Sixty-three and still in great shape!

No. Not me!
I mean Cindy, my doll I received her for Christmas when I was five.
 I gave you a hint about her at the end of last week's post. Cindy is a Mary Hoyer doll. The doll and her outfits could be purchased or the home sewer (my MOM) could purchase kits or patterns to make the clothes.



Glinda the Good Witch outfit



1946-1950s Mary Hoyer doll, 14" tall, all hard plastic, jointed body, mohair wig many colors & styles, some with molded hair beneath, usually blue sleep eyes. closed mouth. Doll marked: Original Mary Hoyer Doll inside a circle.

http://www.dollreference.com/mary_hoyer_dolls.html 

As you can see, dolls back then were not exactly built like Barbie.

The wig was replaced with a bad one that is turning into dreadlocks!

When I took her down from on top of the tall bookcase in my sewing room where she has resided for the last ten years she seemed fine except for the dust on her brunette locks. But then I noticed her head was bit wobbly. Stupidly, I twirled her head a number of spins thinking I could tighten up the heavy rubber bands that hold this type of doll together. The band snapped and OFF WITH HER HEAD!Her left arm also appears to have suffered some weakening...perhaps a stroke. But she still seemed agreeable to pose in her mutitude of outfits.

The Early Years

These are a few of the clothes my mother made for her. Some are knitted and some sewn. I remember having lots more but I think the knitted ones didn't age as well as the fabric ones. I do know that I favored the fabric ones and perhaps was not as careful with the knitted. Very few accessories from the early years exist. My friend in the neighborhood though seemed to aquire things about the same time as I was losing them. hmmmm.



This chartreuse balleina tutu was a particular favorite and still is. It has probably held up better than all the older apparel. Just fluff the tulle and she's ready to dance.

This is the Alice Blue Dress shown in the ad. No idea where the perky white pinafore went. I have no idea how Mom got those teeny little sleeves set in.



The Southern Belle is a delight of detail in dotted swiss, ribbon and lace. However, it was way more glamourous in the day when she actually had a matching PARASOL! 

But Cindy wasn't always into finery. She also is quite athletic. Here are two of the knitted garments. She's a real Sonja Henie in this angora trimmmed number. Again her footwear is lacking. The skates were replacements at the same time as the unfortunate hair  and even one of those is lost. The riding boots rode off long ago. As did the buttons on the top. She is sewn into this but they do that photo shoots in real life, too.

Marriage put Cindy on the shelf (literally) for many years with two boys.

But in the 90's she had a rebirth due to a later in life daughter (on my part).

Now Grandma was again ready with the sewing machine when I came across a book.

The Later Years

Cindy really comes into her own as a fashion icon in her forties. The fabrics and syles are flashier and more diverse. They range from the demure

Miss Muffet

to the dramatic

A few more of the later outfits

Crochet skirt and wool knit swimsuit 

Notice the rubber bathing cap on the lower right.

The coat and lounging pajamas are corduroy.

There is ONE skate and ONE wooden shoe!

Here are the two trunks containing the wardrobe. The one on the left was mine and is made of metaland the other is my daughter's. I bet you could have figured THAT out. I love the nursery rhyme decals I put on mine. The outfits portrayed on the other do not look like anything I remember anyone wearing.

Did you play with dolls? Do you still have your doll?

Button, Button

Thimbles are "my thing". But with just a little encouragement I could be tempted to go overboard and start accumulating buttons. Not that I don't have a lot of buttons now. Here is my grandmother's-then-mother's button box.

 
 It used to be loaded with mostly old individual button that appeared to be cut from clothing before it was discarded. Not many were outstanding or interesting. Now I have thrown in an assortment of newer buttons on cards which are much more easily browsed instead of sifting to see how many like ones are in the mix.
More than the buttons, I love the metal round can itself. The basket-weavy looking surface is embossed into the metal and it has acquired many dings, dents and worn spots over the years. For so long, I had really ignored the picture and if someone had asked me what it was I wouldn't have been able to think of anything but the colors. Now I look at it with a more appreciation.

A few years ago my twenty-something daughter sifted through and pulled out most of the loose brightly colored buttons and proceeded to make herself a belt. She laboriously sewed each onto a heavy woven belting. It is a bit tricky to get it through belt loops on her jeans but not nearly so hard as the won she bought made with BOTTLE CAPS!

Recently an organization I joined had a program on The History of Buttons.




I think I was the only member who was waiting anxiously to see and hear this program as attendence was a little sparse. But those who did come ended up a won over when they got to see and handle some really unique and beautiful buttons. Button Down Designs  (click on the link to visit) owner had scads of historical examples made from bison horn to Bakelite. AND she makes bracelets of buttons that are really beautiful and unique and fun. 

I chose from this display
 

 

My daughter models my choice

 

All this button talk was the inspiration for a new handmade item in a totally different style for me. 

 

I had purchase several yards of a really nice upholstery weight linen a while back. A friend mentioned something called Zakka style which uses linen and I combined that with some GRAPHICS FAIRY button images and this is the result.

Visit my ETSY shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/CherylThimbleFingers to see more about it.

 

Mother's Influence and My Blog View



Mother's Day is today and I have been saving up until today to write about my mother. I have mentioned in previous posts that she is the source of my thimble collection and much of my enthusiasm for sewing. I have her sewing machine as a constant reminder of her devotion to me and her craft.

Brag Monday Viewers
Click here to see latest item created on this

 As my brother once stated  to a young friend, "My Mom can do anything".
My friends envied my clothes because she could replicate anything from the pages of Seventeen magazine. This picture of me with Mom and Dad is taken before my brother's wedding in 1964. Why we thought the driveway was an appropriate setting eludes me. Mom made my bridesmaid's dress and her dress. Dad had to go store bought.

Mom also made the bridal gown which must be a rare thing for a mother-in-law to be to create the bride's gown. I don't know if we kept it out of view of my brother. Two of the attendants can be seen in the background. We had brocade dresses in fall colors. My sister-in-laws dress had a lot of beautiful details that I do not have pictures of.

When I married in 1967 my self-designed dress was much simpler.
I can show you the details because I still have the dress although it was not well-preserved. The beautiful silk linen fabric has deteriorated to a crispy tan and the simple train is missing and I am a bit fuzzy on this but I think I am wearing the same veil and crown as my sister-in-law.

 

Here it is today. It doesn't fit this mannequin any better than it fits me!

The neckline is trimmed with tatting from a handkerchief made by a great aunt. Nice that it turned the same color as the fabric. I asked for all the pin-tucks. I always liked that detail which is repeated on the skirt. Mom covered every little button. I can't believe I EVER got into this.

Mom made dresses for numerous other bridesmaids and  even a wedding gown for a friend. She could also slip cover and upholster furniture and made draperies. She was completely self-taught until she took up smocking.  She did sign up for instructions on the process but turning the work into clothing was a breeze for her.



 This is my daughter who was a late in life child who came along when her brothers were in high school. Mom could really show her skills with a grand-daughter. All of the following dresses were made for her.

Here is my grand-daughter (child of eldest son) wearing one of her aunt's special dresses. She just turned two a month ago and it fit perfectly. I am saving them in case of a "direct descendant" from my daughter!

Computer to left of the tape dispenser. My serger sits on my drawing/cutting table.

 My Blog View

In response to my blogging British friend at Wolves In London I am posting a picture of the view from my sewing/blogging room. I like to refer to this messy space as the shop. I do not have a view of a gigantic cactus as "Wolves" had, but a mundane suburban view of the neighbor's house with all of it's vehicles. It is minus the net encased trampoline so far this year. It has a nice north light and lots of chances to see dog-walkers and kids on scooters and bikes. In place of a cactus I have a low-growing Japanese maple that I love to gaze at when it is in leaf. The curtains are gauzy so even if I want to have a bit of privacy, I can spy through them.