Kitty often gets together with some of her friends who like to cook. They share recipes and take turns hosting. And by coincidence, all of them have ginger (red) hair, so they named themselves “The Ginger Club.” Today is special, because the girls are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. They are also welcoming a new member, Kelsey, who recently moved to Maine. The girls gather in Kelsey’s new home for the meeting. Maeve gives Kelsey a housewarming gift. It is a treasured piece of heirloom Irish crochet lace made into a table runner. Here is a closeup of the lace. The thread is crocheted into intricate roses and pinwheel shapes. Kitty…
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Restoring Kitty
My antique doll, Kitty, had a unique experience when she was scanned by a CT scanner for the Virtual Kitty project (see Virtual Kitty). Unfortunately, the anti-glare spray used for the scan left a white haze on her face. Here is a photo of Kitty before and after scanning. I had trouble removing the haze. Finally, I decided to use “Mr. Super Clear,” which has a solvent that was able to dissolve the haze, leaving most of her face paint intact. But it also loosened the glue holding her shoulderhead onto the body. This was the push I needed to do a full makeover of Kitty. To practice techniques, I…
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Georgina’s Makeover
Georgina is a 7.5” tall antique wax-over paper mache doll with glass eyes. Her arms and legs are carved from wood. But her most amazing feature is her feet, which look a lot like Hitty’s and Kitty’s. It’s my guess that all three dolls were made around the same time, since the style is so similar. I named her Georgina after Georgina Hogarth, sister-in-law of Charles Dickens and Mekitty’s Great Aunt. Restoring Georgina When I purchased Georgina on ebay, she was in frightful condition. The area surrounding her glass eyes had lost its coating of plaster, resulting in a scary, wide-eyed look. Her face was dirty, and she had a…
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Virtual Kitty
You may be wondering what “Virtual Kitty” means. Compared to the original, physical doll, which you can touch and see, a virtual doll only exists as digital bits in a computer file. So why would I want to create a doll that doesn’t even exist in the real world? Because a virtual doll is the first step towards my ultimate goal of making the fictional version of Kitty a reality. I love my antique Kitty doll (see Meet Kitty), who inspired A Tale of Two Hittys. I really enjoy dressing her and taking photos of her with my other dolls, but her fragile nature means that I have to be…
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World Doll Day 2022
On World Doll Day, Max traveled to New Mexico to visit her good friends, Squash Blossom, who is one of the Diné (also known as Navajo), and Elder Hitty, who is a member of Zuni Pueblo. The Zuni people call themselves the A:shiwi (the People). Elder Hitty is carrying a leather pouch. What could be inside? It’s a beautiful Zuni Fetish beaded necklace. A Fetish is a small carving of an animal used for ceremonial purposes. These guardian animals give the owner special powers. Elder Hitty asks Max if she would like to have the necklace, and of course she says yes! Then Max asks Elder Hitty to tell her…
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Hitty Fabrics Part 1
UPDATE: July 2023 I can no longer find the website for My Fabric Designs! This is very concerning because I am not able to order any more fabric. When I find out what happened, I will post another update. I have disabled any links to their website as a precaution. I must admit that I have an obsession with fabrics: specifically, the fabrics used for Hitty’s dresses. Some of these dresses are fictional: they are described in the book Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field and appear in the illustrations by Dorothy Lathrop. Other dresses are real and belonged to the actual Hitty who now resides in the…
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Fortune Teller Dolls
We’re all curious about what the future holds. In the mid-19th century, many traveling peddlers and gypsies earned money by advertising their services as fortune tellers or “fate ladies.” In the same vein, Victorian ladies were soon creating miniature fortune teller dolls to predict their futures. The dolls had paper skirts which could be unfolded to reveal the fortunes. It became a popular pastime for ladies to read their fortunes while taking tea or at parties. Most fortunes painted a rosy future, but a few warned of trouble ahead. I find fortune teller dolls fascinating, and their scarcity makes them even more special. Most didn’t survive due to the fragile…
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Happy Earth Day!
Every year on April 22, we reflect on the beauty of nature and the wonderful planet we live on by celebrating Earth Day. The Kitty Friends decide to mark this momentous day by visiting some of the places that they love the most. Maxine visits Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. She loves to hike the trails and meet other nature lovers. Olivia likes hiking, too, but she prefers the sand dunes near Silver Lake, Michigan. It’s a lot of fun, even if you do get sand in your shoes. Jordan’s favorite place to walk is in the Redwood forests of California. Aren’t those trees impressive? Sharleen decides to visit…
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Spring Fashion Show
This month, Kitty and her flower fairy friends, Faith and Hope, decided to have a Spring Fashion Show to raise money for Ukrainian refugees. They recruited the Hittys, and all the girls decided to wear their “Sunday best” dresses with hats and bonnets. Viewers from all over the world will be watching the show. Kitty, Faith and Hope are excited to see that so many people are willing to help the citizens of Ukraine. Time to reveal the fashions. Kitty goes first: she is wearing a sage green gingham check dress with ecru trim. Her lace bonnet is made from two rows of crocheted trim, in a simple hooded style…
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Tutorial: Charming Necklaces
These cute little necklaces are so simple to make. You can look for tiny charms in craft stores. I found some in Hobby Lobby, but you could also repurpose some vintage jewelry. Materials: Small jewelry charmsSize 10 cotton crochet thread (black or other colors)ScissorsFray-Check For the necklace cord, you can use crochet thread in any color you like. Black works well. Cut a piece of the crochet thread, about 8” long. Thread charm onto the middle of the thread and tie to secure charm. Put the cord around the doll’s neck to check length. Tie the ends together at the back of the doll’s neck. Use a square knot. Clip…
