Another Primitive Raggedy

Shirley from Annie's Cupboard offers another free raggedy pattern. If I'm not mistaken she is meant to be a dammit doll. I wish I could find the cute verses that accompany such a doll because it is cute, it amounts to picking the doll up (by it's legs) and whacking it on the edge of a table, chair or sofa. All the while repeating....D#@* it! It has a whole story written before this point. Anyway, I have traveled to so many sites with Ann I can't remember if this one is it or not and of course I didn't label it in my pictures. Thinking that was smart because in my mind.....it's against everything we know to "whack" Ann.

So to me she has the primitive quality that is slowly sneaking under my skin. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.

Monday...Monday....

Or should the title be..Rain, rain, go away..... School was still on despite the treacherous roadways full of slush. We have only used 3 days this year, so what was the deal?

It's maybe me....lots and lots of activities this time of year. I always think....I can't wait for the school year to end. Then by, oh say the middle of summer I'm looking forward to school resuming. It's kind of the same with the week verses the weekend, to much asking about doing homework I guess.

My poor blue spruce had the weight of the world to worry about!

Fortunately by noonish the snow, slush and mush had melted.

All was good again. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.

Cat Company

Ahhh, tis the cat's life. I'm sleepy.....

Does green look good on me?

How about cardboard?

Or my er..ahem, this doll bed?

This is my relaxing spot.

Ah, who needs it.

Pssst, I hear something! Quick! Hide! We have company.

It's the furious one.

Yawning. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.

Wow!

The mailman arrived the other day and look what came, another box from Lola, she is a generous lady! I just spied the orange/rust ribbon for my soft sculpture doll, oh so exciting when it all comes together.

Aren't those candles scrumptious?

and fabbbbric......thank-you Lola, Madame will be sending you a card shortly.

C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.

Pink Barbie

Since it's still so close to Barbie's birthday I've continued with some of her things for Pink Saturday!

I love this vintage case, it's just like the one I had when I was a kid, it dates to the 70's.It is a single depth case with a small shoe section, closet and the cubby for Barbie herself. The other case has a depth on each side and opens like a book, the blue one opens from the top and has a flap for a door. I love them both, and both are chalk full of early barbie stuff, but that's for another post. Join other pinks here.

C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.

Needle Felting

I finally got around to it, a craft that sends me into thithers when I see the product on Etsy. I purchased a kit for needle felting.From what I gather, the needles are A: very sharp and B: it has a barb. You need to poke up and down on your material to tighten the fibers up.This little kit makes a patch. Look at some pictures of items made. Wizard,

pixie,

owl,

mouse, awwww.

This one is called butthead,

a cute teddy,

and what an adorable bunny!

Like the kit though, you can felt on another piece of fabric and create dimension,

or scenes.

I can't wait to sit with my goats hair and try this.

Soon, soon soon! C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.

Kathy Cry Baby

Everyone has heard of Madame Alexander Dolls, everyone who have kids and go to MacDonald's that is. She is the designer of the little dolls they gave away in the happy meals but she has been around forever.I have my first ever Madame Alexander doll and guess where I located her? Yep, GW. She came like this; a slight eye issue (seems as if this particular doll has this problem, somewhat visible in the first photo), a infant suit, mussed hair and general dirt smudges. Poor thing. Pretty good for 52 years old though. Well, the first thing I did was look her up on the Internet. She IS marked mmm at the top of a circle with Alexander in the lower and 1958 in the center of the circle. Do you know how many Alexander dolls there are? Plenty. At one point I thought I identified her only to be disappointed when I put the name in a search engine individually, not her.

This is what eventually gave her away, Kathy Cry Baby, (the smaller photos were taken from EBay) A smaller eraser sized hole in her back. Apparently Kathy Cry Baby had a squeaker at one point and the next dog toy that gets shredded.....she'll have another again. Kathy is also a drink and wet doll.I had, had to do something about her over sized outfit (BTW, vintage larger doll size), enter the photos. There was one more photo of Kathy in a organdy dress but I was partial to the jump, I think the dress was a single purchase. The jumpers still have the Alexander tag with the Kathy name on it, original to her. So! Where to start. Gingham! That was the answer. Thanks again, Lola!

It took me one afternoon to whip up this cutie. I washed Kathy with soap and water, combed her hair and readjusted her eye a little. Her eyes are paper weighted and if they can open and close easily, better off leaving them alone, plus I know nothing about setting them especially in vinyl. Isn't she cute?

The shoes are not original to this doll but the hat is, it goes with the jumper and I will make a matching one within a week ....maybe.

I have to get back to my soft sculpture,

she keeps looking at me with pleading eyes!

C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.

A Cute Idea

Now, how adorable is that!?! It's a barrette but when I look at it I think of pennies, wouldn't that be a cute idea? C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.

More Shirley Temple Paper Dolls

I think everyone in the United States (and from afar), know who and what I speak of when I write....Shirley Temple. America's sweetheart. I'm considering buying a vintage doll from the seventies so I'm looking everywhere before I take the plunge. I do have a cloth doll pattern that is a great rendition of Shirley, and I can purchase her clothing pattern for a small amount of investment.

But I just love the seventies vinyl doll in the red and white polka dot dress. *Sigh* Oh well, I've been looking for awhile,

I'll keep looking. C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.

Oriental Transfers

I found a wonderful book while thrifting the other day, I love it! It's so rare to find a craft in the oriental flare besides a kimono. It's a soft cover book with 24 iron on transfers. The above motif would be used for a prince robe. A lot of work involved in that dragon.

The peonies would be a detail on a Japanese Buddhist priest robe or a Kesa. I love a Japanese garden watercolor or embroidery, the flowers are so vivid and simple at the same time.

These three transfers would be found on a black kimono, probably a wedding garment. Most all the children were painted on in greens, yellows and others with muted color (the flowers).

The book takes all the scenery from the museum of textiles and explains the periods in a brief content.

It states the children would be appropriate in the long and short stitch since that is much like paint.

C&G Design

Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.

Vintage Vietnam

I'm almost done cleaning out my "craft camper" I have just the front overhead cupboards, two small dressers (empty) and a few big moving boxes. Pretty much all the fabric is out.

The above picture was taken one week ago, in fact the snow has melted all the way to the clothes line now, rain tomorrow so all will be lost. Anyway....my clothes line is 75 feet long and this silk my father brought back from Vietnam, in the sixties, older than me, measures almost that. Imagine my dismay when I found it saturated with water while being sealed and wrapped tightly with plastic.

He actually brought this fabric for my mother, she really doesn't sew like me....so she gave it to me to use. I think the long piece is okay but I will have to be selective with the short piece. That piece was leftover after I made my wedding dress.

Madame asked me about my dismay at discovering this treasure in such a state and I told her all the history behind the silk. Much to my surprise and astonishment, she mentioned wearing my dress for her wedding. I hadn't thought of that.

I still have it although all wrapped up in my closet. It is tea length with a V waist, two rows of lace down the front of the bodice and short puffy sleeves with shoulder pads (they were the style then).
Hopefully it will fit her, might be too big!

Oh, well...whatever she would like,

I'll even make her a new one! C&G Design


Words and photos by Dawn,

C&G Design.