When Phoebe Preble wanted to play with her newly created doll, “Hitty,” Phoebe’s mother insisted that she needed a dress first. This dress, as described in the book, Hitty: Her First Hundred Years, was made from “a buff calico strewn with small red flowers.” Six illustrations by Dorothy P. Lathrop in the book show Hitty wearing her very first dress of calico roses. When she was accidentally left behind at the Preble’s church, she spent a harrowing few days underneath a pew, frightened by a bat and hemmed in between a footstool and an illustrated Bible. I loved reading the part when she tried to get the attention of the…
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Tutorial: Cradle Quilt
With cooler weather on the way, Hitty doll collectors start thinking of cozy quilts. My Hexagon Quilt has been a popular design, but I have always wanted to make a quilt just like the one by Dorothy P. Lathrop from the book, Hitty: Her First Hundred Years. It shows Hitty sleeping in her cradle at the Preble house, listening to the crickets chirping. Since it is a black and white illustration, I was free to interpret the design in my own way and experiment with color variations. The result is a new design on Spoonflower, called, “Cradle Quilt Sampler 21×18.” By purchasing one Fat Quarter, buyers will receive enough fabric…
