Marianas Variety Article Kimekomi Doll Article

Dress your own Kimekome Doll
By Poonam Hemlani
Variety News Staff

Scoot over Barbie. Eat your heart out Bratz. Nice try bebe doll. Jem has nothing on the every doll maker’s delight—the Kimekome.

No it’s not a new brand of soy sauce, or the latest tagalog flick at Guam Premium outlets, or the corner shop located at the Dededo mall, or a third choice side order at Imperial Garden.

Joan Egurrola of the Sandbox paper art and crafts studio enlightened Variety, “It’s a Japanese doll making technique that’s over a thousand years old and before they used to hand carve the wood but of course nowadays they have it pre-made. The wood is already made and what it is a tucking. It takes about eight or ten hours to complete a doll as there is a whole concept to it.”
The doll form is carved of wood and then covered with pieces of fabric which are inserted into slits in the wood to give the illusion of clothing. The wood is carved into the shape of a doll in full clothing, and all effect of folding and draping of fabric is achieved in the carving process.
“You still have to prepare the wood, and there’s gluing involved. The wood has to be sanded down and grooves have to be smooth,” explained Egurrola.
When the fabric is added, it is stretched tightly across the form and the edges tucked into the grooves, perfectly fitting over its area of the 'clothing'. This method can be so well done that until touching the figure, it seems as if the doll is wearing regular clothing.
Mae Cotton who holds classes at the Sandbox has been an instructor for over 30years. “She’s an expert who’s certified to do it, they actually have universities in Japan. There’s different steps, the classes here are for beginners and then it gets tougher towards the end and you actually have to paint the face.”

The Kimekome technique requires steady hands and an intricate one on one type of learning. “Most of the time the class is no more than two or three people that’s a good number for Mae because she really needs to sit down and do it with you,” explained Egurrola.

The adult only class starts at $154.00, which comes equipped with a starter kit. Egurrola explained that the process of becoming a Kimekome “expert” per say involves the achievement of finishing the doll empire in its entirety. “There is an empress and an emperor, a lady of the house and there’s a certain amount of children and servants and so forth. So in order for you to graduate you have to complete all the dolls.

Get with the program, create your very own Kimekome doll. Call the Sandbox for available class times at 648-4278.