A Story of Giving

July 31rst and the end of a very full month.  If one could envision a month with wings, July certainly flew by. I'm sitting here nursing a virus I picked up at convention, blowing my poor little raw nose, hoping the virus takes the wings July did and flies as quickly away as it came.  At least I was well for the duration of the week, and I suppose this summer cold is the Universe telling me to STOP and slow down.  Me?  Slow down?  Never.  I have so many projects left in stages on my table, and so many I can't wait to begin.  I had an idea last night that just may supersede the others as well.  One thing at a time.  With love and intention, one thing at a time.

I'd written a post a couple of weeks ago.  One on Anne Fitzpatrick's gold skirt paper doll outfit, and for some reason, the Internet goblins blew it away.  So, I decided to wait until I had two more outfits completed for her, and then I'd write another journaling on all together.

Sounds like a plan!  One thing at a time.  

Having just returned home after a very wonderful week in Kansas City, seeing friends from afar all gathered together, it is now the end of one story, and the beginning of another.  One that began in perhaps February when my friend, Rosemarie, suggested we make a gift to present to Ruby Ho at her event dinner, during the UFDC convention that took place last week.  So much has taken place since those initial conversations, that I must tap into the recesses of my own computer banks and remember well, a story, an adventure that will be with me a long time from now.

My journaling, my blog, is my memory.  Just today my friend, Betsy, was asking me to remember something I made for her Hitty, and I didn't, couldn't remember it.  She loved it, and that is all that matters.  I go from one project to the next without stop sometimes, most times, and if I don't complete the project by 

sharing it, it is simply lost in the fray.

This is the story of two friends who through the vast miles apart, halfway around the world, Bali to California, shared ideas by phone, sent photos back and forth, and eventually created a very special gift for a woman we both admire and hold dear in the doll world, Ruby Ho.

Even more, this experience gave me a visual and practical experience of what goes on behind the scenes in the professional "factory doll costuming" business.  While we'd all like to believe in the 

magic, which it truly is, wrought from talented minds and hands, it is a lot of hard work, stops and starts and do overs.  What I remember most clearly is that even the best in their class have do overs.  And here I thought it was only people like me that foodle around with doll costuming!  Its common, it's part of the process, but no one talks about it.  Everyone wants their finished product to look like magic.  Not me.  I'm too stinkin' honest about the process.  But I saw magic.  Magic in the hands of one Indonesian woman who does all the embroidery, by hand, and quickly!  It was her splendid embroidery that I would have to recreate

on silk doll slippers.  That was my task.  The shoes.

Here are examples of her work and how they become the finished product.  WOW.  I'm still blown away by her work.

The gift was essentially two silk Chinese costumes.  One for Ten Ping and one for Yu Ping.  I would make the silk slippers to match.  No biggie?  Well, I was getting a set of the costumes, Rosemarie was keeping one, and Ruby Ho would receive one.  That's six pairs of hand embroidered slippers.

This little pink tunic was a mockup for size and how the collars would fit.  

Let's go back a little further in our story.  Rosemarie did not own a Yu Ping doll.  Just a Ten Ping.  So, in order to create a costume for Yu Ping, I needed to accurately provide measurements, measurements drawn on paper, photos, and eventually more measurements after an outfit was shipped to me for sizing.

While the initial designs and selection of fabrics were being done in Bali, I was thinking to myself, "Holy crap!  Is my work good enough to pass Rosemarie's inspection?  Will I embarrass myself presenting my impossibly novice work in shoes to Ruby Ho with these extraordinary costumes?"  A question of confidence and bravery once came up in conversation.  For me to even consider being a part of this venture, I had to have some measure of both.  Right?  I would do my best and that is all I could ask of myself.

The first pair of Yu Ping shoes were in the light teal silk sent to me from scraps of the tunic's fabric.  I would embroider elements of the floral design on the collar, onto the shoes, so they would match.  I realize these photos are not good.  It was always my intention to take GOOD photos at the end, but I didn't.  Frankly, when I was done, I delved into the next project and didn't look back.  Big mistake.  So, the photos you see here are all the ones that were sent to Bali.

I created a mockup shoe first, just to see what I'd need to do to embroider them.  Unlike the collars that were embroidered on a piece of silk, I made the shoes first, then embroidered them so the embroidery would fit and work evenly around the front and sides of the shoes.  Crazy, yes, but this was how I did it.

After the initial light teal shoes, I wanted to try a pair in white.  I felt that the white would complement the white of the collar best.  Eventually, the white pair would go in the gift box.

A dark navy silk was used for Ten Ping's outfit and the shoes can be seen three photos down when we were designing the gift box.  Each pair of shoes was embroidered to match the embroidery done on the collars.  With one thread.  Imagine.  ONE 

THREAD.  I studied the tiny work on the collars to determine what stitches were used and did test flowers to see how they would come out.  There was a lot of thread pulling and rework, but eventually I had six pairs of perfectly matching Chinese silk slippers.

I was done!  Hooray!

Then Rosemarie decided to add one more costume.  I called this costume, Gigi's.  Gigi was Ten Ping's best friend, so it made sense, but to Rosemarie, it just looked nice in the set.  One more pair of shoes would have to be made.  I was only going to do the one "gift" pair.  And chose a lovely red to pick up the colors in the new costume.  In the photo, you see Ten Ping standing on a photo I used to create them.  This was seriously tedious work, but I sure learned a lot of new embroidery techniques!

Next, we needed a box.  I knew just the kind of box that would set this off.  When I was a little girl, we went to Chinatown in San Francisco one year and when I saw Katsuraningyo With Three Wigs, I begged my father to buy her for me.  I still have her.  

When I showed this to Rosemarie, she liked the idea and took it to her son-in-law, Kadek, and he made us a beautiful red box with dividers for the costuming and shoes.

I took measurements around Ten Ping's dark blue slippers so the dividers would just fit three pairs of shoes,

Rosemarie designed the other elements to fit the costumes that would go into the box.  The Gigi outfit would tie into the lid.

Things were coming together!

Kadek's lovely box

With the ribbons tying the outfits in.

Now comes the tragedy of the story.  

The night before the dinner event, Rosemarie and I put the box together.  She already had the costumes tied in, but we would select the best of the shoes for Ruby Ho, tuck them into the partitions and put a ribbon around the box.  I had brought along with me some needle felting wool and the peach color worked nicely to nestle the shoes into place so they wouldn't move about.  

The lid went on.  Rosemarie tied and an incredibly beautiful ribbon design around the box and we were all set.  The gift was presented at the dinner and Ruby seemed so pleased.  It was an incredible moment to be a part of.  However!  I never took a photo of the pieces in place!

I came home so disappointed in myself, as I always photograph and archive my projects.  I was just shaking my head in sheer disgust.  I was out of my element in the hotel room.  That's what I attribute it to.

Then a day later I thought, hey!, Fred, Ruby's son,

took lots of photos there at the dinner.  Maybe he'll come across a nice one and share it with me.  I wrote to him, pleading my case and asked.

He did me one better.  Ruby said she'd pose for him with the box, and he could take a photo for me.  I was beyond grateful!  He took one of the opened box, and one with his mother holding it.  Big sigh!  Thank you, Ruby and Fred!  Her photo is at the end of this journaling.

The photo here is of my own dolls wearing their beautiful costuming by Rosemarie, that incredible woman that embroiders, and my little slippers.  The third costume will need its own slippers - eventually!

One more note.  The photo at the top is a vintage doll costume that served as inspiration for these costumes.  

Somewhere in the midst of all this, my friend, Heather had a birthday in February.  I was smitten with Doug James's 1470 Circle bathing costume and wanted to make one in a similar design for Kitty Hudson.  However, I couldn't find the right knit fabric.  There was a lot going on back then.  Not all of it good.  So I sent Heather the antique picnic basket I'd picked up at convention the summer prior, to go with the bathing costume, and that would have to do for the time being.  

Probably in May, I'm thinking, I had an opportunity to go into Roseville and stopped in at JoAnn's.  There it was.  The perfect knit fabric.  Let's get to work!  I've typically brought a gift for Heather each convention I've attended, and this would be perfect.

Doug's fabulous bathing costume belongs to my Emily, but this is Ed's photo.

I did a lot of research on bathing costumes of the 1920's.  There are tons of vintage photographs of bathing beauties from this era, but one thing in particular that you'll see, are a number of designs!  Almost as if these girls just set out to make something unique just for themselves.

There are still the long dress lengths transitioning from the Edwardian days.  There are some that look like costumes just for show!  But one thing was certain, these women were free and having a ball!  The 20's to me is all about shedding tradition and challenging all that was taboo.  That included the length of a garment and how much leg showed.  It also included how much under arm was showing.

Beaches would have monitors walking the shores in search of girls brazen enough to test the rules.  Here is a fabulous photo of one such monitor with her measuring tape.  I'm sure this would have been equivalent of today's string bikini!

After several days of reading and reseach and Pinterest photos, I found this darling image of five young women testing the waters in very fancy bathing costumes and headwear.  

It just so happened that JoAnn's had a diamond knit that was the perfect size for a bathing costume for Kitty Hudson.  Do remember that it was Doug's swim costume that I was trying to replicate.  Not the one in the photo.  And isn't it sometimes fun to make something unique?  So I took elements of both costumes and a little bit of my own designing to create Kitty's.

Its funny.  I knew when I saw Doug at convention that I would approach him about the design.  I just hoped he would be willing to share "how he did it".  I had the circle suit turned inside out and pulled this way and that way, to not only trace out a paper towel pattern, but figure out how it was assembled.  I never did figure out how it was assembled at the shoulders.  The rest is pretty true to the original though.

The knit that is the under suit with shorts, serves as a lining for the bodice area only of the outer swim dress.  I can't explain this any further, but the only way I could get a nice look was to hand stitch the "straps" at the shoulders and close them with buttons and thread loops.  This actually worked out better when dressing the antique 1469, so she wouldn't struggle into the suit.  

Credit given where credit is due.  The swim cap is Rosemarie's design.  She sent me a pattern that I reworked a bit for how I wanted it to look, but it was the perfect fit.  Thank you, Rosemarie!

The hat is in four sections.  Two lilac and two orange, and the lining is of the same.  Its a fun, stretchy little cap that picks up the colors in the diamond print.  The under bodice with shorts is of the lilac knit.

A black cotton belt was made with a mother of pearl buckle, and I painted a pair of Doug's cream heels in black to go with it.

For those of you familiar with Kitty Hudson, she would have insisted on being the star of the show.  The one and only mermaid on the beach.  Madame Hoover always aims to please.

Thank you for staying with me through this long journaling, but when a story begs to be told, I enjoy putting the time into it.  Some day in the future when my brain is going soft, maybe I'll be able to read through these and relive a special time in the first half of 2024.

And of course, we need to turn our attention once again to sweet little Anne Fitzpatrick.  I have two projects for her on the table, one in the works that's perfect for the summering days of August.  And upon completion, I'll blog on three costumes.  Maybe a fourth!  Because remember, I had that brilliant idea last night!  I'm just itching to get that one started!  And I need to get well.  Priority.  Get well.

If any elements of the past six months should be prized, they are patience and perseverance.  Honestly, I don't have the confidence people think I might.  I'm sensitive, easily hurt, and try not to show this.  When we look at others, maybe through the work they do, we form impressions of the person that are seldom accurate.  One of the reasons I admire and love both Ruby Ho and Rosemarie Ionker, is because they are real people.  Humble and hardworking.  They are superstars, yes, but they are role models at least to me.  I'm honored to know them.

Let's see the rest of summer out with new adventures and fun with dolls.  Rachel will be starting her subscription boxes soon and I hope to get into all three this time around.  What a brilliant woman to bring such fun and adventures to the chair we sit in at our computers!  Here's to August and pleasant days ahead!

Love, Melissa

Fred took this of his mother, Ruby Ho, for me.

A great lady.  Rosemarie Ionker.

 

A is for Eiffel - Anne Fitzpatrick

Hotter than noon on the 4th of July!  We've been in a serious heatwave for the past four or five days, and this weekend is when the temperatures will peak.  

Today is the 4th of July.  I've had to enjoy sharing my personal celebration of the holiday on Facebook only.  It's just too doggone hot outdoors for comfort.  Sure.  There are crazy people out frying in the sun, boating on the lake, standing over barbeque grills in parks and backyards, but with temperatures in the triple digits, I prefer to spend the holiday in the comfort of my well air-conditioned home.  And this is what I've been doing for the past few days.

I'm never bored.  Never!  Dolls keep me busy.  Reading keeps me busy.  My dog, Brighton, keeps me busy, and of course, the day to day of living fills the hours of the day.  Then there's sewing!

I couldn't wait to begin Anne's second outfit, which I'm calling 

A is for Eiffel.  Of the paper doll outfits for Anne that Diana Vining illustrated, I purchased fabric for only two.  I'm watching what I spend with the UFDC convention coming up on the 22nd.  And with fifty-thousand pounds of fabric stuffed into my cabinets, I really do try to use what I have in my stash first, before purchasing more.

I was charmed and intrigued by this printed dress with a large, floppy red beret, and adorable red t-strap shoes.  There is so very much to this outfit, so many details, and yet deciphering it to begin planning to create it, was quite a puzzle. I've looked under a magnifying lamp at the print, and I'm pretty sure Diana drew hundreds of little "A's" all over the dress.  And yet!  And yet, with the beret, it looks very French, and those symbols could be artistically conceived Eiffel Towers.

Then again, you have the A's on the knee socks, so the dress must be printed with the letter A for Anne.

But such a fabric does not exist.  If I can't find it, it doesn't exist.  I've been sewing paper doll outfits for twelve years now and finding fabrics to match the illustrations is second nature to me now.  It's like going on a treasure hunt. Instinctively, I knew I wouldn't find anything close to Diana's vision, but it was fun going for a spin around the internet just to see.

In the past, I've actually created my own fabric before.  Whether it was painting on silk, running an image through the printer on printer fabric, which is horrible, worse than Kona cotton, or creating iron-on appliques.  The most important thing for me in this creation, was to make something charming and inspired, and create it in a way that would make Anne feel pretty and Oh-so-French!

This dress is one of the more challenging I've done, if only in the design of the collar.  I have a love-hate relationship with collars.  I know how to make them, but it usually takes a few whacks at it to get them designed to lay properly and nicely on the neck edge.

This dress was also drawn with elements of off-white, or light beige, and white.  Digging through my stash to see if I could come up with the correct knit for stockings, white for the inset in the bodice and again, color tint for the collar took some time.  I have silks.  Tons of silks, but this dress required cottons as the print I chose was cotton. Where I could go wild, if I ever do, was with the trim.

I chose a lightly ribbed white shirting cotton for the inset, a light cream cotton for the collar, off-white-cream for the knee highs, and thin red cotton velveteen for the trim.  My thought was, what would a little girl find in a French couture shop to wear on a visit to the Louvre?  What would she delight in, spin around in, visiting The Jardin de Tuileries in Paris?

This print has tiny Eiffel towers on it.  Little A shaped Eiffel towers.  It's a simply quilting cotton, not my favorite doll dress fabric, but it worked for my inspiration.  I worried constantly that it would not come together in a pleasing way.  I'm such a stickler for authenticity, exactness.  Its what I do.

The red velveteen makes the dress elegant.  I remember loving the feel of wearing velveteen as a child.  I used to pet it.  It was soft.  Felt like a kitten.  So the cuffs, hem trim and beret are made from the lipstick red cotton velveteen I had in my stash.  It came from the U.K. and I will have to try and purchase more in the future since the two-yard order I purchased has been used for so many other costumes, and Red Riding Hood capes. 

The buttons are pearly set in brass and were purchased from a French Fashion seller. The white sold out quickly, so using all six of the ten I had was a special gift to Anne.

But the real fun was in trying to make the knee socks and t-strap shoes.  

I didn't want to let Diana down.  I know in the past she's enjoyed seeing her illustrations come to life, and I did my best to do this.  She really spent some time drawing all those A's, and this I could only attempt to replicated with Eiffel Towers.  On the other hand, I could do the accessories.

I spent a great deal of time in May embroidering silk slippers for the gift my friend and I are presenting during a UFDC event.  Eight pairs of tiny silk slippers if my memory serves.

So embroidering A's on the socks wouldn't be too long a leap.  Or would it?  Embroidering on stretch knit is a whole other thing though.  I make no excuses if the two A's aren't exactly alike.  I did my best (LOL).  Not an easy, no brainer task.  But gosh, they turned out nice.  Hence, so many photos attached!

And of course, those precious red t-straps with the tiny bows.  What child would not fall in love with shoes like this?!

These photos just show the shoes and knee socks from different angles.  I truly enjoyed the creative process in both these accessories.

The large, floppy beret was made from the same red velveteen as the cuffs and hem trim.  Oversized, but fun and playful.  That's our Anne.  Playful!

Now Anne has TWO of her paper doll outfits by Diana Vining.  Diana's artwork inspires me daily.  It truly has that voie d e vivre, and what could be better for a little French outfit?  

Below, I show her with a large red bow-ribboned ponytail.  This was how I imagined her looking.  

I hope you've enjoyed both this outfit and the journaling of the creative process.  Thank you for joining me on these dolly endeavors!

Love, Melissa