MERRY CHRISTMAS 2017!

"Toys galore!  Scattered on the floor!  There's no room for more!  And, its all because of Santa Claus!"  The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, from the Christmas classic, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, just about says it all!

One of the very best parts of Christmas is the gift of giving.  And, I do have to admit, that being able to make gifts for the friends I trade with is far more rewarding, to me at least, than shopping in the malls.  Hey, I'm not going to knock malls. I grew up on them.  The first mall that came to our region, when I lived in the Bay Area, was the Mayfield Mall in Mountain View.  You could and would, spend the entire day there, if not just at the huge Cost Plus Market.  But, make no mistake, I love to shop.  I just do it mostly online now from the very chair I'm writing in. 

I'd like to think that this Christmas Day post is a new tradition for me.  This year I began making these toys the day after Halloween, and have ached to share a couple of them with you.  The thing is, the recipients read my blog, bless their hearts, so it just wouldn't do to share them until now.

I began working on the little Tenniel Humpty the day after I finished Maraja's Alice and her Humpty.  I suppose Maraja's Humpty was the Humpty-test for me, and this one would have to be a true mini, since the Alice he goes with is only 3 1/2" tall.  Tenniel's mini Humpty is the size of a real chicken's egg.  He might just look a little bigger because of his arms and legs. I needle felted this little fellow for two solid weeks, then had to say "done".  He was too tiny for fingers, but I'm sure I'm forgiven ;))  Tenniel had done two illustrations of his Humpty.  One would preface the story and he sat on the wall.  The other was standing and making quite a fuss.  It was from both that this little guy was conceived in wool.

The next little toy is a 6" cloth body and composition doll originally by Wendy Lawton.  She was the nurse doll to Nola and her Nurse.  The dress on my Nola's nurse doll had faded, and I was able to acquire another one just for the outfit.  So the undressed doll became a play thing for a larger Lawton.  One of my treasured friends had sent me a box of silks from The Lawton Doll Factory, and the pink silk with embroidered blue dots was one of them.  The pink silk had been used for The Little Doll Collector originally.  I rewigged the 6" dolly, restyled the wig, and made her this outfit and hair bow.  Let me tell you!  Those embroidered dots were a bear to machine sew over!  So unexpected, but a jean's needle had to finally be used.  There are blue silk pleats edging the sleeves.

 

And, then came the Ten Ping and Yu Ping Chinese New Year costumes.  I'm pretty sure it was hoped that I'd make an outfit or two for my friend's dolls this year (if you recall, I did the Yu Ping wardrobe for her last year).  I really didn't know what to do and time was running out.  What I was really hoping for, was that Ruby Red Galleria would offer us Chinese New Year outfits, but to this date, they still haven't.  So given that, I made them myself. 

Both are made from silk jacquard and Shantung silk.  I'd like to say they are "simple" traditional pants and jackets, but these were not simple to make - at least in the silk jacquard.  The jackets are lined and the pants have elastic waists.  While I was making them, I was looking for miniature Chinese New Year toys.  I found this seller in New Brunswick, Canada, who offered these incredible and incredibly tiny ceramic Chinese Zodiac animals, so I included them.  At the first of the year, I'll buy a set for myself.  Many grateful thanks to the seller for pitching in the extra shipping to get them to me quickly.

 

The last one going out the door from Santa's Workshop, was a miniature needle felted sock monkey.  This little guy was made by request and I hope I did him correctly.  I've never really been into sock monkeys, but as coincidence may have it, American Girl's Kit (from the 1930's) got a sock monkey and a monogrammed stocking this year.  I'd bought them earlier for my Kit doll, and her sock monkey made a nice example for me to go by.  He has wire armature, so he is able to hug the doll holding him.  He was made for the Ten Ping 8" and Yu Ping 5" dolls, so he is about 4" I think.  I like to photograph these items with thread spools since it gives you and idea of size. 

Christmas was still two weeks away, and the gifts were wrapped and on their way.  Louise needed a doll for Christmas.  I know she has Petite Chiffonette, but I wanted to make her a more "formal" French Fashion doll.  I'd purchased a Cathy Hanson doll house lady doll on Ebay and thought she'd make a perfect one.  I used a design for a dress that was on a doll from the La Mode Illustree that I often get my inspiration from.  Sadly, to make this dress correctly, I had to do a lot of pleating on silk taffeta, and it came out rather stiff.  I almost tossed the dress to start over, but I was tired, and frustrated, and pushed through to finish it.  It happens.  The little doll makes for a nice display, but is not my shinning moment.

As I'd mentioned earlier, when I dressed Lawrence, her brother, I was looking for toys for him to be displayed with.  Finding a little brass horn was not an easy task.  There are plenty of horn ornaments, but none that quite look like the ones from the early Victorian days.  I finally found one for $3.95 that had a rose and greenery glued on it, and it looked to be just about right.  The glued embellishments easily came off, and that was his first toy.

There is a French company that makes tiny metal historical soldiers and I was able to find a couple of them that Lawrence would enjoy having.  One is your typical tall hatted soldier with his rifle by his side in red and white, and the other was a great little guy that rides a horse (circa 1860).  The soldier and horse are separate pieces and he sits quite nicely on the horse.  I would one day like to seat them on a little board with wheels beneath for a pull toy.  This would have been more accurate for such a toy, but that will come in time.

 

Christmas Day has arrived.  I have so thoroughly enjoyed the season.  The last  days till Christmas were spent catching up on all my favorite Christmas movies, and reading, my favorite pastime.  Both take absolutely no effort, except to stay awake late at night!

Wishing you all peaceful Christmas, and one that fills your heart with gladness.

Merry Christmas!

Miss E. Mouse

 

 

Tis the Season To Be Festive!

I know what you're thinking.  "That was FAST!"  But, the holidays are here!  There's no time to waste.  And as you know from my last post, Louise was to get a new Christmas gown to coordinate with brother Lawrence's outfit.  The very minute I finished his little suit, I began her party dress.


Disappointed that I had to change color themes at the last minute, I dug deeply into my cabinet of silks and found this gorgeous purple-blue and red plaid.  I know its been there a very long time since it was way, way in back of the piles.  And, there wasn't much of it either.  I think the piece was half a yard of 45", and I was cautiously concerned that I wouldn't have enough.  Its not the length and width so much that one worries over, but the ability to cut on the bias, the diagonal, for trim!

Plaids are a favorite of mine, especially for the holidays since the colors can be so brilliant and festive.  I didn't have much time to think about designing this dress either, and maybe that was a good thing, since I way over thought Lawrence's velveteen suit.  Did I mention that it took me half a roll of paper towels to make the patterns for his suit?  I must have been having quite the day.

When I do look for ideas for Louise,  Sylvia Mac Neil's Chiffonette book has become one of my favorite sources.  Its not that the costumes vary so much that intrigues me, but the variety of ways she made up all those outfits from just a few patterns.  It was the collar from one of these dresses that inspired Louise's Christmas dress, and I think she only did this collar once.  Louise's was done with piping.

The vogue for tartan-like plaids, whether associated with clans or not, was fueled by the affection Queen Victoria and Prince Albert had for the Scottish dress, the Highlands, and Balmoral, their Scottish retreat.  But, for all ostensible historicism implicit in the wearing of the plaid, its bold colors were the result of the invention of chemical dyes in the mid 1850s.

About half way through designing and fitting this dress onto Louise's body, I became dismayed.  Something just wasn't right about the look.  She'd been wearing her high neck, and front pleated chemise, with the three-quarter puffed sleeves.  I thought surely this should look lovely with the new dress, but it didn't.  This was wishful thinking.  I've only made two of these chemise's, and her friend, Laura, is wearing the other. 

So I had another look in the "the book" and was reminded that one of Chiffonette's chemise's had a rounded, or Peter Pan collar - only hers was done in lace.  I was not looking forward to this set back, but felt that adding this under piece would be beneficial to future dresses, and it would look better with her Christmas gown.  Again, this chemise was a case of over thinking something.

You know I really do not like making collars, but it seems that so many wonderful dresses and blouses begin with a beautiful collar.  So I suffer through them.  Usually I'm lucky enough that I'll be lining the piece so the seaming doesn't show but in this case, the sheerness of the chemise had me going in circles with how to finish it.  It could not be lined.  Yes, I do know what a facing is, but for some reason making it just as nice on the side we do not see, was perplexing me.  After some fussing and fuming, I edged the facing with a simple zig-zag, then tacked it down at the shoulder seams and through the front pleats so it lay firmly in place.  The collar and cuffs are edged in lace, and there's a "panel" of lace down the front.  Four tiny white buttons close it in the back, just down to the waist.

Back to the dress.  Now that we had that in order, I began first with making the piping.  I would prefer that the piping was not pieced together, but with so little fabric to work with, it was necessary.  It was "fun" trying to get the plaid matching and going in the same direction on the diagonal.  For the collar, this time we had the ease of finishing the edge since the bodice is lined, as is the skirt.  I wanted something different, a different look than Sylvia's dress for Chiffonette, so I made little rounded epaulets coming off the shoulders.  These, too, are piped.  There is piping at the waist of the dress as well, which precluded me from having to make a sash that would tie in a bow at the back of the waist.  Although one with fringed ends would have looked pretty, I wanted a matching hair bow.  I could update this dress at some point with a sash of black silk and fringe just for a change of appearance.   Small, shiny black buttons decorate the left and right edges of the collar and one button tops the centers of the epaulets.

The other details include a bias band at the hem (pieced together), and box pleating at the waist.  I  had just enough left over for a bow for her hair. 

Why was I in such a hurry to get this done?  Well, because its Christmas!  Most of November, and the rest of the next two weeks, or less I hope, has been, and will be spent making Christmas gifts.  Each gift is a little project on its own, but so important as these are gifts of love.  And, that is what Christmas is all about.  And, Hallmark movies, Christmas specials.  And decorated trees and homes, and noshing on nibbles we only eat Christmas time!

While searching for a few lovely Christmas themed images to correspond with this posting, I came across a surprise.  A Christmas special was made for the PBS series, Victoria!  The only information I could find was that the DVDs would be available on December 26th (thank you very much) and shipping from the U.K.  I have no idea if it will air this season in the states, but I'll be on the look out. ( See below for the cover of the DVD.)  If you know anything about this, please post to me (us).

Lawrence and Louise are excited and looking forward to the merry making of this holiday season.  They are now dressed and ready to begin the festivities which they can enjoy (I can enjoy!), the entire month.  My wish for you, is to have one of the very best holiday seasons ever.  Merry Christmas one and all!

Love,

Miss E. Mouse