Yes I still collect.

I change a few things and think perhaps I am downsizing a bit, and then I fall under the spell of other charming stuff.    Lately I have bought among other things, 4 pieces of simple American redware, sticking with the forms and glazes that are familiar to me from the years and years of buying trips with Jackie.  I have also bought back from a friend a doll bed of Izannah size which I owned a long time ago. I hope to make a quilt for it from a log cabin piece I have.  Here is the little bed. The tiny china head doll Patience is holding was a gift from friend Linda.

Today was one of those magical green summer days with a breeze and sweet to be out in at least in the shade.   I went with a friend to a living estate sale in Comfort Texas.  It has been the home of a great collector and is such a lovely property.

There were rooms and rooms of collectables. Some of the most striking things to see were the old doll houses and room boxes, it was all I could do to leave them and they were  reasonably priced.  See a few below.

My large bear, Elvis who has been with me a while, is holding a Steiff deer I bought for Cheryl. The deer is about 11 inches tall.

I added two small baskets for my dolls.

I bought an easel and a bit of other stuff but it is always bringing home an antique doll that makes me happiest.

I could not resist the little so called Mad Alice, an English split head wax who has lost her hair. I will make her a dress out of earliest calico and place her in a cupboard near some old leather books.  These little dolls are just one generation later than the English Wooden Queen Ann dolls and the family resemblance is plain. 

And the twins,  the twins, how could I leave them?  They are clearly originally twin dolls and have grown old together. I believe they date in the 1850's  The dolls have been repaired and sadly repainted to a fresh new look which I may be able to temper somewhat. The hand stitched bodies are alike and the torn leather arms are there.  I can retain them and shore them up some. The clothes are identical and all hand stitched of course.  The perfect cartridge pleats are so dear.  I have some precious laundry to do now.  Each doll is 28 inches tall.  One old shoe is missing.  When they are ready to invite friends in to tea I will show them to you again.   

I have decided the doll’s pink dresses are too important and too fragile to wash them.   They date from the 1850’s and are light weight pink cotton print.   Without the twin dresses the doll’s impact would be lost.    I will wash unders which are sturdier cotton.   I plan to go today to Cheryl’s house to use her softened water to wash doll clothes.  I want to make a grouping with one of Jack’s doll size tea tables and two chairs and these dolls.  I am looking to buy a nice Staffordshire tea set. If you have such to sell let me hear from you. I have Alerton's Little May in brown, but those are 1880.    No place to put it all!    This may be the thing that breaks the rule and lets toys into the living room, I have banned them in the past except at Christmas time.    joneill816@austin.rr.com 

( Miss Edyth promised to get rid of my eye liner. )

Here is a similar doll of about the same size and age already in the doll family here.  This doll has a nice complexion I believe to be all original and untouched but very little is left of lip color and eye brows and cheek color. 

The child's dress dates to the 1830's and is from the Velma Driscol collection. It fits nicely without alteration, but the waist of the doll is smaller than it shows to be. Note the beautiful shape of the sleeves.

For comparison also here is a doll offered on ebay lately.  A similar doll  with much restoration as per description,  and clothes not as charming I would think.  This one has a lot of her original finish which the twins do not.  e