Welcome to My Red Cape. Long ago in another time my husband Jack and I lived in a little old red house. It was the stuff of dreams to us for the few years that we were there. I live there still a number of hours every day in imagination, with old dolls and paintings and fabrics and feather trees. I draw inspiration and happiness from the memories of that space in time and share some of it here with friends who remember how to step with Alice through the looking glass and take delight in whimsies and antiquities. ~Edyth O’Neill

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Tasha before the fire





The best one still just breaks my heart, a 24 inch coifure doll with the high three part hair do, that was complete and perfect with original clothing, and everything perfect, brown eyed 1830 doll. In the terrible first 24 hours after the fire, when we were dealing with 50 people and hundreds of decisions, and I was in complete shock, We cut away and threw away the soaking leather body and darkened clothes to give the soaking wet head a chance to dry, which it did although much gesso was lost. We saved 26 sodden warping peeling charred papier mache heads that way. I have all of her parts, terribly darkened but she still looks at me from sad little eyes. I am still thinking what to do about her, I may make a new body and attach her wooden legs and arms and mount the head with out repainting at all, just see how that does, at least it shows what she was, and she is not charred, just smoked. I have left her till almost last of the restorations from the fire, I think to do the least is the way to go.
Does anyione like these wig heads? They are cousins to the papier mache dolls. These two are some I used to have, which I had repainted. I put nice early fabric at the necks. Two more similar ones are in my closet I look forward to having some fun painting and "dressing" them. The Star of Texas Rug Hooking camp is starting next week, Barb and Julie Marie and a few more are in and out of our house a number of times during the week so it will be a happy busy time! No doll work next week!!

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