Making dolls and doll clothes is one of the things I enjoy most. When my daughter was a little girl I loved making clothes for her American Girl dolls. I guess it took me back to my childhood when I had a collection of all sorts of dolls . . .Teri Lee, Tiny Tears, Sissy, Toni (whose hair "grew" when you brushed it) . . . I had no less than 40 in my collection.
I have made and dressed quite a few dolls. Some of them are family keepsakes. This one, Josephine, belonged to my grandfather who was born in 1869. She was made and dressed for him by his grandmother in the early 1870's. He kept her well, leaving her to his family when he passed away in 1946. By the 1930's her clothes had become so ragged that my grandmother redressed her in a dress made from feed sacking. (Josephine in her feed sack dress below.)
When I was a little girl my grandmother allowed me to hold Josephine only when I was sick . . . usually too sick to enjoy holding her. She was one of my grandmother's most prized possessions. In the 1980's my mother inherited Josephine and several years ago, gave her to my daughter as a Christmas gift. By this time her feed sack clothing had deteriorated so much that it was falling apart. It was time for repairs. Since fabric of her vintage was nowhere to be found, my daughter chose light blue batiste (to match the doll's eyes) for her dress and bonnet. I made her bloomers and slip in white batiste trimmed with lace and pintucks. In an effort to preserve Josephine's history, I saved and vacuum packed each article of clothing that was removed. My great-great grandmother had hand-sewn her body from striped ticking and her shoes from green upholstery fabric. I mended her body where the joints were coming loose, marveling that I was actually sewing the same seams by hand that my great-great grandmother had sewn over a century before. Josephine's arms were very tattered. I covered them rather than remove and replace them.
Although she belongs to my daughter, Josephine remains in my home, resting in the hand-built cradle my great-grandfather made for her in the early 1870's. My daughter insists that she will be safer here . . . I believe she knows how special she is to me and doesn't want to take her away from me just yet.
3 comments:
The makeover you gave Josephine is amazing. I never really sat down and compared the before and after! I do feel better with her living at your house.
Oh my goodness, I never even knew she was in the house with us! You did a fabulous job. I'm so jealous that you have a doll with such history in your family. And her new clothes are beautiful!
Quilted fabric would be perfect for the seat. I had thought maybe some of that heavy batik flannel might be good too (but not in the summer). Suzi is so funny in the Mei Tai, because she tries to straighten her legs and slide out, but she can't! So instead, she just pops up and down and grins.
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