It Feels Like Spring

I have been stitching and got into the "Spring Mood" the other day. Almost feel like going and getting some fresh cut flowers.



We actually went out to a local park to fly frisbees and play around on the tennis court yesterday. This morning however, we wake to overcast skies with the temperature falling some -- could be rain -- could be snow.



At least it isn't lasting as long on the ground.

Little Debbie

Aw, isn't she sweet? Meet 7-year-old Rhea Lynne Conner of Monroe, Tennessee, winner of the Little Debbie Look-A-Like Contest and a $5,000 college scholarship!

Dorothy and Friends -- Wizard of Oz

Dorothy and Friends, originally uploaded by drurydrama.

Baum’s Strong Women

For the past 104 years, people saw what they wanted to in the Wizard of Oz. In the fifties, conservatives in the government pointed an accusing finger at L. Frank Baum, its author, insisting that Oz is a communistic society lacking money, where all comrades work for the common good. At times religious groups saw the book as demonic, pointing out that Baum pictured witches as nothing more than smart women: some good, some bad. Economists saw the story as a march to the gold standard with “oz” standing for ounces of gold, the green of Oz as the color of money, and the brick road as an “obvious” reference to the yellow metal. Others insisted that the story was a political tract with the lion representing England. In fact, the emerald green of Oz may be a reference to Baum’s ancestral home of Ireland. Yellow brick was a common building material in 1900. The name “oz,” according to one of Baum’s sons, was inspired by a filing cabinet in Baum’s office. The files were listed alphabetically with the last one labeled, “O - Z”

Frank Baum insists in the introduction to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, that “old time fairy tales” contain a “fearsome moral to each tale.” He would have nothing to do with placing a moral in his stories. Baum insists the story “was written solely to pleasure children of today.”

With that said, and in spite of what the author insists, there is a wealth of metaphor and meaning in his works. Perhaps the most consistent theme that runs through most of his many books is the message that girls may strive to be strong women. In ten of his fourteen books, the hero is a girl or woman. True power in Oz, both good and evil resides in woman. Dorothy, a little girl in the original story, leads (practically drags) her three adult male friends through a life’s journey, helping them find themselves. They discover that they always had the courage, kindness, and intellect that they mistakenly thought they lacked. Oz himself is a fraud.

Baum was an ardent advocate of woman’s rights. As a newspaper correspondent, he wrote numerous articles on the topic. He campaigned vigorously with his wife, mother-in-law, and Susan B. Anthony to win the vote for women in the new state of South Dakota. The vote was lost but his strong feelings for the equality of women continued to be expressed in his stories and papers.

- Dr. Len Radin
www.drurydrama.com
Drury High School
North Adams, Massachusetts

Marjorie Leet

Marjorie Leet, originally uploaded by glamtv.

Performer with the Ziegfeld Follies from 1923 - 27

Okay. So I am at it again. It is 5:45 a.m. and I am miserable with a head cold now for 5 days. My lips are so chapped from breathing through my mouth.

To pass the time, I like to explore flickr.com and thought I would do a search for Ziefeld Follies. I love the pictures of the entertainers, the various sets and style of the photography.

This one is lovely. It has a victorian yet gypsy flair to me.

So, as I continue coughing and my face feels like it weighs a hundred pounds, I hope you are having a better day.

Alice and the Rabbit

Alice and rabbit, originally uploaded by nami*&Chitaki.

"Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!'

She is beautiful isn't she. I used to have a kewpie doll similar, but lost her in a house fire a few years back.

I will have to make an effort to find out what this doll type is named and see if I can find one to replace my lost treasure. I can still see her light pink with white polka-dots dress -- so delicate in nature.

This brings a tear to my eye right now just thinking of my doll. I guess "the little girl" in us never really grows up or gets too old!

Alice Doll - A Character of Beauty

Alice - complete, originally uploaded by pureEVA.

This Alice Doll is simply delightful -- What a talent her creator is!


Alice can be found on Etsy for $180 at the site listed below -- Wonderful for the collector of Alice in Wonderland!

Below is what pureeva.etsy.com had to say about her stunning creation:

Alice is finally done. I realized about halfway through that it's the first time I've had to make a semi-realistic human nose and mouth. Next time I think I'll do it a little differently - brown lashes and not so dark eyes. Her legs & torso turned out well, but for some reason I am finding that the overall proportions just don't look right. I didn't see this defect until she was almost done. I thought about redoing the arms a little smaller too (they are the right length but a little too fat for her sleeves).

Sewing the pinafore was fast, which was great. Alice's hair is cotton so you can iron it or curl it. Every strand is woven in and out of her 'skull'.

Fairy Girl 1900s

Fairy Girl 1900s, originally uploaded by Lisa Kettell.

Here is a photograph which Lisa Kettrell calls: Fairy Girl!
I believe she is a Ziegfeld Follies Performer from the 1920's.

I love this photograph!! It is inspiring to draw something in this pose!!

Paper Dolls & Paper Puppets

In my looking into Alice in Wonderland things, I located these paper doll cards. I think they are so beautiful. I hope you like them too.

I have always had a soft spot of childish play left in me in my adult years. I have also had the wonderful opportunity of enjoying childhood and play in having my own children.

My daughter, Savannah Rose, has a fascination with paper dolls & puppets. She has been looking around on the world wide web and found this beautiful site. If you love making paper crafts or have a child who likes this pretend play, please take a moment and visit. You will fall in love.

http://www.pheemcfaddell.com/crafts/fairies/FairyPuppetInst.htm

I am also thinking these creations would be lovely on a Christmas tree as ornament decoration. I have some victorian reproduction cards that a friend of mine gave me many years ago that has a piece of ribbon loop on the back for hanging. I enjoy placing them year after year on my tree and fondly remembering my friend that I have unfortunately lost touch with these past few years. Anne, where are you????

A Drop Of Alice

a drop of alice, originally uploaded by identityseven.

I love exploring the internet to find pictures and interpretations of my favorite book character.

Bet you can't guess who....

I find this creative & lovely.

This would be fun to turn into an embroidery piece.

I know I have in me a quilt with an Alice in Wonderland theme . . . another day . . . another dream!

This Alice inspired item also has a different twist to it, but I could stitch this into an embroidery square also. The colors in the photo make me think of redwork stitching.

Special Huggums Dolls -- Madame Alexander

My daughter, Savannah Rose has high functioning autism with psychosis. She is absolutely lovely and turning 15 soon.

A few years ago we met a wonderful friend, Judith, who introduced Savannah to the Madame Alexander Huggums Dolls that were distributed in 1964. Her daughter had received one as a Christmas present when she was just 4 years old and had kept her doll in the family all these years.



This love for her daughter's original Huggums doll led Judith to finding others to rescue and repair. My daughter has become another on this mission and has fallen in love totally. She is now the proud mother of three and she loves shopping for their outfits and accessories. Her newest one is named Susan Jane and is pictured here.



History of Madame Beatrice Alexander

Dolls of Madame Alexander are highly prized throughout the world and are an 85 year tradition of fine quality and innovation. Beatrice Alexander retained control of the company for most of her lifetime, selling it in 1988. Her legacy was a vast number of dolls which have been prized for their attention to detail and history. The Company , started at the onset of World War 1, began by making Red Cross dolls , made from cloth which she and her sisters created in the kitchen of their New York home. With starting capital of $1600.00 she started the Alexander Doll Company in a Manhattan gallery. Influenced in part by the Lenci dolls of Italy, Hers became a resounding success. Although quite unusual for a woman to start and run a company in that part of the century, she had inherited quite a work ethic from her father , who ran a doll shop where she grew up. Impressed with the aura of Madame Lenci of Italy, she decided to improve her image by calling herself Madame Alexander. In the 20’s her husband Philip, began the daily operations of the company freeing her to develop ideas for new dolls. She had a talent for being able to provide ideas for new dolls to fit the times. During the depression her “Alice In Wonderland” doll became a huge success as were the dolls of “Gone With The Wind” as well as the re-release of “Alice” when the Disney movie appeared in 1933.

In the early 50’s Madame Alexander dolls won 4 awards from the Fashion Academy of New York. In the early sixties , Philip died and she recruited her son in law and grandson to help run the company. By the 80's the dolls began enjoying great success as collector items. The company was resold in 1995 and has continued to this day to produce high quality and elaborately costumed dolls.

As long as we have a desire for dolls, the legacy of Madame Alexander shall live on.

Flowers Make A Day Brighter

How come one smiles when they see a field of flowers? Even just to see a handful or a large bouquet, a smile will appear.

Flowers in their delicate state and beauty have been a form of expression since the beginning of time.

Flowers have been painted on canvas by many artists - novice or accomplished. Yet, appreciated just the same.

Just to say the word "flowers" brings images of life and splashes of color to ones mind.

One poetic quote comes to my mind when I think of flowers:

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet"

From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, 1594


In a lot of my embroidery (needlework), flowers are a part of the pattern. I finished a piece with a girl holding a bouquet. I loved the detail it has in flowers and plan on doing more pieces to include in a quilt in the future.






Also, in thinking about flowers, I was able to locate just recently in one of my outings, a Wexford prescut glass vase -- antique now days. It is so beautiful and goes with my growing collection of dishes from that same pattern. (A friend of mine found the very rare plates at a yard sale a few weeks back and purchased them for me. Thank you my friend, Kathleen!)

Aunt Mae's Christmas Quilt

I wanted to put on some pictures of a special present I made for Aunt Mae and mailed off to her in Montana recently.

The embroidery blocks are from a blog spot I found called Sentimental Stitches. I just loved stitching these up and will have to do some more in the future for myself!