Embroidered Dolls

As Christmas draws closer, toys and dolls fill the stores. Most are plastic, with generic faces and artificial hair. But wouldn’t it be wonderful to find a beautiful, hand embroidered doll like those made by Andean women in Peru?

Hand embroidered dolls from Peru (source)

With their expressive eyes and brilliantly coloured skirts, what little (or big) girl could resist. And unlike those dolls mass-produced in factories, each one of these is lovingly hand crafted using an array of stitches, fabrics and colours.

When an order comes in, the community pools together to fulfil it.

The makers pass the word around, get together and work day and night to complete the order.

Colourful Peruvian markets (source)

If you are lucky enough to visit Machu Picchu, bringing one of these dolls home will not only delight the recipient, but helps to support a centuries old needlework tradition.