Wrap dolls

Since I found the site showing how to make 'wrap dolls' this morning the images and ideas have been playing on my mind - so much so that I need to get some solid ideas on paper before I flit off in too many directions (as someone said recently "the butterfly effect").

Continuing my theme of bushfire and it's regeneration (rising in brilliance), I see these 'wrap dolls' as becoming spirits or gods of each stage of fire.  It would involve a series of 3-4 of them, each done in colours depicting the stage of fire. 

        Red/yellow/oranges - Fire spirit
        old greens/browns - old growth spirit
        blacks/greys - charcoal spirit
        black/bright greens/reds - new growth spirit

Fabrics used could include the silks and cottons that I dyed last weekend (may need more), recycled fabrics, burnt fabrics, and bits of wools, ribbons, scrim etc that fit the colour scheme.  The armature will be wire.

Fabric strips will be torn to give interesting edges.

I'm not sure how I will make the heads but imagine that coming from the heads (as hair, or halos behind) could be things that indicate the stage.  Eg Fire Spirit would have flames, New growth would have new fresh leaves emerging, etc

I think that with the hands will be wrapped in threads and they should have long, spindly fingers.

What I haven't decided/or come up with yet is how I will 'unite' them so that I don't just end up with 4 'dolls'.  As I type this I have come up with a few sketchy ideas:

• In keeping with the idea that bushfire/regeneration is a cycle, I could arrange them in some way, perhaps with arms linking? - could also signify that (for want of a better phrase) each spirit is part of a 'circle of friends'? (ie that each is just part of the process and not something to be dispised.  I don't know what I would do for a base or background with this? Sitting as though pixies do?
• Suspend them, each at different levels.  Not sure how this would look - maybe it might be better with more 'spirits' or perhaps some additional 'environment' features, or icons could be suspended amongst them

What I want to avoid is for it to look too "nice" and "cutsey".  As was stated when I joined the Wild Arts Dolls Yahoo group this week "We're a group of paper artists, fabric artists, and/or assemblage artists, making dolls which aren't "cute"... but they aren't dedicated to being vile, "adult" or anything like that, either."

This idea is really starting to shape up... Can't wait to get home to give this one a try (that is until I walk in the door, get afronted by the mess in the studio and decide it's easier just to sit on the couch and watch telly!

Note to self - November is less than 5 months away - GET YOU ARSE INTO GEAR!!!!!!!