From My Little Hole in the Wall: Mardi Gras Mignonette

Mardi Gras traditions and historical notes are something I've been browsing through and studying since the beginning of the month. One of the best places to look for information is obviously online articles. No. It isn't always Wikipedia. Yet one of my favorite places to find information is through children's books. As many of you aware, I collect vintage and antiquarian children's books. I also collect books on holidays, but most importantly, books with beautiful illustrations. To me that most often means Realism, but I do stray. Depends. For instance, with the small collection of children's books about Mardi Gras that I've recently collected, I found one book in particular, not only insightful, but the illustrations were endearing. The books is Mimi's First Mardi Gras by Alice Couvillon and Elizabeth Moore.

Every step all the way through the book, you learn something of interest about Mardi Gras. Some information I already knew, and some is wonderful to add to my brain's internal

filing system. One of most fun bits of tradition to take note of is the King Cake that is served on Twelfth Night. That is the twelfth night following Christmas. The cake is shaped like a huge ring and iced with purple, green and yellow frosting. Hidden inside the cake is a tiny baby figurine. Whoever gets the piece of cake with the baby is expected to give the next King Cake party. These parties will continue until Mardi Gras, but as for their intervals? I'd guess once a week. That's a lot of colorful cake to eat!

So what did I do? I went on Ebay and purchased a tiny baby doll to make a cake with. No. Not for me. For Blaire, my American Girl play doll. I've been too busy designing and sewing to make the cake out of paper clay, but she can have the baby as a reminder to give the next party.

Its also notable that just after the Lenten season is done, you get to pig out on Easter candy.

I'm still tickled by how parade watchers chant, "Throw me something mister!", as the parade goes by, and beads and doubloons and trinkets are thrown to the crowds. When I found this adorable image of Louis with his "throw me something mister" sign, I had to share it with you.

And this beautiful Mardi Gras still life with the King Cake and baby figurine sitting center of the cake. Fleur de Lis, a mask, beads and booze, and doubloons amid jester crowns make up this lovely painting.

Did you know that there is an official Mardi Gras song? Its a silly song that begins "If I ever cease to love, If I ever cease to love, May the moon be turned into green cream cheese, If I ever cease to love."

The song, aptly titled, If I Ever Cease to Love, is considered the anthem of the entire celebration. It was adopted by Rex in 1872. George Leybourne, who also wrote "The Man in the Flying Trapeze", penned the song in 1871.

The first Rex parade was organized, in part, to celebrate the visit to New Orleans by Russia's Grand Duke Alexis. During his tour, the Grand Duke would have heard, and apparently, came to enjoy the catchy tune. Lydia Thompson, who sang the song in her review, was performing in New Orleans at the time of the Grand Duke's visit. The rest is history.

After I finished Cissy's Mardi Gras costume, I wished to continue the theme as Mardi Gras drew closer. Two dolls begged for costumes. One was Wendy Lawton's 9" Mignonette, who was still wearing her purple witch costume from last Halloween. And the other was Peggy Sue, who was yet still in her Halloween costume, Wendy the Witch, with her companion Casper the Friendly Ghost.

It was time. But how much time would I have to make these costumes? I'm afraid with two full days left before the 21rst, Peggy Sue may be out of luck. I'll give it a go, but it will be a very simple costume, and I don't do simple...easily at least.

Mignonette's Maid costume is just an example of that. I honestly needed a good two weeks for this, or longer. I was stumped as to what to do for her. I knew one thing for certain, it would be in pastels of yellow, purple and green, because her basic wardrobe is pink. Yes, there are a thousand shades of pink, but I wanted her to feel comfortable in this costume, because I'm pretty sure that she'll be wearing it until next year. And, it had to be different enough from Cissy's. Not a miniature version.

I liked the split bodice of yellow and green with the purple sleeves, but the skirt would have to be purely Mignonette. Oh wait! Did I say "Maid" costume? Well, I'd been browsing Pinterest and saw some gorgeous ball gowns that were called Maid gowns.

The Maids would be the handmaids to the Queen of the Mardi Gras. These costumes are so extraordinary and out of this world, that I think they'd steal the show. Poor queen! So it was with this intent that I started designing on the fly, Mignonette's costume.

When I'd finished attaching the purple ruffle, I had a blank canvas to work with. It needed embellishments and I had no clue what to do. I almost gave up at one point. I'd take this gold trim or that gold trim and pin and unpin. I tried this and that and didn't like anything.

Mignonette is such a small doll that I didn't want to overwhelm her. But I also wanted Fleur de Lis in the costume as my friend Betsy loves Fleur de Lis, and since Mignonette is French, she needed them on the costume. I was able to find little 1/2" brass stampings of the Fleur de Lis, then had to wait for those to arrive. Once again begging Etsy sellers to ship fast! I did a test piece and found that they would glue with "hat glue" or fringe glue, to the silk quite nicely. So where would they go?

After using double sided sticky tape to tape them to the gown in places, I decided that just three on the bodice would be lovely and not too much.

As for the gold lace that trims the dress, it was too much. Too much gold. Too thick a design. So I clipped out the flowers from the lace and attached it upside down to top edge of the ruffle. At this stage I was well on the way to making a big mess. Or maybe not. I had to push that envelope. I'm much too cautious with my natural simplicity of design. I find it hard to go crazy with embellishments. But that is what I had to do with this costume if it was even going to come close to being a Maid's costume.

I added the clipped flowers to the plackets beneath the bodice, and also one each at the shoulder tops. I added a row of gold trim to the waist as well and felt that was plenty.

Next, I took a break and made her beads. These are just "throw me something mister" beads, not to be worn, but simply for her to hold in the display.

These Mardi Gras beads are not strung, but plastic molds around string, so when you clip them, you have to find a way to make them meet. I did this by sewing a thread loop over one bead, running the needle through the string, then doing the same with the other end. Its bobbly at the junction, but so what. The other choice I had was to string my own beads, but I didn't have beads in the colors I would use and well, I was running out of time. How far will I go to get something perfect? I still had shoes and socks to think about and a headdress. And a mask!

I chose to use this yellow jersey I had for her stockings since it was very thin. And I painted a pair of her pink shoes gold. I did a nice enough job of it that she can wear them with other dresses later, should gold shoes be required. I can thread ribbon through the back and change the look as well. I'll have to see if I can find 1/8" metallic gold ribbon that will actually tie in a bow,

I used some gold star trim to make her a crown, the added an iron on Fleur de Lis patch for the center emblem and yellow feathers for her headdress. These headdresses can be quite outrageous and beautiful, but very difficult for my brain to design. And of course, there's the messy glue gun!

I had fun with her mask on the stick. This time I painted the stick white and followed with a coat of Gleam. Then candy canned some gold trim on it. The mask is gold matte scrapbooking paper and I formed it to her face so there would

be a fit for her nose. Then I carefully glued tiny gold flatback rhinestones to the mask. I finished it off with yellow feathers.

So, who is the little Louis friend in the picture? He's a Mardi Gras ornament that I purchased from a seller in New Orleans, I told her what he was for, and we talked a little bit about how to make his stand on his own. Wasn't going to happen. He'll be propped up, and right now while he and Mignonette pose on my worktable, he has mini-wax holding him in place. The stuff really works and does not harm the surfaces it attaches to. They don't sell mini-wax any longer, but you can get museum wax. Same thing, I really like little Louis!

With two days to go, I may as well try and make Peggy Sue a costume. I have everything I need to make it except maybe the energy. My brain is a little fried after making Mignonette's costume. And I can't find my Alice Leverette patterns for Peggy Sue, so I'll have to make them up. What else have I got to do? Housework? pft! It can wait.

Among the lovely images below, I wanted to share my Effanbee doll with you. This is a photo I got from the Internet, but it's the best one I could find. I just got the doll today and the bottoms of her pants need some steaming. In all the years since she was made, she was never out of the box. Let me tell you. She's gorgeous. The costume is Mardi Gras. This is exactly what they wear - even today!

And there's a little Mischief Doll. Looks like a little voodoo or Zulu doll and that is what she is. I think she's fascinating. I must look up Mardi Gras Mischief Dolls and read up on them. I may have to make a miniature one for a doll to hold. Or hang one from the belt of her costume. I'm sure they are for fun or good luck, but if I do finish a costume for Peggy Sue and find out, I'll write about them.

Until then, "If I ever cease to love, If I ever cease to love, May fish grow legs, and cows lay eggs, If I ever cease to love." - Melissa