MICKEY & MINNIE MOUSE

As I was growing up, the Disney cartoon characters were not my favorites. I couldn’t understand what they were saying. I watched the Mickey Mouse Club, but I didn't identify with the Mouseketeers and felt I was on the outside looking in. While I was still a preschooler, folks were discussing the wonderful new Disneyland in California, but we wouldn’t go until I was an adult. To me, there was no difference between Disneyland and Fantasyland.

But recently, my imagination was sparked by the idea of Minnie Mouse as a theme for my doll display. “It needs a theme?” you ask. Well, yes – a theme adds color and focus. And Minnie spans the decades from the ‘30s to the present.

Mickey Mouse soap dish and Minnie purse in background

I became aware of the current "Minnie" trend in December when I saw a bin of “Minnie Mouse” purses at Walmart. Hmmmm – and just like that I tossed one in my cart. After that, I saw Minnie everywhere – crochet patterns, themed fabrics, costume patterns, machine embroidery designs, and even Minnie Mouse outfits and accessories for American Girls. And I was there! -- “there” being my Pinterest Board, “Fun with Minnie Mouse.” Nothing to show for it through my creative efforts, though – not yet. Maybe not ever. It’s still in the inspiration phase and you know how that goes . . .

Mason, Mickey, and Grandpa Mike, 2003

As I began to think about Mickey and Minnie more positively, I remembered more encounters I've had with them over the years. I have a hand-painted Mickey Mouse soap dish that I picked up at a mart years ago. I was attracted by the fun colors, and I think that's part of the appeal. Disney is "the wonderful world of color."

And then there was that time in Boise back in '03 when Mason brought out his big Mickey Mouse stuffed animal. As Mason sat on Grandpa Mike's knee, Mickey began to talk in his squeaky voice. “Don’t you want to play, Mason? Come on, Mason. Let’s go play.” And Mason thought it was so funny. A person just can’t have too many memories like that. KW

FRIVOLOUS FRIDAY: MY FIRST HANKIE CREATION

Here it is: my first creation from a handkerchief, a dress for Barbie. Less than perfect, perhaps even inadequate for child’s play, it is nevertheless the prototype by which I learned lessons. My experiment with the hankie is based on the work of Marsha Greenberg as shared in her book, Hankie Couture. Ms. Greenberg has created hundreds of doll dresses and outfits from hankies, and her work captured my imagination.

These are some of my conclusions:

First of all, as near as I could find, Ms. Greenberg does not state the size of the doll for which she sews. She resembles Barbie, but she isn’t. In describing the evolution of her hankie couture, Ms. Greenberg mentions that she found a Chinese company willing to develop a doll to her specifications, and this doll is evidently available for purchase. I’m not interested in buying that doll – at least not now – so that makes the patterns in the book of questionable value. The test dress I quickly stitched together using a bodice pattern from the book did not fit my Barbie, a doll I rescued at a rummage sale. For this hankie dress, I used a standard Barbie pattern and followed Ms. Greenberg’s tips for cutting the skirt.

Secondly, Ms. Greenberg recommends lining the hankie dresses with white cotton fabric. She observes the white under the hankie makes the colors “pop,” and I’m sure it also strengthens the delicate hankie fabric. While I can appreciate these points, I found that lining the dress made it heavy and difficult to work with. Part of the problem might be Barbie’s small waist. Or it could be that the cotton I used was too heavy. Ms. Greenberg specifies cotton and recommends against fabrics that might ravel. For my next hankie project, I’m considering using a man’s white handkerchief (I believe we don’t refer to those as hankies) as the lining. But – I also wouldn’t be opposed to using softer, lighter fabric blends for the lining.

Finally, it occurred to me that Barbie is not an ideal subject for hankie outfits, and perhaps Ms. Greenberg came to the same conclusion. I do think it’s rather too bad that the patterns in the book are not of use for the general doll public. But to be fair, Ms. Greenberg is showing her creative skills and encouraging the rest of us to be imaginative in the use of hankies and other vintage textiles.

Where do I go from here? I’m thinking my next hankie creation will be for one of the Vogue family of diminutive dolls. But – I have committed to other projects, and now that the holiday season is officially open, I have work to do. Some frivolity will have to be put on hold for other frivolity.

Here’s a photo of a sleeve I made for my new laptop. As originally made, it was a little too small. Crafting, designing, and altering are not my strong suits. I prefer to sit down with a pattern that guarantees me a good outcome and the experimental process frustrates me. So, I was disappointed when initially the sleeve was unusable, but a friend suggested an insert between front and back would likely solve the problem. Since the fabric was rather expensive, I decided it was worth a try. Inching my way along, I salvaged the project with a one-inch insert. Now I can slip my laptop into the sleeve and pack it with my sewing machine when consolidation is desirable. KW

FRIVOLOUS FRIDAY: HANKIE COUTURE

I had seen the book online and put it on my wish list – Hankie Couture by Marsha Greenberg (Running Press Book Publishers, 2011). The author, a designer and sewist, has created dresses and other outfits for fashion dolls (like Barbie) from handkerchiefs, and also created this delightful book to tell about this adventure and share a few tips. “I have handkerchiefs,” I said to myself, sensing that I stood on the brink of another inspiring yet impulsive tangent. I was not the least deterred by a reviewer’s comment that the book did not contain patterns for every outfit pictured. Without even seeing the book, I immediately understood that the style of the outfit was going to depend on the hankie and one’s own creative sense. “All I’d need is a couple of bodice patterns and a few tips,” I thought to myself – not that I would ever be in this author’s league.

My plan was to wait until the price of the book went down, or possibly buy it as a used book – not because I’m poor but because that’s what I do. But one day on a refresher visit to Jo-Ann’s, I spied it on the book rack looking all new and appealing. I picked it up and leafed through it, silently ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the beautiful doll dresses, and then set it back on the shelf. I was able to resist momentarily, but as I stood in front of the remnant cart, I heard the book calling me: “Come on! I’m a brand new book – not even shop worn. My price isn’t so bad. Put me in your cart. You know you want to. You probably even have a coupon that will make me half price or something.” (It’s just a good thing I don’t have any serious addictions.) In six steps I was at the bookshelf and the book was in my cart.

 

So, the book came home with me and is every bit as charming as I thought it would be. Seriously, I would enjoy this book as leisure reading even if I didn’t have an interest in experimenting with hankies. But of course, I did want to experiment and that’s why my hankies came out of drawers, boxes, and trunks to be spread out on a bed and carefully considered.

The issue is, of course, do we want to cut up the vintage textiles? Or specifically, should I make doll clothes from my hankies? An online search proved what I suspected: you might find hankies at flea markets and thrift stores for cheap but online sellers seem to expect $8.00 to $12.00. While I’m not an online seller, the value of the hankies does influence my decision as to their use. Upon deliberation, I removed from consideration those that were identified as keepsakes and put them away. I also removed one designer handkerchief – a Faith Austin on a dragonfly theme. (I’ve never heard of her either but I found Faith Austin handkerchiefs online and they weren’t giving them away.) And then, not every handkerchief is appropriate for the project. Some are too small. A 12” by 12” is recommended.

 

In the end I still had plenty of hankies I could play with. I selected 8 or 10 good candidates for doll outfits, several of which were old or less appealing samples that would be great for initial experiments.

So it’s off to the sewing room. Let the experiments begin! KW

[Photo 1: Book cover.

Photo 2: Too large for a handkerchief, I believe this to be a small scarf or bandana. I love the vintage colors and would never cut it. I don't remember it, though, and don't know where it came from. 

Photo 3: An example of a larger handkerchief, possibly a neck scarf like teen-aged girls wore in the '50s. It was probably left in some drawer I inherited from one of my sisters. 

Photo 4: The "Faith Austin" designer handkerchief. While I'm not drawn to it, I recognize it as special. Dragonflies are meaningful to me.

Photo 5: Lastly, a selected collection for experiments.]