The European Waldorf Doll Retreat 2023

The European Waldorf Doll Retreat is special. I have just come home from the 2023 event; the first for five years, and it was as wonderful as ever. 

This time the retreat was four days long and we stayed in the Abbey of Clairefontaine near Arlon, on the border between Belgium and Luxembourg. The Abbey is nestled in between low hills surrounded by meadows and woodland, with a stream running through the grounds. There were no sounds of traffic, but instead a backdrop of birdsong and the ever-playing fountain behind our chatter and scratchy felting of our needles. It was a perfectly peaceful place, and a true retreat as there was barely any phone signal and little wifi. Once we had managed to assure our loved ones at home that we had arrived and all was well, we were free to just switch off our phones and enjoy the time together.

Around 70 doll-makers, both teachers and students, gathered for the retreat from all over the world. The sharing and mingling of languages was a musical accompaniment to our work. Although English was the common language, everyone dropped in and out of their mother tongue according to who they were speaking with or how tired they were. Dutch, German, Hungarian, Polish, French, Italian, Spanish, English and Mandarin were woven together in a tapestry of terminology and greetings. 

“Good morning, did you sleep well?” 
“What do you call this stitch in Spanish?”
“I’d like a French name for my doll, can you suggest something?”
“Dinner is ready!”
“Come and sit with us, there’s space for you.”
“Wine, juice, tea, coffee, water or beer?”

Before breakfast each day there was a group that would go for a walk up the hill and into the woods, to stretch our legs and welcome the morning before the sitting and sewing ahead of us. I went every day and relished this time of talk, exploring and movement in the early morning light.

After breakfast we worked on our dolls until lunch.

After lunch we worked on our dolls until dinner.

After dinner we worked on our dolls until the poor exhausted teachers called a halt!

And when our eyes were too tired to focus we sat about outside in the warm evening, shared wine or juice, and shared our stories.

Some of us had cunning methods for joining the relaxing group in the dusk, and yet still continuing to work! We worked all day long and late into the night not because we had to but because we chose to, and we recognised the value of this special time dedicated to an uncommon craft.

I attended two workshops, each two days long and each to make a doll with specific characteristics that I want to use in my future illustration work. 

The first was with Bénédicte Claudel, of When I Grow Up dolls, to make a needle-felted doll with neck armature that could sit and stand unaided.

I challenged myself to try and copy Bénédicte ‘s doll as closely as possible, to see how similar I could make it. 

Bénédicte’s example doll… …and my doll. With these gorgeous brown and white shoes beautifully made by Sarahi of Tiny Miracles Dolls. Thank you Sarahi! I named my doll Manon, inspired by all the French spoken during the class. We all enjoyed the photoshoot outside by the river when all the dolls were done.

For my second workshop I learned how to make a jointed, posable doll with Fabiola Perez from Fig and Me. This time I wanted to try and make as different and personal a doll as I could whilst still following Fabiola’s method. 

This gorgeous trio were made (left to right) by student Sabine, teacher Fabiola and student Nathasja. I think they’re discussing the challenges in finding a good cup of tea.

Here is my little doll, Pilar, named after the Spanish spoken so frequently in this class. She looks rather fiery perhaps, but actually Pilar is quiet and feels more comfortable with plants than people.

Both classes were great, both teachers wonderful, and both dolls came out better than I had hoped. Thank you so much Bénédicte and Fabiola for your support, encouragement and skilled teaching!

The teachers and organisers had work to do, but for the rest of us this was pure play. A gift of four days immersing ourselves in a joyful, childlike world of wool, fabrics and yarn, of needle-felting, stitching and stuffing, of listening, laughter and hugs.

Wispy clouds of stuffing wool gathered in the corners of corridors and stairwells, softening angles and dampening echoes. Anyone and everyone was welcome to come to the retreat, but as it happened almost all of us were women. Whist we sewed, we shared our experiences of family, of work, of lockdown. We talked of our hopes and goals for the future. We encouraged, consoled, celebrated and thanked each other. We shared our knowledge without jealousy or competition and all of us went home richer. 

Dolls like to just hang out together too.

Everywhere friends, and everywhere dolls.

A huge, special thank you goes to the organisers; Kamrin and Berend Te Kronnie, Veronique Geimer and Ewa Musiałowska-Blasson for giving us this wonderful event, and to all of the teachers and students who made it such and welcoming, joyful and enriching experience. I look forward to the next time.