BIOGRAPHY

Biography of a Textile Figure Artist
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I was born in Canada and moved to the UK when I was 2 yrs old. I now live with my husband, Tim, in South Devon.  

My workroom is also my office where I add to this already vast website, selling dolls and patterns and imparting information. 

I am proud to have a selection of my patterns and also my book on sale at the US website supplier: www.dollmakersjourney.com, 
amongst a large number of very talented cloth figure designers on their lists.

I undertook a teaching certificate in non-vocational adult training where I devised a comprehensive teaching programme to impart my knowledge on the accepted wisdom and tools of the trade/ notions of my Decorative Textile Figure classes in South Devon.
Since I do not have a background in textile or fashion, I learnt the hard way, by trial and error, on my own in my hobby room. 

Madeleine Sara Maddocks
Soft Sculpture Cloth Figure Artist

I launched my own Cloth Figure Quarterly magazine in 2008, which ran for 4 issues only. It was popular, but      too expensive and time consuming for me to sustain 
on my own. I have also been a freelance writer on the subject of cloth dolls with other International doll magazines.

My Mother made wonderful fancy dress costumes which won prizes at school fairs; my father was good at Sculpting in ice and clay; both my Grandfathers were artists and my maternal grandmother, Betsy Simpson,  liked to knit, crochet and sew.  (Indeed, her family owned a Textile Factory for a short while in the Victorian era, so I guess it must be in my genes!)

In October 2002, I launched an Internet Support Group, formerly clothdollmakersuk, which has now become Textile Figure Forum as an important way for cloth doll makers scattered over the UK to meet and share information. 

The group now has members from all over the world! 

Since I wanted my website to be 
all things cloth doll related, the site has become enormous and includes all sorts of relevant information, patterns and supplies.

       Why Choose Soft Sculpted Cloth Figures as my preferred Textile Art Medium? 

• The craft/art of Soft Sculpted Cloth Figures has so much more scope than other forms of Textile Fibre Arts,  since it involves fashion/costume design; portraiture; caricature; characterisation; fabric manipulation; quilting/needle sculpture; beading; embroidery; painting; dyeing and printing; knitting; crochet and all sorts of other textile embellishment. 

• From the often Picassoesque spirit figures to the highly embellished textile art figures; this is a medium that affords much diversity and creativity.

• My creations are not play things, but textile art creations and are therefore not dolls; they are soft sculpted figures.

Self Portrait Caricature

My very first Rag Doll (above) that got me started on my textile journey.

Bamboo & Merino jumper (knitted Dec 2008)
The pictures behind me were intricately drawn in pen and ink by my late Grandfather, George Simpson.