Papier mache Pauline

Last week I sold an early 25 inch papier mache doll, the kind with a black painted pate wanting a wig. There are tiny nail or pin sized holes showing how the wig was originally held in place. The doll is happy in a fine collection with a new (old) dress and human hair wig. Some of you might like to see how she looks now, and as I sent her. Collectors consider it correct for this type of doll to be shown either with or without a wig, and they are seen both ways. Note the great wax doll standing along side. This one is a "Mad Alice type" E

An early doll's petticoat

Before modern central heating, many little children wore flannel petticoats in the winter, often with a crocheted wool edge at the hem. The dolls of that time coppied the garments of their little owners. This striped example is from one of my Greiner dolls, and I am sure it was made from a child's petticoat. As onother Greiner girl was in need of garments, I made a petticoat for her which captures much of the charm of an old one. It is still possible to find in yard sales and estate sales, old pillow cases with gorgeous hand knit lace. These circles of lace are perfect to trim a petticoat for a large doll. By making the petticoat to fit the lace I avoided cutting the lace which would have destroyed it. I used modern printed flannel in a great mustard color. I am happy with these results. Now to try my hand at making better shoes for her, as I do not care for the ones in the photo. Edyth

Antique dolls offered

I plan to gradually offer many of my project dolls and some complete dolls on my selling blog, see O'Neill's Antiques blog if you are interested. It has finally become time for some of the dolls to go out into the world to seek their fortune as the fairy tales used to put it. Yes some very nice ones a little at a time. Thanks for looking

Nautical Hooked Rugs

Several of my hooked rug designs are sailing ships, I can remember four at this time. One is pictured here. It is faded but I am glad to have it anyway. It include lines from a favorite poem, "Give me a tall ship and a star to steer her by..." This rug was in our house when it burned and was one of the things saved by the firemen as they worked four hours trying to save the house in vain. Very few textiles ever came out of the mess, but my daughters said bring those tapestries off the walls! This one went to a specialty cleaner the next week and I was so glad to have it back. I have pictured it on a table with a dear old Canada goose decoy, but it really lays beside my bed in its real life. The eagle rug usually lays in the dining room in front of a blue corner cupboard. I feel that worn oriental rugs and Hooked rugs can be compatible if both have a lot of the same reds and blues.

The Eagle rug shown in this post was hooked after our move into town, to replace one lost. This example shows the 1790 Eagle design worked without the noisy border of "lamb's tongues".

I have always wanted to make a rug or a sampler with the beautiful verse sometimes used as a sailors prayer by saying "Bless those that go ..."

Psalm 107:23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, These see the works of the Lord and His wonders of the deep. e

A Nest not so Neat

Since my friends Helen and Elizabeth and teacher Evelyn Newton introduced me to rug hooking in 1978, I have loved it with a whole heart. I had always expected it to be my joy and comfort in case I should ever get old! (am 81 this month). '

Instead 7 years ago we moved from our farm to town and in the process, I worked hard at putting in a new yard for the new house. The side and front were planted well, but the back yard was totally just weeds and grass burrs by the thousands. On one unhappy day I took in after the weeds with a hand pump of Round up, and within 30 to 45 minutes had a hammer thumb on my right hand, ruining the tendon. The company does not make that style of dispenser any more! I kept it wrapped for months and after 7 months it worked normally if not stressed. Writing long hand gripping a pen turns out to be something I cannot do much of. Sadly, Rug hooking is another and so is hand sewing. I once made bed hangings and they had a number of 90 inch french seams, all by hand. Such was my ferver to have everything as right as I could for our old red cape. I often urge my friends and my daughters to take care of their hands!

Since that happened I have done very little hooked work, and once I could do a square foot in a day. I have decided to work on a few much wanted pieces again, just a few strands at a time, and so have made myself a winter nest on a couch with great natural light. The baskets in the photo were gifts from Barb Carroll.

The Bird is a start to replace my partridge pillow which was lost in our house fire. I love working with all the different shades a really great palette of wool allows. Variation is the key to a beautiful surface to me. The whaling rug is a copy of an old one, also printed by Barb at Woolley Fox. Two dear friends have hooked a little of it a while back and I have done some. I love this pattern and want it to lay on our long table. Maybe with the hooking moved into the living room I will remember to put in just my few strands each day or two. Taking care of my right hand has to be priority. Have a Great Day, Edyth

A Neat solution

As part of my goal for the coming year, I am sorting books and magazines and am always short of space for these in our little library! Jack fixed us another book area in the back hall that leads to the laundry. As this shows from the breakfast room and even the living room, I am pleased that the shelves are pretty as well as serviceable. The open space in the center makes the hall less crowded than one unit all the way up. Dixie tells me she is rearranging and thinning books today too. So I guess there is a lot of that going around. edyth

Dolls who came to tea today.

It is nice to get with a few friends and talk dolls. We are considering making some shoes. My big girl standing, has long curls in back and all nice old clothing, but no shoes. Click all pictures to make them larger. e