Ella's Doll
In the image is a hand made doll. On one side is a black circle that represents an eye. The edges stitched with black thread. The material is grey , the black thread gives it a unique touch to represent a mouth with a zigzag shape and the other with X sign, one blind eye.
The doll looks like a common beginner sewing project. This is because of its simple flat shape and basic embroidery
Story
Ella enrolled in a fashion school shortly after graduating from junior secondary. It had been her dream to become a fashion designer. Finally having a platform to become one was something she cherished. She was 16, younger than her colleagues, but she was determined to learn.
The students were welcomed with a beginner's lesson on their first day in the fashion school. The lesson was how to stitch a simple doll using thread and needle.
"You can add touches to the doll" the tutor encouraged, this was to see the creativity of her students.
Ella made a doll made of grey, felt with a high contrast blanket stitch. She thought of a creative way to add the missing parts as she cut out part of the material leaving a dark opening to form the right eye. She sewed a black thread forming the shape X on the left eye and a zigzag sign at the location of the mouth.
Her tutor was impressed, not because her toy was the most beautiful, but because out of the students, her doll was unique in its style and representation.
"What name will you give to this doll?" her tutor asked.
"Ella," she answered. Her tutor smiled and acknowledged her creativity. The doll became Ella's hand toy.