3/08/2011

His doll and my doll.

My friend Al (91 years old) asked a favor... He brought me this little doll (4 1/2") with its head broken off and the rubber that held the arms disintegrated and could I please fix it. Al has a brand new baby in his family and wants to pass this doll on as a keepsake.



Wrapped with the doll was this note from his mother when she sent the doll to him.



I did fix it and then suggested he take it to a frame shop and have a shadow box built for both the doll and the note...





It reminded me of one of my first dolls because it is also bisque and only 5" long. Oh how I love this doll.. and like many women the very first stitching I did was for this little doll... She and all her clothes fit in a shoebox by necessity.. Until I was 10 we never lived in a house or apartment. We were itinerant and lived either in a tiny travel trailer, motel rooms with kitchenettes and occasionally with my grandmother... so my only toys were  this doll, a larger doll,  a big tablet of paper and crayons, and a box of paper dolls I drew clothes for... I had to spend long hours alone amusing myself and I can never remember being lonely or bored.


Some years ago I found this little wire pram just the perfect size to display it... As you can see the pram has a wire frame covered with wire similar to chicken wire. I had never seen anything like it and was unsure how to cover it... Luckily before I tried I went to the doll museum in Bellevue and they had all kinds of toys with similar construction... They were covered with netting and then embellishment sewn to the netting... So I did the same.
If you love dolls and are ever in the Seattle area you must go see the Rosalie Whyel Doll Museum...

7 comments:

Laurie said...

How precious that you still have your doll Gerry, she's beautiful. I love her little pram.

Anonymous said...

Oh..these doll stories made my heart feel warm!
Your little treasure is so sweet.Dolls are such a comfort for children, and especially so for you.
I am glad now you're a "Big Girl", yoou can have as many dolls as you like.

Pearl said...

What a wonderful idea for your friend to have his doll mounted in a shadow box. And your little doll is amazing with the beautiful little pram. Very creative.

Susan Elliott said...

That little baby doll is in great shape! It's a sweet idea..

And what a treasure that you still have your special doll who kept you company through all those years. Does she have a name?

Do you still have your paper dolls?? I can just imagine how sweet you must have been..a picture???

Ruby said...

I just saw a post about a doll quilt competition. The dolls are lovely. If you're interested. ( You NEED something else to do!) LOL

http://www.callforentriesiqfselvedge.com/

Mosaic Magpie said...

Love the dolls and so special that you still have yours. The pram was a lucky find and you decorated it perfectly.
Deb

Momma Bear said...

I've been there!
I ran across it one day did you know there are three bridges you can get fabulously lost on? while I was busy getting lost in the area.
It was the one place that had clear signage to get there! wonderful place for dollies! if your so inclined.
this was the day I was trying to get to my DBF's work from home, I ended up in seattle 3 separate times by three separate routes!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Popular Posts