In Polynesian cultures, a lei is a common gift to greet visitors as a symbol of friendship, to honor a loved one, or to celebrate events such as birthdays and weddings. The beautiful, fragrant garlands are made of flowers, leaves or other materials strung together. The Summer 2024 issue of Doll News magazine includes my pattern, “Make a Muumuu for Hitty.” In the article, my Hittys all wear miniature leis made from beads. This tutorial will show you how to make a similar lei for your own Hittys or other small dolls. I purchased strands of flat, flower-shaped polymer clay beads from Hobby Lobby, but you can also find them…
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Sharleen’s Field Trip
Recently, Kitty Friend Sharleen’s class took a trip to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, TX. Sharleen was particularly interested in the dinosaurs and other fossils. Here are some highlights from her trip. Sharleen is standing next to two dinosaur skulls. One is a carnivore (meat-eater), and one is a herbivore (plant-eater). Do you know how to tell the difference? Look at their skulls. In the illustration below, notice that the carnivore cuts and slices food when chewing, like a pair of scissors. The herbivore clamps down on plant matter, like a pair of pliers, grinding and crushing food with a side-to-side motion. This lumpy rock contains…
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Native Pueblo Manta Dress
The Pueblo peoples are Native Americans living in the Southwest, mostly in New Mexico. Pueblo is a Spanish word meaning “village,” and there are 19 pueblos in New Mexico, each with its own unique culture and traditions. You can learn more about them on the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center website. This off-the-shoulder dress, called a “Manta,” is a typical style for women of the Hopi and Zuni Pueblos. Traditionally, it was made of dark colored wool or cotton blankets. Some of the blankets had fancy red woven borders. Here is one example in the National Museum of the American Indian: Other blankets were white with elaborate multi-colored borders. Here is…
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Renaissance Festival
In April, Sharleen had a fun weekend at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie, Texas with her Flower Fairy friends, Faith and Hope. Sharleen wanted to get into the spirit of the event, so she made a Robin Hood dress, complete with a feathered hat, a bow and arrows. Here she is exploring a wooded area at the Festival. All throughout the Festival, the landscaping is a feast for the eyes. Here is Hope enjoying Springtime in Texas. Faith finds a planter with some beautiful flowers. Sharleen walks past a very realistic-looking castle called, “TerraMythica Castle.” In front of the castle, performers dressed as knights are practicing their sword fighting…
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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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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…
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Aisling from Ireland
Meet Kitty Friend Aisling (pronounced Ash-ling), from Ireland. Aisling has a new hairstyle with pigtails, and I added instructions in the Flexible Kitty Friends Tutorial, so you can make a similar hairstyle for your own Kitty Friend. Aisling’s skirt has three colors: green, white and orange. It mimics the Irish flag, and the three colors are meant to represent unity (white) between Catholics (green) and Protestants (orange). The color green has been associated with Ireland since the late 1600s, when the Irish started wearing green ribbons in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick is also associated with the shamrock, because he used the shamrock’s three leaves to explain the…
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Hitty Fun and Games
For last month’s photo challenge on Hittygirls, members of the group posted pictures of their Hitty dolls and their friends having fun and playing games. I uploaded this photo of Michael Langton Hitty and Hitty Myrtle skating in the Dolly Olympics. You may recognize their costumes, which they borrowed from Kitty Friend Maxine. The moderators for this challenge put together a prize package for one randomly selected winner, and that lucky recipient was me! Now I am going to share some photos of the dolls enjoying their gifts. The prizes included a mini golf set with a green, 2 putters and golf balls; a woven carryall bag adorned with charms;…
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Tutorial: Maxine’s Ice Skating Outfit
Maxine loves winter sports, especially snowboarding and ice skating. She is currently practicing both a long and a short ice skating program, so she needs a couple costumes to wear. This pattern for a Flexible Kitty Friend will make a Bodysuit and Circle Skirt with appliqué decoration (which is glued on to make things easy). Add a pair of ice skates made from felt, and Maxine is ready to impress the judges! Download Maxine’s Ice Skating Outfit Here! I am looking forward to seeing all the Kitty Friends and outfits that you create. You can join the Kitty Friends Facebook Group and share your photos and stories with other group…
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Kitty Meets an Ice Fairy
Earlier this month, Kitty was on a book tour in Canada. One of her fans, named Chloe, contacted her and wanted to meet her. That night Kitty traveled to a remote location in northern Canada. As she stood there waiting in the cold, she was glad to have her cozy Christmas cape. High up in the sky, a tiny snowflake appeared which slowly got bigger and bigger. Kitty realized it wasn’t a snowflake at all. It was a little girl with wings! Her skin glinted like diamonds, and she wore a sparkling gown. A silver lace crown with sequins topped her silky white hair. Her boots reflected all the colors…
