Dolls of Ms. Maria Kowalska

Three years after retiring, Ms. Maria Kowalska, who lives in a village of Proboszczewice, scattered in the fields in the Joniec municipality, started looking for ways of fruitfully spending her time while supplementing her retirement. “What can one do in a small hamlet when one has to do something?”, she says. She decided to use her craft skills that are characteristic for the female side of her family, where her mother and aunt had a knitting talent and a knack for crocheting. It so happened that Ms. Kowalska not only has a talent for sewing, but also great artistic imagination and creativity.

She started to invent and sew dolls and offered the first one as a gift. The reaction of “Oh, my God, how beautiful!” enticed her to create more. She made the second doll and then the third one. After a few years she came up with cats, rabbits, little dogs,  and decorative red boots that are used for gift stuffing.

Ms. Kowalska constantly looks for ideas for something unique. “Every doll and kitten are different, like people are. Only the plastic ones are identical, but the sewn ones are not. I actually tried to make them look the same, but I can’t” she says. “The ones that are hand sewn can be put in a handbag or kids can sleep with them and won’t be hurt”, adds Ms. Kowalska.

Sewing of a Cracow-style doll requires about 8 hours of work. During the entire winter, Ms. Kowalska only made 30 of them. Everything has to be handmade: first the silhouette and then the dress. Before that she has to find and buy the right materials. Most people do not realize the time, effort and cost that go into this kind of an endeavour. However, the reward for the creator and for the paying client is a unique product that cannot be found anywhere else.

Maker: Maria Kowalska

Location:  Proboszczewice, Joniec municipality

Contact: ph. 600 280 324

email: paryzanka.maria@wp.pl