Author: Regina

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Dolls sponsorship

Through this page you can sponsor a doll and everything you donate will go directly to a charity called Plan.

I’ve just set up a JustGiving page

www.justgiving.com/dreamsandaheart

When you visit Plan’s website you notice that their logo is a child shape like the shape of the dolls. This coincidence also made me choose them as the charity I want to help.

This charity pioneered child sponsorship 75 years ago and today over 100 000 people in the UK sponsor a child through them. Plan works with children, their communities and they work in 50 countries world wide including Asia, Africa, Central and South America. You can visit their website www.plan-uk.org to understand the amazing work they are doing .

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

I hope you will be inspired you to participate.

Thank you!

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Who I am

I am a body filled with dreams and a heart just like all of us. I am also a mother and an artist. I had never dreamt of making dolls. This project is a calling which I follow patiently. We have already created over three thousand dolls. I invite you to help us with the next ones.

I close my eyes, sleep and dream. I see the world.

Regina Mendes is a psychologist specializing in child therapy, a dance theatre facilitator, a performer, a visual artist and a doll maker.

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Thank you!

I would like to thank so much all the people who has helped the project so far.

They make dolls
Ana from Brazil
Annalisa from Italy
Angela from England
Barbara from Hungary
Carmelita from Portugal
Caroline from England
Claudia from Brazil
Cynthia from Holland
Heidi from Denmark
Inita from Latvia
Jacy from Brazil
Jasmin from Turkey
Juliette from France
Mari from Spain
Marinalva form Brazil
Nicola from England
Olivia from Brazil
Rosalba from Italy
Saori from Japan
Tabada from Brazil
Vera from Brazil
They are supporters
Alan from England
Alice from England
Arabella from England
Becky from England
Chris from England
Ellis from England
Elspeth from Scotland
Gauti from Iceland
Jennifer from England
Kath from England
Lee from England
Lewis from England
Neca from Brazil
Oliver from Hungary
Patricia from Brazil
Pippa from Australia
Phelim from England
Sarah from England
Susie from Italy
Victor from England
Victoria from England

THANK YOU!

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What will happen?

The first step of the project is to reach five communities of 700 dolls. We are going to do an art installation with them and after that we will decide where they are going to be sent. They could be invited  to all kinds of places including schools, hospitals and occupational therapy centres.

At this point people who receive the dolls will decide what they are going to create with them. They can decide for example their gender, paint and dress them, give them a face and hair or they can just keep them in their simple shape.

percentage_of_world_population

When you click the picture above you can see the percentage that 700 dolls represents for each continent.

After we sent the five communities of dolls to each of the continents we start the next five communities. We will keep making them until there is a doll representing you, me and each one of us on this planet.

This is an artistic project and a healing process.

Shall we make it happen?

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She is dancing

Her thoughts are dancing in the lake

They are washed by clean ideas

When she was alive she run in the fields

She loved being alive

She was a kind woman

She dances and run with her thoughts

She dances because she wants to be happy again

She is holding her dress because she is running

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IMG_0002

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Making a doll

Do you want to help us? You are very welcome…

Making a doll 

If you want to help with making dolls please follow the steps below.

You can send me a message on the ‘contact us’ page if you need to clarify something.

Please let us know when your dolls are ready so we can collect them.

What you will need 

  1. A sheet of A4 paper
  2. Scissors
  3. Pen
  4. Any white or light cream fabric preferably cotton. Could be from old clothes.
  5. Pins ( if necessary)
  6. Tacking (basting) thread (if necessary).
  7. Needle
  8. Red thread
  9. Any reddish fabric preferably cotton.
  10. Stuffing from an old pillow .

How to make the doll

Pin (if necessary) the two layers of fabric together and cut out the doll shapes
Sew round edges with red thread. Leave an opening of around 3cm preferably on the inside of one leg to insert the stufng
Turn inside out
Insert the stuffing and the heart and finish the sew
  1. Download and print the doll pattern and cut it out.
  2. Draw round the pattern on a doubled piece of fabric.
  3. Pin (if necessary) the two layers of fabric together and cut out the doll shapes.
  4. Sew the two shapes together with large tacking (basting) stitches, just to hold the doubled fabric together (if necessary).
  5. Sew round edges with red thread. Leave an opening of around 3cm preferably on the inside of one leg to insert the stuffing.
  6. Turn inside out. You will need the help of something long and thin – perhaps your pen
  7. Insert the stuffing.It is best to start with the head and arms and to push the stuffing to the ends so they will be firm.
  8. Cut the reddish fabric into a circle with 1 cm diameter and insert this not broken heart into the doll. It can assume a diferent shape because it is difficult for it to remain round when we insert it. This is perfectly fine.
  9. Sew up the opening by hand.
  10. The doll is ready. It is full of dreams and with a not broken heart. The time, energy and love we spend in making each doll will inspire our generous dreams to come true in the real world.

Download (PDF): dreamsandaheart_doll_pattern