raised child in me, I find this horrific. I grew up in a small town where there was forests around, a short sunday walk entailed almost always a jaunt through the forest, along a stream, sitting down on a bench for a rest. As a snack, we took an apple along, but more often than not, we just put on our shoes and walked out the front door. We'd be back home within a couple of hours. Hiking meant taking a train into the mountains, climbing some hills. We even had a nice "hill" just up north of our town, within walking distance from our front door, with a restaurant on top, a playground and a view that was heart stopping. Still, we never took more than ourselves, and of course my dad and mom brought their money to purchase a drink and a snack up on the hill. 

If I am asked why I live in Canada when I had all the beauty of Switzerland around me, I often reflect that it is the landscape and of course my family and friends that I miss. The mountains, the Sunday afternoon walks, the hikes. Here in Toronto, I have many other things that I could not have there, so I guess the payoff is that it takes a day to go hiking. 

We try to go onto the trail as much as we possibly can. Usually between June and October we manage to go about six to seven times. It is bliss. The forest and the trail does feed my soul and I hope to feed my son's soul there too:

There is a froggy in this picture, and in the ones he took. 

 

Here are a few of my froggy images: