This antique-inspired paper fortune teller comes from an activity in The Girl’s Own Book by Lydia Maria Child, published in 1833, and if you read my post about Fortune Teller Dolls, you know that they were popular during the Victorian era. The original illustration from The Girl’s Own Book is below. Notice the stylish harem pants and turban, reflecting the influence of the Ottoman Turks which was so fashionable at the beginning of the 19th century. You can see the book here:Read on Open Library (pp. 79-80) Here is how the doll was meant to be constructed: “This is a toy made of about a quarter of a yard of…
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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…
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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…
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Tutorial: Kitty Friend Stand
One of the best parts about Kitty Friends is that they love to be photographed. However, it can be difficult to pose them sometimes without a stand. Some Hittys also have trouble standing up by themselves. I love my Michael Langton resin Hitty, but she is very top-heavy. Fortunately, I found a simple way to adapt some inexpensive doll stands purchased at Hobby Lobby. This tutorial will give specific instructions to adapt stands for Kitty Friends and a Michael Langton resin Hitty. However, you can use the same steps with customized measurements to fit your own dolls. Materials: Small metal 2-part doll standPlastic drinking strawPiece of 1/8” wide elasticNeedle for…
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Tutorial: Flexible Kitty Friend
I hope you have already had a chance to make a Felt Kitty Friend. This variation is a little more complicated than the basic version, because the arms, legs and body are all separate pieces. Using pipe cleaners instead of wooden pieces for structure makes the doll more flexible. (Thanks to Betsy-TN from Hittygirls for this idea!) I have also included instructions for an embroidered face. Flexible Kitty Friends take a little more time to sew than Felt Kitty Friends, but the result will be a doll that’s a lot of fun to play with. The two Flexible Kitty Friends pictured with Kitty are named Chloe and Maxine (Max for…
