Created in line with the Waldorf pedagogy articulated by Rudolf Steiner, Waldorf dolls are made from natural fibres, to please the senses, and have minimal facial features, to stimulate a child’s imagination. When pregnant with my first child I discovered Steiner education and their beautiful dolls and was enraptured by their simple but warm facial expressions, heavy wool-filled bodies and nurturing feel due to the use of all natural materials. A trip to my fave Melbourne craft shop Winterwood and a few YouTube videos later I made Sophie. With her pink, hand spun pure wool hair and hazel eyes just like my daughter’s, Sophie has sat comfortingly on her bed every day since her 5th birthday. I have made my two children two 45cm, 300g dolls with little cotton and crocheted wool clothes each, plus a few for my friend’s children. These dolls are quite labour intensive and technically challenging to make, so my current output is to make one every 6 to 12 months. Basically long enough to forget how much my fingers hurt each time I make one.