Macedonian dolls

My first Narodna Radinost doll was from Macedonia and they remain my favourites in the range to this day. To the best of my knowledge 3 regions of Macedonia are represented  and the doll featured here wears a costume from Skopska Crna Gora  which is close to the capital Skopje.

The most distinctive feature is the black tape on the chemise used to represent the traditional woollen embroidery. The tape on this 8 inch doll is hand sewn and some lovely threading has been incorporated onto the sleeves. She is wearing a red coral necklace many of the dolls wear and the beads are used in the belt design as well. The elaborate head scarf  worn by the single woman in the traditional Skopska Crna Gora dress is here simply reproduced with decorative trim and thread flowers. The brightly coloured apron features a wonderful hand woven fabric and the legs are wrapped with red,black and yellow thread to complement the leather shoes.


For those interested there is a picture of this doll at page 197 of Loretta Holz's terrific book The How to Book of International Dolls Crown Publishers,New York 1980, along with some Serbian dolls.