When
I saw this old magazine offered on Amazon, I couldn’t resist. I spent $6.00 for
this issue which originally sold in 1964 at 15 cents. That’s the power of
nostalgia. You see, I made three of the featured dolls.
But,
if memory serves (and sometimes it doesn’t), I think I was several years
younger when I made those dolls as Christmas gifts for three of my nieces –
Becky, Polly, and Keri. Perhaps the pattern was offered earlier – or maybe I
really was 15. At any rate, I painstakingly copied the pattern onto graph paper
(one-inch squares, of course), and Mother, more artistic than I, perfected my
lines.
The
dolls were made of pink cotton-type fabric – perhaps percale or whatever was
available in the early 1960s. And I’m sure that Mother was much more involved
than I remember – keeping me on track, making those faces come together
correctly, helping with the stuffing (something we both struggled to learn to
do).
By
the Christmas in question, three dolls were finished, wrapped, and under the
tree. I always envisioned that they would have more of those cute outfits, but
in reality they only had the drawstring nightgowns.
I
have always aspired to make dolls – not fancy dolls – just cloth dolls, sock
dolls, rag dolls. To that end, I have a collection of books and patterns on which
I have never acted. Why? Well, I have plenty to do and I don’t have a lot of
reason to make dolls. And perhaps the biggest reason is that the dolls look
better on paper than my work does in reality.
And
faces are a problem for me. I do remember that Mother drew the faces on the
three baby dolls. But I could probably do it now . . .
When
Hallie was three, I made a Cabbage Patch-type doll for her from a kit, but she
was unimpressed, and I quickly learned that life in raising Hallie was going to
stretch me in other ways. It was fine then and it’s fine now. The love of dolls
is my passion – not hers, but it’s a difficult subject for a multi-tasking
adult to rationalize because dolls are a thing of childhood. Well – but somebody
has to make them, and that person is likely to be an adult and that adult just
as well be me – if I weren’t doing ten other things. KW
3 comments:
Phooey! We are all just children at heart--you do whatever makes you happy.
Yes, I, too found my daughter was not "into" the crafts I found exciting, BUT I go ahead anyway and perhaps my great-grand daughter will find them interesting (no grand daughters).
So, I'm with Hallie - go for it!!!
I remember that doll pattern, and I think you're correct--it was in the magazine first. They were adorable, and still are. Make away!
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