I’m Sarah - otherwise known as Curious Pip. I make dolls and illustrations from my sweet nook of a studio at home in Bristol U.K
Life has taken me in many different creative directions but drawing and making has been a constant since the day I could hold a pencil or pin a piece of fabric. As a child, I’d always be drawing faces with big eyes or mermaids with shell crowns and long hair that would fill an entire page. A little later it was the costumes worn by glamourous starlets in old Hollywood movies that dominated my sketchbooks.
My love of fabric really began to take shape when I started using off cuts from my grandma’s sewing projects to make outfits for my dolls.
Several decades passed and although I dipped in and out of drawing and making, it wasn’t until 2011 while on a short art course, that everything fell into place. I was encouraged to take my pencil sketch of little red riding hood and recreate her in a different medium. I made a small cloth doll with long legs and a felt cape. She was an incredibly simple, but from that moment on, my character sketches became sweet cloth creations you could display on your shelf or wall.
I began sharing my work on a blog and was lucky enough to find a supportive community of other designer makers and artists. Eventually my little side hustle became a full-time niche. Since then, my work has evolved, and life has ebbed and flowed but the things that inspire me have pretty much remained constant.
I’ve always been fascinated with old handmade dolls. They possess a quiet charm and character that you simply don’t find in mass-produced pieces. That’s the feeling and vibe I hope to capture in my own work. Every doll I make is designed to look as though it could have possibly have been made in another era of time.
When I’m not making dolls or drawing, I’m generally obsessing over vintage clothes, reading about fashion history or topping up my knowledge on old Hollywood icons. These are passions I channel into my work on a daily basis.
other favourite things include: travel, books, movies, shells, mermaids, and cocktails.
Looking for mermaids age 3
