Modern family portraits

What a funny lot of little people. I love these odd little dolls, which are handmade in Israel from recycled fabric by Timor Cohen, aka Timo Handmade.

One, a pair – or a whole clan – would make a really lovely wedding present, a mother's day gift or something for a new family, however unconventional the set-up. Timor will even personalise them to resemble the recipients if you give her enough notice...

Whole family of dolls, around £108. Adult dolls measure 20cm x 8cm and children are8cm x 5cm.




Twins, £27

Granny/aunt/mother, around £24

Two guys, about £50

Older couple, around £47

Timor lives and makes her dolls at her studio in the port city of Jaffa. She began making the dolls after finding a box full of "a shirt I loved but could no longer wear (or dispose of), a jar of buttons with no apparent relation to one another, a handkerchief with my grandfather’s initials, an embroidered pillow cover, hole included, and so on…"

This formed the ethos for the dollmaking: "My materials are mostly recycled," says Timor, "some comes from other local businesses and designers that pass cloth scraps on to me. Some I buy as fabric scraps. Some comes from friends and family, since there isn't a home without a box of buttons and unused textiles pieces. And I live right next to the Jaffa flea market, which for me is like living near a wishing well.

The 'Family Dolls' she makes are designed as many different individual characters that can be put together as families. Timor continues: "They come in all skin tones, ages and genders, so that people can assemble any family they please. I really like to see how they are being bought for every family model that you can possibly think of. Sometimes people write me asking for very special families, and it’s a delight to see what a variety of shapes and colours there are for love and togetherness."

Timo HandmadeTimo Handmade website