As seen In Today's Age Newspaper: 'I Made That'

I MADE IT MYSELF
Who: Robyne Melia
What: Abigail & Bronwyn Bunny
'I’ve wanted to make some conjoined dolls for a long while but felt uncomfortable using babies as a model, so designed them as rabbits instead. My youngest daughter was obsessed with rabbits when she was little and wrote countless stories about them, and the idea has grown from these (although the conjoined aspect is my addition). I wanted my doll to be happy, the kind of doll a child would cuddle and love or would drag about by its arm, so they have a soft tummy and a beautiful fluffy rabbit-fur tail. They’ve had a brilliant response from people. The girls are intricately constructed and take a long time to make, even longer when you add the time poring over my vast collection of old fabrics choosing the colours. I do sketch a lot in the designing stage, but it’s the cloth that inspires and usually I prefer to ‘build’ a work rather than plan it overly much.
Growing up in a family who made clothes and hats and furniture and toys and anything else that looked good, it was natural to forage into textiles myself. I spent 1974 at Melbourne College of Textiles learning pattern making and have stitched ever since. '

Article appeared under Frances Aitkinson's 'I Made That'.

Doll $165

email me at: rmsquare@connexus.net.au

Phone: 9756 6868 or 04108 76096

Happy Happy Abigal & Bronwyn

$165

For enquiries, please contact me at: rmsquare@connexus.net.au

Some New Girls Nearly Done

Here is my procrastination. It took me ages to line them up for a photo too, thus procrstinating even more. It's pathetic. Especially when they're going to be gorgeous.

PATTERN AVAILABLE: $20

Contact me at:

rmsquare@connexus.net.au

Abigail & Bronwyn Bunny

The Abigail & Bronwyn Bunny doll is my absolute favourite, although I love Johnny the Mouse, and I have a soft spot for Myrtle Bunny. These girls are so sweet and lovely you wouldn't hesitate to give one to your newborn baby, in fact I have sold a few to date for little babies to cuddle. They're very happy, I don't need to tell you, it's obvious.

(Based on a true story).

"Abigail and Bronwyn Bunny are each other’s very best friends. They share all of their ideas and play lots of sport too. You might think they’re just the same but Abigail and Bronwyn are two very different little girls. Bronwyn loves to listen to music, but Abby prefers to read. Abigail’s favourite colour is pink wheras Bronny likes blue by far the best. The girls are ‘dicephalus’ twins which is very, very unusual. They think they’re lucky! Abby and Bronny always have someone to talk to!"

AU$165

email at rmsquare@connexus.net.au

Johnny the Mouse

Back at the dawn of time, in early teen years, my Grandma showed me a doll she’d bought at an Op-shop. It was the most unusual doll I’d ever seen. She said ‘Be very careful, it’s old and frail’. A hapless mouse with its head caught fatally in a trap, its arms hanging limply by its side. We laughed.
The original mouse uses Nylon in its very earliest incarnation, which by now has almost gone back to the dust from whence it came.
I have the modified the design somewhat, adding a tiny, blue, bloodless tongue and some unscratching claws, but essentially it’s little body remains the same.
Try to enjoy making your own sad little Johnny, and be particularly careful not to get your fingers caught in the trap.

Poor Johnny the mouse
no more scurrying
around
the house
the trap snapped
his head
and now he’s dead
poor little Johnny
the ex
mouse

(based on a true story)

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For enquiries email me at rmsquare@connexus.net.au

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or go to my Etsy Shop .

Miss Myrtle Bunny

This doll is sweet as can be. I've made it in velvet as well and have a couple which sit with their arms wrapped around each other. Very cute.

'Josephine Myrtle Bunny (known simply as Myrtle to her friends and family) was born a most unusual bunny. She had one big warm heart, one very clever brain, but two sets of legs and two tummies! She was a rare and special girl. Myrtle was a ‘dipygus’ twin and everyone loved her.
One day her doctor said, "Myrtle, you are having baby bunnies in your left tummy!" Myrtle was surprised, if it had been her right tummy she would have believed it, she said. But he was quite right, she was definitely expecting!
Myrtle soon delivered her litter. She had five baby bunnies, two little cheeky boys and three little darling girls. Later on Mr. and Mrs. Bunny had four more litters. They had thirty-six children in all, can you imagine!'

Note: Based on a true story. Thanks to Elizabeth Anderson.

Pattern available at Etsy.