One Amazing Achievement!

I love early printed textiles, I mean~ really love them. Yes, they're pretty, but they're so much more than that.... First, of coarse, is the textile itself~ in the ages before machine made cloths, such was woven by hand on a loom....but before it could be woven, the thread itself was hand made, of natural plant or insect fibers....those plants were each stuck in the ground and planted one by one, carefully tended to over time....then processed, all by hand. (you can refer back to my post on making linen from the flax plant here).....speaking of insects...could you imagine sitting and unwinding silk worm cocoons, one by one, by hand, all your life??? 18 hours a day, 7 days a week?

I'm getting ahead of myself again.... I thought Id share this absolutely stunning , c1820, printed apron with you today.

I love this next picture~ click on it to see it bigger. The construction is very simple~ tape ties added to a single width of cotton, having been slightly trimmed 'in' at the upper sides to form a narrower waist. These pieces have been flipped, and added at the hem, to make the nice 'A' line shape so typical of the late teens, early 1820s. You can see the join in the pieces below~ very teensy stitches, in white thread. Other than the edges being turned and stitched the same way, there is no other stitching on this piece, making it a marvel...no~ yet more a near miracle, that it has survived to this day in its original utilitarian form of an apron. Such prints as this were so prized, and many cut up and used for clothing, pockets, patchwork, ect ect ect

This is detail of the edge~ weensie stitches up to my index finger

In passing, I don't think most would appreciate the work that would go into printing a piece of cloth like this. The labor involved, the chemistry, the artwork...... Look closely at the white fern and leaves. You will see not one blue, but two~ a light and a dark. Next, notice the stripe between them~ buff colored 'ground', med hue brown feather striping, and then the darkest brown around the white fern & leaves.....so, in all, 5 colors, each done one at a time!

If you look ever so close, and I don't know if you can tell in the photograph, but deeper beyond the darkest brown, you will see a floral design~ this, among other things, tells us this piece was resist dyed. (This is where this piece gets very exciting for me, and where you can start to appreciate the 'art' involved in the printing.... ) A plain white piece of cotton was roller printed with the delicate foliate pattern in our two different hues of blue. A printer could do this at the same time, passing the fabric thru 2 separate rollers, one painted with lt blue, one with the darker blue. Next, On top of this, he would use a block to print on a resist paste in the shape of the white areas~ the fern and leaves. When the paste, (wax was also used) had dried, the cloth was dipped into the dye bath, in this case, a vat of ingredients to obtain the lightest buff color. The cloth was left to dry, and then a second design was block printed with the resist paste~ this time, the fern pattern, so when next dipped into the medium brown dye bath, the buff colored 'ground' was saved.

Another dry time, and lastly another resist went over the feathered area, so on the last dye bath, the darkest strip was achieved. I can imagine the whole piece looked quite a mess until all the resist paste was removed...quite a dramatic change from a piece of cloth that was entirely the darkest brown color....

what fun it must have been to see the stripes & design emerge. From a most hot and stinky process, comes such a beautiful result. It is no wonder why these textiles were so highly valued~ even tho deemed a cheaper alternative to woven textiles, much science, art, and labor was needed to achieve a pleasing design

c1820 roller & block printed resist apron shown over 1822 nursing gown.

An Etsy Update, and present for Moi !!!!!


I put two adoreable lil pincushion girls on ETSY today~ they're so sweet~ I think I am addicted to them! My last customer had a wonderful idea, and has ordered one to hold her antique lapel pins on her dresser~ I think this is a wonderful idea, and the little space in the base could easily hold your earrings or rings

And....look what my DH bought me for our 17th wedding anniversary coming up in April~ I have always loved birds....not only my turkeys, geese, ducks and chickens, but when I was little my parents gave me a set of black mask lovebirds for my birthday one year. I just fell in love with these little creatures the moment I set my eyes on them
They are budgerigar birds~ or parakeets as so many call them. I believe they are a dilute greywing type~ they are the most beautiful pastel powder blue color. They are just babies, so don't know yet if I have males or females~ but I don't really care. I don't plan on teaching them to talk, just want them to be my buddies, and LOVE to hear them sing. I have named them 'Precious' & 'Peri' (as in an ocean pier, with an i on the end). For now this little cage is their home, but am looking for a neat old looking bigger one on a stand so I can move them around with me~ Aren't I just the luckiest girl!

Somethin' Special in the e mail..........
.....for all of my Dear Ones on the mailing list~ If you don't see it in your inbox, go check your spam folder! Trust me~ you don't want to miss it! (Be sure to add me to your address book, as my mailing list is so huge, I am considered SPAM~ AND....by all means~ if you want to be taken OFF the list~ just drop me a line, and I'll take care if it pronto!)

Hair & Paint

Ok~OK!! I give in~ here is a couple pictures of Marguarite's new hair. It took me about 13 hours total, stitching over 2 days to make her wig. I was afraid that I may run out of hair, but managed well~ I have a wee little hank left to keep for another special dollye, about half the diameter of my pinky finger is all! Marguarite stands 52" tall, and I am making her up like the early Mantua Makers' Models of the 18th century. They would send out a life size 'doll' to their clients, made up in their latest fashions, for them to order clothing from.

I made her body like the early Queen Anne type dolls, but of heavy duck instead of wood. Her lower arms are mache, and I have wrapped her upper arms in linen, just like the olde ones. I just love love love her

I made her necklace from gorgeous antique blue glass beads, white hearts they call them, as the bead starts out as a layer of white, with the clear blue wrapped over it. I also made her a set of matching earrings from smaller ones, and early brass bobbles

Here she is with my Emma, 7, so you can see more plainly her H*U*G*E* dollye self! I cant wait to get to sewing for her, but I have other more pressing things...........like getting rid of this U*G*U*L*Y* wall coming down to my studio..............


I have always adored the early murals and work of Rufus Porter...and stencils of Moses Eaton...so have decided to make a little homage to them in my little corner here. I have the base colors blocked in now and am really enjoying myself. It has been a while since I painted a landscape...too long, and I didn't realize how much I really enjoy painting. This is a much bigger scale than my usual miniatures~ wonder what is up with the scale of all my work getting so much bigger??? Whatever it is, I like it!

I hope you all have a wonderful Spring weekend!

What I been up to..........

I have been so busy! The weather has been so nice and warm, its kicked me into my spring cleaning mode waaaay to early! One morning I decided I didn't like the carpet in our bedroom anymore, so O*U*T* it came. I took everything out~ well except the big bedstead, cause it was just too olde and heavy and didn't wanna move. We now have nice clean tiles on the floor, and everything is so clean and fresh, it has made me start some of my other 'freshening up' projects I have been putting off for way too long. I have finally decided on how I am going to start my mural on the wall going down the stairs to my little studio.......so I spent a few hours filling in a zillion holes (the outer wall is cement, and so 'holy' it looked like a slice of Swiss cheese.) I have my rough sketch done, and think it will look pretty neat once I get it done....certainly better than the plain white wall~ how boring.

I listed this olde hunchy-punchy girl on ETSY today~ I am so excited to offer her~ she really came out n*e*a*t! She is a primitive punkin for Halloween.......but she is in fact TWO dollys in one. Olde Lady Moon on one side, and her younger self on the other. She can be displayed so many different ways~ standing or sitting~ I have wired her arms so they bend in both directions to nicely pose either dolly, and her legs I made to turn both ways too~ hope you'll go check her out and tell me what you think!

I'm also tidying up the gallery a bit, trying to make room for the new display case whenever it comes~ I'm getting so anxious! I have wanted it for so long, and has already been a month since I ordered it.....should be coming in the first week of April, plenty of time for me to scrub the floor and move my people around :)

AND!!! I finally finished Marguarite's wig! It came out sooo precious. I was worried I wouldn't have enough hair and would have to cut me some more...but I had just about the right amount~ with even a little smidgy to spare. She is still in line waiting to be dressed~ when shes presentable, Ill be sure to put a picture of her on here.

Sometimes you Get it........

Sometimes you D*O*N*T*.......

I love early photography, especially daguerreotypes. I have a bit over 100 or so here at the Museum, mostly of children. They are indeed windows into another time~ a special place in history, where we can become intimate with the sitter, and glean a rare glimpse of their every day lifestyles. But have you ever really 'looked' at a daguerreotype??? Past the obvious pose and gender of the subject being pictured???? Daguerreotypes are amazingly detailed~ of coarse some have weathered time better than others, but looking thru a loupe, one can see individual hairs....freckles....even individual petals of a rose in a vase on a table. I greatly admire the early photographers~ it was truly an Art to place a sitter correctly, with the light just right, to make a nice exposure. It could take up to 20 minutes to expose the silver plate....sometimes even longer if the person was of darker skin, or in poor light.....all the while, the sitter had to remain totally still.........as in motionless............n o t m o v i n g . . . . . . . . . .

I wonder how many plates were re-used, because the sitter moved? I bet alot!!!! Imagine....in comes this little sprite, like my Pippin, above. All happy and FULL of energy~ excited to have their picture taken!!!!!!!!!!!

Photographer says....OK~ now you need to be serious~ no jumping and hopping about~ok? 'Ok', says the little one.... as they compose themselves in as serious a manner as they can muster up... but do you see it? The corners of the eyes and mouth are hinting at a devious adventure to come...... I cant imagine how hard it would have been to get a child to sit still for so long, even with the neck brace most of the daguerreotypists used..........

So serene and serious~ so grown up and mature looking............ when in fact, this youngster was most likely the same age as my Pip~ and LOOK what I get......

ARGGGGGGGG!!!!!! What a little devil! I was trying to photograph an early 1840 little boys coat for my files....and Pip just couldnt contain her wiley little self! On days like this, one must just call it a day, and let them go out and p-l-a-y!

Coming to TDIPT Mercantile March 14....

"The Squinty Sisters"

I hope you can find the time to stop by and meet Brutus...
and her sister Mifs Gilly Puppen~ they will be joining their other sister, Minot, at the TDIPT Mercantile tomorrow evening. All 3 are primitive Queen Anne dollys, and dressed entirely in antique bits of fabric and lace.

A New Line of Needful Dollys.......


Isn't she F*U*N*! This is a peeky poo at 'Little Dollye Pin' ~ she is the debut dolly in my new line of pincushion dolls. I LOVE make-do's and pincushions, and have always admired the early porcelain half dolls. My little girls will be eager to help you with your sewing and stitchings~ their dress is of coarse a pin cushion, and they have a little compartment in the base that is big enough to hold your thimble, thread, and even those little folding scissors~ but I couldn't find mine to take in the picture.
Little Dollye Pin is very nice company~ pleasant and kinde conversation when you are quietly stitching....and I have made her promise to NOT tell secrets :) She is one of a kinde, and available in my ETSY store. The first of many to come, I have dressed her c1830, and stitched her a little paper poke bonnet~ C*U*T*E!

New Easter Pretties in my ETSY shop...


I have been doing a bit of spring cleaning this week, and yesterday found an entire box of Easter Egg Ornaments I made for a show in 2006. I sold out of these there, so I thought!! I have put them in my ETSY store in lots of 3, and at a great price too! I originally sold them for 22.00 each, but because some in each lot are dated 2006, I have priced them at 25.00 for the entire lot~ quite a savings! They look so wonderful in a basket like I have them here, or on an Easter Tree. Each lot is also good for one entry into the Fundraiser Giveaway too...so go check em out!!

2009 Museum Fundraiser & Giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How absolutely cheezy is that video?? BUT, since I am asking for your precious dollars, I felt I should do it in person. I hope you will please consider giving to the Museum this year. WHY give to a little privately owned entity instead of a large institution you ask? There are several very good reasons, besides the ones I state in the video~ among others, it is 'privately' owned, so I am not eligible for state & government grants or funding. The entire and sole support for the Museum comes from my Diamond K Folk Art sales, and gifts from very, very generous and giving supporters, like Y*O*U*!!!!!!!!

If you have any questions, just drop me a line~ T*H*A*N*K**Y*O*U*

Bliss is............

Loving children......

Loving dollys and all things olde and beautiful..........

And having a little "Pip" to share it all with