Grace and Dolly Flower Fairies in May

It's a warm, bright late afternoon in May.  Today, Saturday, I woke up to a cool morning that quickly rose in temperature over the Sierra Foothills.  I'd taken Brighton, my Labrador Retriever, to the lake for hike, as I do every other day unless my husband is busy with a project and needs the morning to work in the yard.  It's a beautiful time of year.  The land doesn't get any greener, but all too soon, the heat dries the soil, Californian turns to brown and only the watered lawns and leafy oaks provide its green.  It's a magical time of year to be witnessed and enjoyed.

When you step outside into the garden, it's hard not to feel a lightness in your step.  When you head into town, everyone is smiling as if the sun itself has sprinkled happy dust in the air.  That's Spring.  I wonder if this is where they came up with the phrase, "a spring in one's step".  It's no wonder, as the butterflies make their first appearances, that we turn our fanciful thoughts to fairies and woodlands.

As some of you may know, after February's Club Grace Dream Closet subscription ended, we had a brief hiatus.  The February outfit was a plain white dress you could accessorize, but I was far too in love with the Chinese New Year selection, that Grace and Dolly remained in their dresses until a week ago.  

Awaiting notification from Ruby Red Galleria in China, as to when the first shipment of new Dream Closet costumes will be arriving, Rachel treated us to a pre-Club Grace offering in May to whet our appetites.  I was so pleased with the beautiful box, its contents, the lovely outfit Diana Vining designed and the treasured extras that come inside the box.  From what I recollect, this costume was designed by Diana in 2021, and that gives us an idea of how long it takes to submit and idea, receive a sample and plan production.  I simply adore Diana Vining's paper dolls, and now she's designing doll clothing.  And I love that Ruby Red Galleria is continuing to work with Rachel, providing us exquisitely well-made doll costuming and accessories.

But I was even happier to see that Diana included Dolly Dingle in the mix, by way of a flower fairy.  No brainer.  Must do!  So, I carefully finished one part of the project I had started working on and took a break from it to create the flower fairy costume for my Dolly Dingle doll.

This is a sample of the cards we get in each box.  Paper toys to cut out and assemble.  Pure fun.  For May, and to go with Grace's garden frolic outfit, Diana gave us a scrapbook to play with and little stand ups for display.  

I did something this time around that I haven't in the past, and decorated Grace's stand with the lower band of meadow grasses and wildflowers.  I scanned the card so I could enlarge it, and of course, save the card (so beautiful!), then proceeded to cut out three of the bands and tape them to the base of the stand.

For those of you who've been following me awhile, I'd been making Maggie Iacono's tiny Esme, flower costumes from wool felt.  It was just last year at this time, that I made Esme's rose fairy costume for Mother's Day and Spring.  It wouldn't be a stretch to create something similar for the much larger Dolly.

One of details that make the petals of such a costume come to life, are the machine sewn veins in the petals and leaves.  What I discovered a year ago, was that by doing this, not only does this give the fabric some stay, but it allows you to be able to manipulate it, to stretch and curl it.

Careful study of Diana's drawing determined that the tiny leaves around Dolly's waist were not on a belt but attached to the edge of the petals at the waist.  When a watercolor artist makes a distinction between areas, they often paint a line.  This could have been construed as a belt, but it wasn't.  This card was a standard 4" x 6", so I had to study the wee drawing of the Dolly Flower Fairy under magnification.

The wings would be fun and would teach me a new way of making doll fairy wings.  I decided to look up a YouTube on what others had done and chose to go with the process of bending the wire and gluing the fabric directly on the wires.  This artist used a glue gun, but the glue dried before I could even get the fabric on it, so I used the standard "hat glue" or fringe glue.  I also used cotton covered wire rather than plain metal.  It was a messy, sticky process, but worked.  I drew blue veins in the wings to emulate Diana's drawing.  She included tiny pink dots on the edges of the wings.

It came to my attention that people glue tiny faux gems to these fairy wings, so this is what I did to handle the dots.  Using an alcohol marker wouldn't work on the thinly woven fabric I used, as it bled.  So, I painstakingly glued many tiny gems around the frame of the wings.

Detail of the back, which is plain.  The wings hook to the back of the dress with a hook and eye hook.

Dolly finds Remmie Lou in the garden.

Dolly's hat is made up of four large persimmon-colored petals.  They are overlapped and stitched together, meeting at the top.  A round of green with small, irregularly shaped stem leaves clipped from the edges is stretched over the tip of the flower hat and a colored fabric covered wire makes the tiny stem.

Lucky me, Dolly's feet are bare with little green silk ribbons tied around the ankles.

Another thing I loved in Diana's paper toy card, was the little mushroom house display.  I have long been enchanted with the notion of tiny gnomes and fairies residing in such stubby little homes.  

In 1960, when I was just 3 years old, my mother gave me this wooden puzzle, made in Germany, to play with.  Like all the toys I was given, there were so few, I took extremely good care of it.  This little round puzzle sits on a shelf in my studio surrounded by a couple more mushroom home pieces I collected over the years.  So naturally, I had to make a tiny one for Dolly to hold.

We can pretend it's a purse.  Or maybe she's a clever real estate agent finding a new grassy, shaded lot for the mushroom abode.

Here's a detail of the little mushroom.  Okay.  I didn't spend a lot of time on it.  Maybe two and half hours.  But I love accessories and dolls just come to life for me when they have something to hold.

Lastly, but not leastly, there is always the precious Remmie Lou to include in the month's display.  I thought about giving her fairy wings.  Man, that was a sticky gluey mess, and it would be messier and glueier in miniature, so it came to me to put a butterfly on her nose.  Dogs like to roll and run and chomp in tall grasses, so I gave Remmie Lou a break from a costume.  She's plenty busy studying this annoying little butterfly who has no manners.

Before I forget, I did give Grace a pair of flower earrings.  These are the same flowers that dangled from the hair sticks in Cissy's kimono outfit. They are like milk glass and come in several colors.

I can't wait for the Club Grace subscription to return and check daily for an announcement to sign up.  The pre-box for May was the perfect thing to get me motivated to redress Grace and Dolly.  Thank you, Rachel and Diana!

And now I'll return to my fussy little project.  The one that's been "in the works" since January.  

Attached, for your enjoyment, are few illustrations from some of the very best vintage illustrators of the early twentieth century.  These artists would be Margaret Tarrant, Rene Cloke and Cicely Mary Barker.  There is no limit to the number of "pink" flower fairy illustrations, so I just chose a few to pique your interest.  I love the work by Margaret Tarrant.  Every illustration I look at that she's done, is one to lose myself in.  They make your heart feel light as air.  One mile to Fairy Land.

Until next time, Melissa

 

Cissy's Double Happiness

April is coming to its close and it occurred to me that I have only shared, in this journaling, one creation this month.  Its not for lack of having made things, but some were not wholly worthy of sharing until a later time.  I've been working on parasols.  And I have been for a couple of months now in order to create one of superb fantasy for a project long overdue.  It will come.  I just keep getting sidetracked for projects that call to me.  

Currently I'm exploring a long-held desire to read the tales of the Arabian Nights, and seeking out the most beautiful imagery, illustrations ever created for these stories.  When spring comes, fantasy and the exotic take hold of me, and I couldn't be in a better place, or frame of mind, to do this now.  Yet my love of traditional Chinese styling of attire has kept me leapfrogging from one thing to the next.

When I was collecting an array of gorgeous fabrics for this kind of costuming, I came upon this adorable print of happy Chinese characters by Robert Kaufmann.  I knew instantly that my very next costume for Cissy would be out of this print.  It would be a skirt.  One like my mother wore that simply enchanted me.  These full skirts often had border prints, some in tropical island themes, and the ones I loved best had large prints that told a story.  To me they told a story.  

I assume people thought me a strange child because I stared at people a lot and didn't say much.  What was going on in my mind was not a criticism, but a deep and intense observation of what attracted me.  And a swirling skirt of beautiful prints and colors would capture my imagination entirely.  Nothing has changed.  I'm still the same way, only now I'm a bit more discreet!

I also knew that this colorful and whimsical skirt would need a

black silk, Mandarin style top to go with it.  So, I set out once again to make a new pattern.  This style was not my first choice, but it was one that worked and that I could achieve.  Later I would be studying a Chinese dress made by American Girl and discovered just how to achieve the look I was after.  That will be for another day, another outfit.  And definitely a blouse.  And possibly a dress.  A lot of what I do, I've learned from studying the construction of other designers' work, just as they have done.  Nothing is new. 

Black is one of the most difficult colors of fabric I've ever worked with.  You cannot see the black thread on the black fabric and only intense light upon the piece allows you to see what you're doing.  So in this photo on the left, I took a bright light image to share with you the frog closures I made for it.  As you'll observe, they disappear in the other photos.

This little top is perfect for the warmer temperatures of spring 

and summer and is fully lined like all my doll clothing.  It boasts the Mandarin collar and five sets of mini black grosgrain ribbon frogs.  A simple knot with its tails creating the end pieces is the closure.  I studied the work Ruby Red Galleria does for its frog closures for this effect.  

I call this outfit Cissy's Double Happiness only because the characters in the skirt's print look happy and smiling and full of fun and mischief.  The Double Happiness symbol in Chinese is comprised of two copies of the Chinse character, which means joy and happiness.  It is commonly used as a Chinese wedding symbol to represent double joy and happiness for the newlyweds as they begin their married life together.  In more recent years, it has also come to symbolized Good Luck.  

For this purpose, I choose Good Luck.

Back view of Cissy's sleeveless blouse, which has a solid back, the top opening in front, then closing with the frogs.

I recently acquired a full half slip for her to help her skirts and dresses stand out a bit more.  

The width of this skirt is 42", the rest of the standard 44" of fabric is in the back seam.  It is also fully lined with a delicate batiste.  The reason I got all that fabric into the waistband is that the fabric itself is a delicate lawn.  I LOVE this fabric.  So much so, that I purchased it a second time, the last yard the seller had.

As I was making this costume, it came to me that a black Chinese, straw cone hat would look cute with it.  I was in luck that I just happened to have 20 yards of hat straw and a bit more on hand.  

Even though many of us think of these as Chinese in nature, they are worn throughout Asia, primarily as a form of protection against sun and rain.  When made of straw or other woven materials, they can be dipped in water and worn as an impromptu evaporative cooling device.

In China, the hat was typically associated with farmers and fishermen.  There are varying styles throughout Asia and throughout time, and even conical hats woven for the winter climates. For Cissy, it's just plain fashionable and kitschy.

I also included a black market bag of the same straw. I thought I knew what I was doing in making a "taco" purse, but it wasn't as I expected, so I tucked in the sides to make "expansion" gussets and closed it with a same straw loop and knot.  Two handles are attached for Cissy to carry it.  I love making accessories and often it is all a learning experience I can use in the next attempt.

I collected Chinese themed beads as well.  I have a very heavy bag of them to sort through each time I make jewelry for these costumes now.  For Cissy's Double Happiness, I chose the green enameled beads with the Good Luck symbol on them.  She also has a stretchy bracelet with the beads and one of black crystals.  Not too much.  Just enough jewelry to give the outfit a fun and feminine appeal.

I have to tell you that I recently acquired a mint condition original Pleasant Company Girl of Today.  The JLY4 Asian doll.  I'd been collecting all the Chinese costumes both Pleasant Company and American Girl had made over the years, and all I needed was the perfect doll.  I found her.  Finally!  I bathed her limbs and face and washed her hair and she's gorgeous once again.  A doll that age will get a little sticky and no matter how she was preserved and cared for, old doll hair does get dirty.  As I've never sewn for American Girl before, I purchased a Chinese outfit pattern, a basic one, to use to sew something for her.  With all the fabric I have, this should be a fun, and of course, new experience.

It is my goal each morning to live each day to its fullest and fill it with as much pleasure as possible.  I want no regrets in my last moments on earth.  Whether its concocting beautiful costuming for dolls, making a special doll from another one, reading the stories of The Arabian Nights, or greedily enjoying the television series Longmire (love it!!!), the day must end with gratitude in that I've experienced something wonderful not to be missed.

爱 Melissa

The Print

Double Happiness in a Lantern

Extraordinary Cone Hats!!!  Must try making one.

 

Claudie Wells's Puppet Theater

Since my last posting, I've been dabbling with several ideas and tossing them around, gathering information and trying new things.  It is often very difficult once I complete one project to begin another, especially if it's in a completely different direction. I have to think differently, pull from the past all I've done and learned, then try to incorporate new processes or materials to stretch myself a bit.  This doesn't always happen, but regardless, I do learn something new.  

Sometimes I'll make something, promise myself to blog on it, but when I know there is more to be explored with it, or if there's a special project I have in mind for using the new skill, I will wait.  And I've been busy doing just that.  However, sometimes I'll change directions again completely when an inspiration strikes.

With Easter having come and gone, and Spring clearly present in all the new bloom, I've also been redressing some of my dolls.  Poor little Claudie Wells needed a change of costume, so I dressed her in her yellow pajamas and reread the tri-fold card that came with the pajamas.  Inspiration hit.

I'd been up in the air about bonding with the latest historical doll by American Girl, that debuted in August of 2022.  Having loved Addy and Cecile, I was hopeful for enjoying another African American historical doll.  I bought everything there was for her except the bed and her father's bakery.  I have one shelf, and a small one at that, where she can live, and absolutely no room to store large furniture any longer.  In fact, I have to rotate dolls with this one shelf which means storing the others.  

I was looking forward to reading her book and learning about Claudie but couldn't get through it.  Perhaps it's just me, but over time, the stories and the illustrations have steadily been lacking the luster that Pleasant Company brought to these dolls. I wasn't even sure I was going to keep the doll and after having spent so much money on the collection, was a bit miffed.  However, I've come to realize that I can change my mind.  Sometimes it's just a matter of where my head is at the time.  Then I find myself, later, enjoying the doll and her story for a reason maybe others haven't even thought of.  

Claudie Wells's story is that of a child growing up in 1922 during the Harlem Renaissance.  This was a time when artists and poets, musicians and actors of color, gravitated to Harlem from the South and other areas to form a movement, a community of talent and change.  It was an exciting and embolding time for people of color and Claudie is trying to find her own talent and purpose. American Girl was so excited about Claudie that they even

published, and sell, a hard back version of her story through Amazon.  I just purchased it and will try the story again.  Perhaps now the time is right.  One of the things that impresses me most are the back pages in these books that detail the history of the character, and this is where I discovered something called The Brownies' Book.  As a collector of antiquarian children's books, this greatly appealed to me.  There is very little information on the publication, and of what there is, it is all repetition.  

A man named W.E.B. Du Bois found a need to create a magazine just for children of color, to help them understand their past and enjoy who they are and what they could become, validating their 

interests.  There as a mix of stories, advice, poems, and messages of self-respect and pride in one's appearance.  It also featured current and past celebrities of color, and African folk tales.  It ran for only 24 issues from 1920 - 1922, until it was no longer financially viable.  Finding a copy of one of these magazines is next to impossible.  But I'll bet the New York Public Library has them.

It was during my research on The Brownies' Book that I found this adorable cover for Easter 1920.  This pushed my latest project to completion so that I could post about it in April.

Back to dressing Claudie in her yellow pajamas, I had reread the tri-fold pamphlet that came with it and was dismayed that the entire pamphlet was about Claudie's puppet theater, and there was no puppet theater to be purchased!  What?!  Why didn't they make her one?  Perhaps they will in time, but until that time, Claudie needed her toy. I scanned the pamphlet for you to read and included it in the images below.

Each night Claudie would perform with her puppets for her little brother, Jody, to make him smile.  Miss Amelia, who runs the boarding house where they live, made the puppets for Claudie, and her father built her a theater from a cardboard box.  This was right up my alley.

So, I fashioned a theater out of cardboard with a red velvet curtain.  "Claudie props the stage on her bed and hides behind it.  Soon Jody is giggling to the antics of the story Claudie makes up."  Now given that description, a special design for the theater would have to be constructed.  How does one prop a theater up on a bed and use hand puppets?  That was the challenge.  It could not have a bottom because hand puppets come up, unlike marionettes that dangle down to the stage.  So, I fashioned a backless and bottomless theater for her to hide behind the curtain and use the hand puppets from beneath.  "Are you listening American Girl?  I just designed it for you!"

Each puppet has its own name and personality.  There's Domino the cat, a pig named Miss Pink, and a duck named Puddles.  

After studying the illustration, I realized this was out of my skill set and did my best with wool felt.  For those who've been following my work all along, you know that I love puppets, puppet theaters, and have made both marionettes and hand puppets.  The challenge was in making them look as close to the illustration as possible.

I never take myself too seriously and have to laugh because when I saw Domino, I thought "black cat".  But then saw that the interior of his ears was black,

a darker color than his fur.  So, I used the darkest charcoal wool felt I had.  

After making The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat, I understood a bit about sculpting tiny pieces onto flat surfaces, so I was able to give Miss Pink a snout, and Puddles, a beak.  Oh, silly me!  I forgot to add whiskers to Domino!  I am not redoing this post just for that, but I do have fishing line that I use for such a thing and will take care of that when I'm done writing!  (big sigh)

When the theater and puppets were done, I made little fold over copies of two of The Brownies' Book magazines.  American Girl really needs to make one of these as well.

That's two things I hope they do for Claudie.  

After I bought her and was trying to set up a display, I purchased Rebecca's settee and costume trunk for Claudie.  Claudie's selection of outfits included four Flapper style costumes to dance and perform in.  A trunk was needed to store them in. Rebecca's furniture was perfect for a boarding house in 1922 since her story only took place a few years earlier.  I suppose at some point I'll purchase the bed because it's so pretty, but it will take up the entire shelf space.  Dizzy Dot, the dog belonging to Miss Amelia can sit on it along with the puppet theater.  

I'm a doll accessorist.  That came first before designing and sewing, so accessories are everything to me.  They bring the doll to life.  Put a toy in a doll's arms and she has a story to be told.  Because people sell parts to collections on Ebay, I purchased her father's bakery's money box, some money for it, and some pastries and fruit to nosh on while she reads The Brownies' Book.  

So, maybe I'm bonding with her after all.  

I should mention a bit more about The Brownies' Book since I found the information interesting.  The book derived its name from two popular items during that time.  The Brownie camera and Palmer Fox's wildly popular Brownies, fairy-folk characters.  Cool, huh?!

I'm tickled that I found an image of the Easter issue this month while I made the theater.  It just seems like a little bit of magic.

I might also add that in designing the theater as well as making prints of The Brownies' Book, it was pure guesswork concerning scale.  Scale has always been extremely important to me.  Since magazines tended to be very large back then, I made them 3.7".  The theater was scaled based on how big the hand puppets were.  And yes, Claudie can put them on her hands.

I hope you'll enjoy the assorted images below from American Girl and my resources on The Brownies' Book.  Trust me, if I had a copy of one, I'd be miniaturizing the entire thing.  I did that before with The Ladies' Home Journals featuring Daisy.  Never kept copies for myself, but there you go.  Back then spending so much time on something I'd actually keep, and not sell, seemed a waste. 

If you wish to read the pamphlet, just click on it.

Now to get some whiskers on Domino!

C'est la vie!  Melissa