A _Little Women_ and Louisa May Alcott Package

The end of my January project!  After finding these Little Women book character dolls on ebay a couple years ago, I finally have them fixed-up the way I want and ready to mail.  When I started donating books to my former elementary school's library, Little Women was one of the first titles I sent copies of, but it took me awhile to find character-dolls that appealed to me.  Most I've seen online look little more like generic old-fashioned dolls than they do any specific character, and many are porcelain which is impractical for a children's library.  After a long search, I found the handmade dolls below--Beth, Meg, Jo, and Amy, from left to right--(and would I love to wear Jo's entire outfit in real life?  Yes.  Yes, I would.  Have I mentioned before how much I love almost every charming stitch designed by clothing line Ivey Abitz?  ↓  Gah!!)--

--and knew these were what I'd had in mind all along for the kids.  

Each doll is marked with the initials SL and dated 2011, 

and the detail and care put into these by their maker is impressive.  I wanted to personalize them a bit more for the students, though, so I wrote each character's name onto her dress in fabric marker and then stitched over the marker in case the ink fades in the future. 

I hot-glued-and-then-sewed-on a few iron-on patches to each doll that depicted the character's interests too.  Meg wears a watering can and home/garden gate and her twin boy-girl babies. 

Beth wears sewing needle and thread, a kitten, her beloved piano and music, and my attempt at an "I love my family" patch. 

Amy's patches are mostly art-related, with easel, crayon, paint palette, and a Paris one since she was the lucky sister who got to study abroad instead of Jo. 

And dear, bold Jo!  ♥  I added a pencil and paper to the front of her dress along with writing/reading-related patches.  (Her dress!  I'd change into it right now.  Those colors!)  It was a shame to alter the beautiful dolls, but I think they will draw more interest to the books this way.  Sometimes kids need a nudge. 

Louisa May Alcott is both a woman and writer I deeply admire, so I fixed up an Alcott doll to accompany her March sister creations.  This doll was on etsy a few years ago and had a simple enough face to be perfect as Louisa May. 

I removed the little basket of felt strawberries that had been sewn into its hands and replaced it with a miniature copy of the Little Women book--sewed it and then hot-glued it into the hands (trying to make these dolls last as long as they can with kids handling them).  :)

 This is another doll with which such care was taken.  Look at that braided hair.  So sweet.  

As I had with the character-dolls, I labeled the Alcott doll with the fabric marker, as well. 

I have already donated a couple copies of Little Women, a "Little Women at Christmas" excerpt-type book, and The Little Women Book:  Games, Recipes, Crafts, and Other Homemade Pleasures.  Now the dolls will arrive along with two copies of a Louisa May Alcott biography, a picture-book version of Little Women for younger readers, and The Louisa May Alcott Cookbook.  Ohhh, if the kids who attend this sweet school don't become interested in this book or author, it won't be for lack of trying on my part!  Here's to good books (and cozy January projects).  :)

♥

And Now. . .Alice Otter (My Favorite Gift I'm Giving This Year)

Whew!  I finished making Alice Otter earlier this morning.  She is part of my Christmas presents for my parents, just as Emmet Otter was last Christmas.  

 I can't be with my family while they watch Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas on Christmas Eve--enjoying the movie over eggnog and dessert is a family tradition--but now they will have the complete set of "Ma" and her Emmet to hold my place.  :) 

I started creating Alice in November and soon realized that I was mistaken to have thought that Alice Otter would be easier to make than Emmet.  I had expected her to be easier since her body is hidden by her dress, but between the dress-making and simply the ongoing trying-to-making-her-face-look-right, she was quite a challenge.   At least she and Emmet are a two-member family, since I don't think I'd want to construct a third otter next year.  :)  I also didn't realize until right now that I attached her lace-and-red-ribbon trim to the front of her dress upside-down.  BAH!  Maybe I'll attach extra lace under the red ribbon to make up for it.  BAH!  And BAH! again!  Anyway, she is either done or nearly-done, depending on my handling of The Lace Issue now.   :)  Her outfit in the movie is just lovely, so to have gotten it even this close was quite the feat for me, since sewing's not really my thing.  

I began with a stuffed animal I bought to cut up for fur and parts. 

I re-cut it to form the body--

--and re-stuffed it to re-shape it a bit. 

The plan had been to start with her face, of course, but I found myself beginning with her costume instead.  "Measure twice, cut once"-type thinking made me too nervous to add her face, I think, since once it was attached, there would be no going back to correct it.  The collar and bow were made from a piece of leftover lace in my fabric stash. 

I found one button in Grandma's button jar that matched the dress well, and I took the lid off a mustard bottle to make the nose.  :)  

I had bought the fabric back in August after a long search for one that closely resembled Alice's talent show costume in the movie.  (I wanted to make the talent show costume because so many of Mom's other Christmas decorations are blue, and Alice's other dress in the film is a brown-with-gold print.)

I didn't realize until I went to attach the finished arms that I had made them way too big and too long, so I spent at least an hour redoing them. I made a basic wrap dress that I'd later cover with a pleated fabric-piece for a proper dress. 

I remembered from last year to use white paint to add a life-like glint to her eyes.  The eyes and eyebrows were pieces of black fabric cut off a raggedy piece of a bag lining. 

I found a doily in October that I thought would be the right size to use as a cap, and I guessed correctly.  I made blue ribbon/cord from a length of the dress-fabric and threaded it through the doily's holes.  The ball-trim is from a piece I've used for so many other projects.  It all worked. 

And then I stopped taking pictures until I was done with her this morning. 

If I had stopped to refer to the photos of her I'd been using as reference all along, I'd have noticed the upside-down lace-and-red-ribbon-trim, but I'll live. 

Dad will get a kick out of her, as he did with Emmet, but I know Mom will truly love her.  :)

I'm so tickled with this. 

I tried making a mouth a few different ways, but I never came up with one that looked even remotely right, so instead I added extra fur with hot glue and bunched it up until it looked like there was at least an opening there.  The suggestion of a mouth looks better than any of my attempts at a real one did.  I added blush to her cheeks with a little of my lipstick, to make her look different from Emmet, and I used a paintbrush to spread some white eye shadow above her eyes. 

I attached her to a plastic container to make her a bit taller and to give her a way to stand, since it bothered me last year that the boots I'd created for Emmet hadn't worked out and he needed to be leaned against something to stay upright. 

And like last year, I made a gingham label as a finishing touch. 

Oh, I love that cap!  Anything with ball-trim just sends me, I love it so much. 

I go home tomorrow for a way-too-short visit and look forward to seeing not only my family, but also Alice and Emmet together for the first time.  ;) 

And now to figure out The Lace Issue before I pack this into tissue paper and box it up for Mom and Dad.  This is my favorite gift that I'm giving this year, although one for my nephew keeps making me laugh too.  Ah, holiday silliness!  I love it. 

Merry Early Christmas!  ♥

♥

Aunt Laurie's Birthday

My dear Aunt Laurie's birthday is today.  The simple little package I mailed her this Monday reached her on Christmas Eve, and I've been happy this week as I imagine her opening her aqua tissue-papered gifts. I made the aqua gingham puffy heart ornament ornament above and was thrilled with how it turned out.  I had enough of that fabric left in my scrap bag and enough lace--just enough lace--to add the trim and to cut one small snowflake-shape from it. 

I wrote her a letter and had prints made of a bunch of recent photos so she would be caught up on things--"a visit in a box," I called it--wrapped those in tissue, sprinkled a package's worth of white peanut butter cups (since she and her family don't like chocolate [I can't imagine]) around it, framed a favorite photo of her and Mom in an aqua and turquoise floral frame I'm no longer using, and packed it into the bottom of the small aqua toy suitcase that this crochet kit came in when I received it last Christmas.  (I got nowhere learning from the kit, so I will have to take lessons somewhere.  And I'm glad to give the suitcase a new home.) 

I saw this vintage Christmas card online awhile back and saved the picture to the computer to make a 4" x 6" print of, and after I punched a hole into the top, that print became a gift tag I tied onto the suitcase's handle with curling ribbon.  The girl in the illustration reminds me so much of Aunt Laurie.  ♥

With more curling ribbon, I tied the heart onto the suitcase handle too. 

And it has been sweet all week knowing that from a bag of candy, some reprints, and odds and ends around the apartment, I got a very Aunt Laurie-ish package together.  I hope she has had the happiest of birthdays.  ♥

The Making of Emmet Otter: Part II

He's finished.  :)  And just in time since Christmas with my family will be early this next week.  I go home to my parents' house Monday afternoon, and I haven't decided whether to give him to Mom and Dad when I get home that evening or wait until the official gift exchange.  I am betting they will receive Emmet early.  ♥

I finished planning his outfit yesterday afternoon.

A quick jaunt to Goodwill led me to two hats and a tiny pair of boots.  The navy blue hat became Emmet's coat, the brown hat became his pants and boot laces, and all I ended up using of the ready-made boots was the black sole. 

The stuffed animal I was re-purposing for its fur and stuffing was trimmed into an Emmet-size body, using my drawing as a rough guide.

Next time, I will know to attach and position the arms differently so they don't just stick out at the sides.  Live and learn. 

I didn't have enough blue material to make a proper coat--or to make a coat properly, I should say--so I just sewed and hot-glued it piecemeal to Emmet's body until he was covered in a little blue coat from all sides.  The blue hat's brim ended up making the perfect collar for a coat, which tickled me. 

I worked on Emmet a couple hours this morning until his coat was done, head was attached to body, red scarf/chin-strap (formerly my gloves) was lengthened and tied in front, pants and boots were made, and Emmet's traditional "Christmas branch" was secured to his left paw.  His tiny tree/branch seemed more festive to me than the washtub I'd been planning to construct out of foil-covered-stuffing.  Emmet's rudimentary little tree stand (once a wooden clothespin) originally matched his fur, so I colored it with a brown permanent marker to make it stand out more against his paw. 

 Below is Emmet as he looked when I stopped working on him this morning. 

And below is dear Emmet this afternoon after I painted specks of white onto his eyes to help bring him to life. The glint in his eyes makes such a difference.  ♥

For only coming up with this whole idea few days ago, I'm delighted by how he turned out. 

Like my mom, I don't really enjoy sewing, but I find myself doing quite a bit of it.  Mike rolled his eyes as I set up Emmet's photo-shoot this evening, but for someone who doesn't love! love! LOVE! sewing, I had to document the process and the final product, of course. 

I added front pockets to Emmet's coat and soles to the bottoms of his boots. 

I'd intended to make little brown work boots for him, and I tried and tried, but my attempts didn't work, and I was soon out of shoe-looking material, so instead, Emmet appears to be standing almost en pointe in shoes made out of a rather ratty old catnip mouse of Stuffed's.  Ah, well.  My parents will understand.  :)

I painted a tiny tag and sewed it to the side of Emmet's coat.

That I worked in even that small bit of red gingham will thrill my mom.  Emmet looked "real" and complete to me once the tag was attached. 

And now Emmet can be packed away in tissue paper for the trip home to his new owners.  

And even more than usual, I will be with my family in spirit during their Christmas Eve Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas-watching.  

♥