Lawrence Godey - Louise Godey's Brother

Whoosh!  The days are flying by.  Its hard to believe that we're in the last week of November already.  If only I possessed a magical spell to slow the hours down...but I do not.  No one does, but I think there must be a way to do this by maybe, perhaps, taking a little more time out in our days to rub the doggy, dress a doll up for the holidays, read a chapter in that wonderful story, take an hour's walk in nature...and if its not close by, or the weather isn't cooperative, rest your eyes on the wonder of nature, and feel those marvelous changes of the season.

As the year wraps up, I'm reminded of the very many projects I wished to do, or even complete.  What happened to the collection of Mary Lennox?  Didn't I wish to finish it by the end of the year?  Well, let's be frank.  Not all the outfits in that paper doll series were pretty.  There are only three I wish yet to create, but they'll make wonderful spring projects in 2018.  My studio time, on any project, has increased in size due to the needle felting accessory-displays (I make to go with the outfits), and this won't always be the case.  And, this past month, this November, I was in Christmas gift making mode and even this will continue for awhile yet.

So what prompted me to finally pull Lawrence Godey out of the "dolls to make" cabinet, and debut him?   Well, there was an auction on Ebay for Tonner's Viktor Dreary Scary Christmas (and both his sisters), and I didn't bother bidding because I didn't feel lucky enough to win all three and not go into hock.  It was Viktor's short pants outfit that reminded me that I have my own little boy to sew for, so out he came.  I've had the doll and plans to make Lawrence, Louise Godey's brother, for almost a year now.  Maybe longer.  A friend sold me just the doll from Wendy Lawton's Harlequin.  He is, like Louise, a 14" wood body and porcelain doll. 

Dressing him would be quite a departure for me, since I've been dressing the girls for so long.  Yes, I've made boy outfits before, but only for the 9" Lawtons, and not that many.  Their tiny bodies with bodices attached to the pants, make it a bit easier, and with this 14" doll, a little more fitting and fussing would need to be done.  Plus the age old, fabric choices, and his first outfit was intended to be one of gray velveteen, not this luscious, rich purple.  I wanted to make both Louise and him Christmas outfits (in lieu of missing out on the Dreary children).  Louise's silk arrived and it was the wrong silk sent.  Frustrated, and feeling the time pinch, I carefully went through my stash to see if there was anything else that would work.  And, lucky me, I found one.  This also prompted a color change for Lawrence, since I wanted their outfits to coordinate. 

I'd been going through the books I have on historical children's fashions, and was coming up with a blank for Lawrence.  Some of the outfits just seemed too involved for a debut costume I had only a week to make.  And, then there was the notion of era accuracy, which I've decided to be lenient on for certain reasons.  Let's face it, when we talk about Victorian fashion, that's a long stretch of years.  And, boys' and men's clothing really doesn't change that much, and is also often a product of the country they hail from.  I did discover some interesting anecdotes and facts though.  The short pants worn by the American boys were often straight legged, until after the turn of the century and up to the 1930's - ahem!, but were also poufy in earlier times.  Some legs tapered, some were banded below the knee, some were like Turkish short trousers.  Fashions went back and forth, even as they do today (for women at least).  How they fastened changes more, but I'm not sure I want to become an expert at sewing correct pants for boys with front flaps and laced gussets in the back.  Sometimes just knowing a thing, but enjoying how something less involved "displays" is alright.

I did learn where the term "breeches" came from.

As you know, little Victorian boys wore dresses until a certain age.  But, why?  Well, it was for potty training purposes.  The toddlers couldn't handle all those buttons for pulling pants down or even the flap, much less getting them up and buttoned again.  So when a boy toddler was breeched, that was the day he wore his first pair of pants.  All grown up now.  And, it was quite an affair too, as the boys would be paraded around the neighborhood in their new grown up pants, and likewise praised. 

There was a fashion for boys that buttoned their short jackets to the front of their pants.  When fashion changed to longer jackets, the buttons remained on the front of the pants for decorative purposes.  And, those fussy, lacey jabot blouses the boys wore with their velveteen suits were called Fauntleroy, after the Little Lord Fauntleroy.  And, naturally, their hair was grown in the fashion of the long curls the little lord wore. 

For Lawrence's holiday and debut, I chose the beautiful, rich purple velveteen I had in my stash, and lined both the pants and jacket with silk taffeta.  His ball brass buttons are vintage, and I'd been saving them for just the right costume.  His jacket is belted, and his blouse is a lined shell for ease of dressing, and with a rounded collar.  A white, silk chiffon bow was made from the left over fabric from Gay Event's ball gown.  White stockings make the costume dressy for the holidays. 

There is no doubt that I will be thinking of updating Louise's fashions to reflect various Victorian decades, and Lawrence will get a new corresponding outfit to compliment hers.  Louise's best pal, Laura Peterson, may get new things, too, but its mainly Louise and her brother that I'll focus on for the future.  And, toys/accessories for Lawrence.  What did young boys play with?  From the Victorian postcards, I know they played with toy soldiers (and sailboats), so he may get one to hold at some point.  So much to think about!

I hope everyone had a marvelous Thanksgiving.  And now its on to Christmastime!  I'm very much in the holiday spirit and have been all the month long.  Time to begin Louise's new dress for the holidays.  Make each moment count with love and joy in your heart.

Love,

Miss E. Mouse  

Maraja's Alice - 1959

When I was a little girl, I spent many a rainy day, and sunny one, studying and immersing myself in the books my sister was given for the holidays.  Having been born five years before me, and the first child, my mother seemed intent on enriching her life with beautifully illustrated children's storybooks.  When I came along, and having noticed that my sister showed no interest in the books, book gifting seemed to have lost my mother's interest.  However, the books were there, and I innocently claimed ownership of them. 


One of them was The Adventures of Pinnochio, illustrated by Maraja.  These fabulous pictures captured my imagination, and while I never read the story, I knew it by heart through the lavish paintings.  It was a curiosity to me because they looked nothing like the ones Disney drew, and of which we were supposed to relate.  For all I knew, this was the only book someone named Maraja illustrated. 

It wasn't until the advent of the Internet, and my keen collecting for antiquarian children's books, that I began a search for my own copy of The Adventures of Pinocchio.  When I did, I discovered a wealth of other childhood stories illustrated by Maraja, and one by one I began collecting them.  

Libico Maraja (1912-1983) was one of Italy’s top post-War illustrators. Born in Bellinzona, Svizzera, Maraja studied in Lugano and began his career working for the Ala studios. In 1940, he moved to Berlin, where he cooperated with IMA Film, among others for the animated film ‘La Rosa di Bagdad’. After the war, he became well known for his book illustrations for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Adventures of Pinocchio, Peter Pan, and many other classics. These were the years he worked with the Italian publishing house Fabbri.  Pinocchio was his first published children's classic in 1955.  These beautiful books were printed in Italy for the publishers Grosset and Dunlap (NY).

Many of these old books can be found today in various stages of condition.  I'd like to think that they were just as loved as my sister's was, when I sat quietly for endless hours admiring the gracious Blue Fairy.  I purchased my own copies of Alice in Wonderland, and recently Alice Through the Looking Glass, to add to my collection.  When I completed Delamare's Alice, I knew there was just one more art doll Alice I'd need to do before the end of this year - Maraja's. 

Having desired to make a needle felt Humpty since I began dabbling in the craft, I chose Maraja's for his simplicity of clothing and innocent appeal.  I'd recently found a Wendy Lawton "Phoebe Preble", minus her Hitty doll, and purchased her for the purpose of turning her into Maraja's Alice.

Alice began her transformation with a new set of blue eyes, and a little blonde wig.  The wig was particularly difficult to find since the style Maraja gave her wasn't one my supplier, Monique, had available.  I'll admit that I enjoy using human hair wigs for their richness and beauty, but acquired a wig targeted for the BJD market instead.  When Monique Trading is out of stock, do check Ebay for the style, color and size you want.  Many Ebay dealers purchase Monique stock for their online stores.     

Alice's dress is a heavy cotton sateen.  This would not have been my first choice in fabric weight, but the color was just perfect.  I had the most difficult time, again, with the collar.  The bodice, of course, is everything.  That's where all the detail is nine times out of ten.  I had to make that collar four times before I had it correct!  For one, the fabric has such a tight weave that I had to use a jeans needle to get though all the thicknesses.  Also, this doll's body is all porcelain, like Asian Alice's was, only along with the round tummy Wendy gave these dolls, the arms are huge and bent.  Fitting the clothing on this body as you construct it takes a great deal of patience. 

I was very happy with the outcome of the pinafore though.  After making apron after apron in all the various styles, this one came together rather quickly.  Although I was running out of Swiss Pima Batiste.  One of the continual problems I have is judging the length to cut the fabric for skirts.  I should know better by now.  Make it longer and you can always shorten it at the top of the waist.  In this instance, having goofed the first time around, I used the shorter version to make the apron ties at the end. 

But, prior to dressing Alice, I'd begun work on Mr. Dumpty.  Like I mentioned, I'd been wanting to make one for quite some time, but knew that he would require armature hands with fingers.  I had hoped this friend of mine would show me how to make then in person, but like all good intentions, this one went awry.  Hence, the first try on Delamare's monkey last month.  I do think this second pair went a bit better, but they're not easy to do.  The reason you want wired fingers is so that they can be posed, hold objects, shake Alice's hand at the right moment. 

Humpty Dumpty took me twice as long to make as Alice's garments.  Maybe longer.  Yes, I'm still learning to sew.  I always will be, but needle felting is still very new to me.  It was just last year at this time that I made that slice of pumpkin pie. 

The very shape of the egg man needed to be appropriate in scale to that of the illustration.  I don't know how many people follow to the letter, an illustration like I do, but many artists have much more imagination than I do. One of the best things you can do when felting the base form, is to get as tight a felting as possible.  This allows you to add features and top clothing without misshaping the original form as you proceed.  I had a great deal of difficulty with this.  But then, he was my first Humpty, and I do plan to do more.

I used several illustrations to get his facial features, which changed throughout each picture.  One illustrations was used for his ears.  Another was used for his upraised brow and sweet smile.  Was Humpty a nice Egg?  No, not really, but I wanted a sweet Humpty for Maraja's Alice.

I noticed while browsing on Pinterest, the different Humpty's others have felted, and none took photos of him from behind.  Getting him to sit properly was fairly difficult even with armature legs that could be bent into shape.  His bottom is an egg shape.  He doesn't have a proper bum to sit upon.  Why didn't I put him on a wall?  Because a wall would take an awfully long time to sculpt out of wool and I simply don't have that kind of room to display such a thing.  However, one that was possibly only a brick or two might have helped him sit better.  He rather "rocks" like an egg would.  Maybe I did do this correctly?  That's the A Type in me coming through.

I love Libico Maraja's work.  I have loved it for a life time already, and this was a precious and joyful project to work on.   I may just have to do a doll as his Blue Fairy, an a needle felt of his Pinocchio.  Someday.  The Blue Fairy had blue hair...but wait!  I think you might be able to get blue wigs for BJDs.  See?  Not so bad after all.

Below I've shared some of my favorite illustrations from Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.  These are very typical of the characters and figures he drew for Pinocchio.  I don't know quite how to describe them, and being at a loss for words has never been a problem for me - while writing.  They are caricatures in the extreme, but so fabulous that they illicit instant emotion within.  You feel them.  Experience them.  You can't just look at them and say, "That's a lovely illustration."  Each makes you feel the character, whether it is an alphabet, a fish or a old man. 

For those not so familiar with Through the Looking Glass, Alice encounters a knight who recites a poem to her, a song really, titled A-Sitting on A Gate. "I'll tell thee everything I can: There's little to relate.  I saw an aged man, a-sitting on a gate."  Maraja drew him fishing as he "set limed twigs for crabs".  I simply love this illustration.  I hope you enjoy this and the others as well.

It is now November and time to think about the coming holidays.  The cooler nights, the coming rains, the change of the clock.  Halloween was marvelous this year, and there's so much to look forward to, especially when we have an imagination.  Walk through some crackly, crunchy leaves and dream.

Love,

Miss E. Mouse    

 

Libico Maraja (1912 - 1983)