About
Welcome!
My name is Sarah Galvin, the creator behind Galvin Made. I am a self-taught fiber artist specializing in cloth heirloom dolls. I love experimenting with indigo dye and shibori, embroidery, and mending. However, I am constantly exploring other mediums as well. Once I find inspiration I tend to jump in immediately, which would explain my many started yet unfinished projects! While I have dabbled in many fiber-related projects, creating dolls has become my focus. My favorite part of doll making is creating the faces, especially the eyes, which seem to make each doll come to life. I could endlessly make dolls from the same pattern but no two will ever be exactly alike. My technique and style of dolls are constantly evolving. I especially like using upcycled fabrics and repurposing textiles that could be headed for the waste stream. There is something very satisfying to be found in making or owning hand-made objects, and I want to share that feeling with others.
I live in Lexington, Kentucky USA. When I am not found stitching in my attic studio, I enjoy spending time with my husband and daughter, baking bread, and drinking coffee by our urban fish pond. For over thirty years I have been a teacher, working as an English as a Second Language (ESL) professor at the local community college.
The Beginning of Galvin Made
I have always enjoyed making things, but this desire was revived when I starting making things to sell for my daughter’s non-profit ballet school, Bluegrass Youth Ballet. I began stitching and making items related to the performances or to ballet in general and selling them at the shows. All of the money from the sales would go to help a need that the school had. I found that I really liked the process of brainstorming an idea and then figuring out how to make it. I sold long yarn braids at the Rapunzel show, felt skulls at the Day of the Dead performance, and pointe-shoe stockings at Nutcracker. What had started as a creative outlet for my young daughter soon became one for me as well. Getting positive feedback on the things I made gave me the confidence to show my dolls to a wider audience.