Thank you Early American Life

 Ladye Grace, Patience, visits Locust Grove, Kentucky

 As if being selected for the 2016 Early American Life Directory of Traditional American Crafts wasn't honor enough, words just cannot express  the excitement here when Patience's presence was requested at Locust Grove to be photographed for this years directory issue.  You can find her on page 56 smiling away so happy! What an honor~ this is the 9th consecutive year I have been chosen for the Directory, and each year, I am always so nervous my dollys wont be good enough. The level of craftsmanship is getting higher and higher each year, and I am truly most proud to be have been chosen.  I would like to thank all of the judges that worked so hard to put together this outstanding Directory for 2016~
Daniel Ackermann, Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts
Shantia Anderheggen, National Trust for Historic Preservation
Linda Brubaker, Historical Society of Early American Decoration
Michael Canadas & Davis Robinson, Carmel Doll Shop
Barbara Carroll, Woolley Fox
Gordon Converse, Gordon S. Converse & Co.
Lee Davis, Southern Highland Craft Guild
Michael Dunbar, The Windsor Institute
Linda Eaton, Winterthur Museum
Darby Erd, Company of Military Historians
Craig Farrow, Furniture maker & museum consultant
Darlene Gengelbach, National Museum of Play
Michael Graham, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village
David R Hillier, Antique Associates at West Townsend, Inc.
Suzanne Findlen Hood, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Thomas Kelleher, Old Sturbridge Village
James Kochan, Fine Art & Antiques
Peggy McClard, Americana & Folk Art
Lisa Minardi, Winterthur Museum
Roddy Moore, Blue Ridge Institute at Ferrum College
Rob & Lynn Morin, Americana and Folk Art Online
Aimee Newell, Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library
Candace Perry, Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center
Davis Puckett, Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia
Tara Vose Raiselis, Dyer Library/Saco Museum
Kirstin Rohrs Schmitt, Love of Quilting Magazine
Peter Seibert, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Don Troiani, Historical artist & author
Ann Wagner, Winterthur Museum
Carolyn Weekley, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Richard & Jan Wilks, Keystone Antiques

 I usually enter my earlier 18th c Queen Anne dollys, but this year, these little Ladyes asked to represent me. I love early 19th c dollys~ the cotton prints at this time in history are just absolutely wild and fabulous, and hairstyles so much fun to sculpt...I could sit and sculpt hair alllll day long

What is under the dress is just as important as the gown & hair....dollys much have shoes and stockings and pantaloons and petticoats...must, must absolutely!

Just got back from a much needed vacation, (which actually, I could totally use a vacation from my vacation!!)....so look for more dollys coming soon!