Occasionally I have shown a photo of my bedroom and you may have noticed the large print of Berthe Morisot's "Girl with a Doll" which has been with me for years and years. I was so moved the first time I saw that painting... it was me.... it is really me even though it was painted in 1886. I only had two dolls in my early years. We moved constantly during that time following work. We lived either in a travel trailer or a motel room. Those dolls were more than toys...they were friends and family. 
The first doll was Effenbee's Sweetie Pie which I received for Christmas in 1943. She was composition with a cloth body. She had lamb's wool hair and her eyes opened and closed. At some point my mother decided I was too old for dolls and she disappeared. For years and years I searched antique stores for one like her to no avail. But once Ebay came into existence I was able to replace her.
The second doll was a tiny bisque baby doll I received in 1947. A kind elderly lady taught me to crochet about that time and I used tatting thread to crochet outfit after outfit for it. When I left for college the shoe box of all her outfits disappeared but I still have the doll. It sits on a antique buffet in the living room. Once grown my love affair with dolls continued. I started making dolls for my kids and my grandchildren but none ever seemed to care about dolls like I did. So at some point I started making dolls for myself and I have them everywhere.
I tell you all this for a purpose. Some time back I joined a CQ round robin where each stitcher picked her own theme and I picked paintings of girls with dolls and I ran across those blocks yesterday. I had never done anything with them because I always meant to repeat that RR so I would 10-11 blocks and it never happened.
I still have images for about 15 more paintings of girls with dolls and am trying to decide if I want to find a way to use them all.....brain in gear!!!
This is my year for granddaughter bonding. My granddaughter Leigha from Alaska just arrived for a nice long visit. She recently finished nursing school and is spending time with us before she starts a new job and new chapter in her life. Today we went to the public market, a festival and visited some gardens. She is going to help me with some projects and I am going to teach her how to sew.
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3 comments:
OH, Gerry! so, I was wondering......
I love dolls! I have a cadre of them in and around the house but I never had many when I was young as my mother the feminist, thought them "a misogynist plot to keep women barefoot and pregnant". -.- Luckily I had a gramma who would get them for me as christmas presents.
If you want help, I would be overjoyed to do one of your blocks, the middle two girlies just sing to me, that's only if you want the help.
It’s so nice to have a chance to spend time with your granddaughte. Your doll images are wonderful ..... perhaps you could put them in a book form.
I loved reading your story about your childhood dolls and it's wonderful that you were able to find a replacement for the one that disappeared. Your doll-themed blocks definitely need to be made into something - they're too precious to store away.
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