Welcome to My Red Cape. Long ago in another time my husband Jack and I lived in a little old red house. It was the stuff of dreams to us for the few years that we were there. I live there still a number of hours every day in imagination, with old dolls and paintings and fabrics and feather trees. I draw inspiration and happiness from the memories of that space in time and share some of it here with friends who remember how to step with Alice through the looking glass and take delight in whimsies and antiquities. ~Edyth O’Neill

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

A doll auction in New Hampshire



















Jack did not want to stay in New England for the doll auction, so I attended with my friend Dixie Redmond. It was a great time for renewed friendships with dealers Jack and I used to buy from, and also to meet new people. It was a wild full hard 4 days, to fly up and back and ship the dolls home and attend the three auctions! I had a smashingly good time!

Two of the dolls were bought from individuals selling in that hotel, part of a "Doll Show" sactioned by Withington's. The best doll, the pressed cloth head one was won at the auction, as were 2 lots of nice clothing for my largest dolls and a dear little red rope bed in doll size. I sat between 2 friends and we all 3 were bidding on the Izannah Walker dolls! I did not win one, but I did get to sit beside two of them and loved them! Those are molded cloth heads, cousins to the molded cloth head doll I did bring home, as well as to several others in the large offering.
The wax head child with the interesting body is a Motschmann type, from about 1865. The pressed cloth head may date about the same or a little earlier. The large glass eyed paper mache doll made by Andreas Voit is 36 inches tall and wears childrens clothing. She is much older than the other two. I bought the red print dress for her. She loves it! I have promised to restore her worn out leather arms as best I can.
Click all photos to see them larger.

Lake cottage where we stayed in Maine






A friend provided a lovely spot for our second honeymoon! And there were even loons on the lake. Thank you!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

my brother signs his emails with this...

We have art in order that we may not perish from the truth. —Nietzsche [via Godfrey Reggio]

Where we love to be




The coast of Maine was the center point of it all. Isn't my sweet guy good looking??!!

Friday, October 1, 2010

patching it together




Hi Martha and Elaine, How are the two of you? Happy and Sewing away I hope! We were in New England for the last two weeks, so good to see so much we love there and visit friends as well.
I found several pieces of interesting patchwork on our trip and bought three. I hope they will make the start of some nice doll quilts. The log cabin fragment has paisley strips in it. A frame and a backing will make it a small quilt!
I also bought a little tightly braided rug that may interest Martha later, it is still in the mail home to us.
I visited several rug hookers on the trip too, including a nice yarn and rug hooking shop in Paris Maine. And the trip to The Rufus Porter museum with his painted walls and little portraits and also much school girl art like samplers and theorems was a thrill. So handwork was a big part of what we saw. I snapped a nice shot of a woman in colonial garb, I would like to have such an outfit. Friend Penny has several! At this point I just hope to get my dolls dressed someday, let alone me! Warmly, Edyth

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