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Vintage gilt baubles and glinting glass pendants slowly spiral in the candlelight once Chloe Cyphus has completed her festive preparations, but it Isnt these that make her Christmas tree like no other; nor is it her 16 - year - old son Rowdys paper classroom creations, still lovingly re - hung despite a decade of Decembers stealing their sparkle. The star quality belongs to another decoration because the Norway spruce, under which presents are piled high, is crowned by an angel, and with her painted face and cobweb - like antique lace skirts, she is unique.
"All my angels are one - offs," says Chloe, who painstakingly creates each doll by hand at her home in a converted 18th - century nunnery in Warminster, Wiltshire. Over the past few months her large, scrubbed pine kitchen table has been covered with tiny papier - mache heads and an army of little limbs.
Chloe started making the angels as gifts last year, inspired by a doll she found at an antiques fair. She paints the papier - mache figures using a mix of poster paint and soil to give them a faded, vintage feel, then stitches their dresses from 19th - century linen, shot silk and delicate lace. Her friends were delighted, and not only put the angels in pride of place on top of their Christmas trees, but declared they were too beautiful to pack away and needed to be displayed throughout the year.
Buoyed by this enthusiasm, Chloe decided to sell some of her dolls "I had an antiques shop in Warminster, specialising in old Swedish and French furniture and my own soft furnishings," she explains. Then in October 2010, the recession forced me to close." Devastated, but not defeated, Chloe continued trading from her home. She also decided to shift the focus towards her love of sewing and launched a range of cushions and soft toys made from her prized collection of old linens and faded florals.
"The angels are very fiddly to make," Chloe says, "but they were such a success that I knew I would carry on with them." She begins work on the vintage - style decorations in early September, and, despite using a production - line system, each doll takes two weeks to complete. First, Chloe moulds the papier - mache heads. "Its an unpredictable process because they shrink," she explains "I may end up with just three or four good ones from a batch of 12." She then jews them and the limbs, made from paper straws, onto little stuffed bodies; the arms and legs are slippedin plaster before the doll is painted. "I have to be in the right mood for this - they are so delicate that I need a steady hand."
Chloes meticulous approach means that any less - than - perfect angels are recycled. Those that do make the grade are rewarded with couture attire. "Dressing them is my favourite bit," says Chloe, who spends the whole year saving up pieces of fabric and delicate trinkets for the angels costumes. Shying away from bright colours, Chloe chooses muted, subtle tones. Upstairs on a painted shelf in her storeroom, she keeps material collected for this years dolls - spidery swatches of vintage lace, the palest silver and oyster shot silk, a hint of blush - pink ribbon - while a small dish holds small diamante buckles and the odd pearl earring. "Im always on the lookout for little gems," she says. "I pick through boxes at antiques fairs and charity shops for tiny treasures - much of which Id struggle to buy new." She sifts out a set of mother - of - pearl bookmarks, one shaped like an anchor and others in heart, cross and key shapes. "I collect anything like this - you never know when it may come in handy."
Every corner of Chloes house holds clues to her craft; even her dressing table drawer is filled with reels of cotton, while the armoire in her bedroom is piled high with fabrics in pale pinks and buttery yellows and creams sourced from antiques markets at home and abroad. No piece is too small to be saved - for years she has kept one rectangle of faded rosebud print no bigger than a postage stamp. "I just havent found the right place for it yet," she says, holding the scrap carefully between her fingers.
With no formal training. Chloe has developed her own way of doing things. "It probably means it takes a bit longer than it should," she says, "but Im never happier than when Im making something. I wish Id come to this work sooner. Its my vocation."
When Chloe doesnt have a needle and thread in her hand, she is checking orders or attending fairs. But the run - up to Christmas sees a huge spike in demand and so, in between working on batches of angels, she is stuffing stacks of lavender bags, appliqueing cushion covers with monograms taken from old linen handkerchiefs, or making tiny dresses and dungarees trimmed with miniature mother - of - pearl buttons for her cloth rabbits. In fact, the only items she doesnt craft herself are the cashmere cardigans on her old - fashioned teddies; "a local lady makes them for me - Ive never been good at knitting."
Chloes time, skills and use of antique fabrics are reflected in the price of each piece; the angels cost from ?125, while the rabbits are ?28, so its not surprising that her toys tend to be bought by adults as decorative pieces or as christening gifts rather than something for children to play with. "I love the fact that everything I make gives beautiful old fabrics a new lease of life," Chloe says. "Many of them are more than 100 years old and can be enjoyed for another century. So whether its a lavender bag or an angel, Im not just making a piece for this Christmas but something that can be passed down through the family like an heirloom for the next generation to enjoy.
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