Last year, Bill Fifer gifted me with his archive of Hitty-related materials (see Bill Fifer’s Gift). The Carving Hitty post included Bill’s Hitty Doll Pattern and showed the steps he used for creating his dolls. Bill was consistent about signing and dating his dolls, which can be identified with a number on the back. He also kept a record of his dolls and who purchased them. Bill carved 82 dolls, including a few mini Hittys, between 1996 and 2018. The header photo above shows some of the Hitty dolls in Bill’s personal collection. Bill also carved the Bécassine in the top left and the grandmother reading the Hitty book. All…
-
-
Carving Hitty
There is only one Ancestor HItty (see Who is Hitty?), but there are many people who carve Hitty dolls. Each carver uses his or her own artistic vision to create Hitty. Dolls can be hand-carved, power-carved, turned on a lathe or made using a combination of techniques. They can be peg-jointed, ball-jointed, or strung with elastic. The method of carving can be stylized or realistic. The finish can be sanded completely smooth or left unsanded to show individual marks from each carving tool. The only thing all Hitty dolls have in common is the inspiration for their creation. Header photo above shows 15 Bill Fifer Hittys in progress from 2007.…
