Türkan Kestane, a homemaker from Niksar in northern Türkiye’s Tokat province, has been crafting personalized dolls using a traditional adhesive known as kitre for more than 15 years.
Kestane began making the dolls after a friend introduced her to the craft. Since then, she has produced over 5,000 dolls in her own workshop.
“I wanted to create something in my own name,” Kestane told Anadolu Agency (AA). “I was interested in painting before and I transformed that interest into three-dimensional dolls. Making kitre dolls requires patience, but because I love it, it never feels difficult. Each doll takes time to complete. Each one can depict a staged scene or reflect traditional local culture. Customers often provide a photo or painting and I can craft the doll accordingly, even replicating a work environment or miniature objects exactly as they appear in real life.”
Kitre is a sticky substance derived from the sap of the keven plant, which is then mixed with cotton to form shapes. “We use this adhesive with cotton to make human or doll figures. Animal figures can also be created. You could say it’s cotton shaped with glue,” Kestane explained.
Kestane ships her kitre dolls not only to Istanbul, Eskişehir and Izmir but also to international customers.
She customizes dolls according to orders and sends them by cargo to the addresses provided. Prices vary depending on design and special clothing requests, with an average doll costing between TL 500 ($12) and TL 1,500.
