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    STONE SOUP

    GUY FAWKES NIGHT

    Mark your calendars! November 5th is Guy Fawkes Night, an evening for bonfire fun.

    In 1605 the British rogue Guy Fawkes was arrested in a cellar filled with barrels of gunpowder. Luckily, he was caught before he had the chance to strike the match that would blow up the kegs and King James. Yup, Guy's plans went up in smoke and he was sentenced to death.

    "This sorry tale has been preserved in British folk culture ever since, with an evening of fun on November 5th. An effigy of Guy Fawkes is burned on top of a large bonfire, and the night crackles and sparkles with fireworks.

    "On the days before November 5th children make "Guys" from old clothes, stuffed with paper or straw," as explained in All Year Round, a wonderful book of festival lore and activities. Children would then wheel their straw men through the neighborhood and ask passer-by's for "a penny for the Guy". The penny stash would be used to buy wood and fireworks for the celebration on the 5th.

    In pagan times, the transitional times between the seasons were always celebrated with fire rituals. The enthusiasm for the annual Fawkes event may be tied to the folk memory of these ancient seasonal bonfire celebrations.

    Times have changed, alright. These days it would take a wheelbarrow of pennies to buy one log! And you can bet that sending our kids out to beg on the streets would raise a few eyebrows. Now they just beg from their parents!

    But, why not embrace the Guy? Who doesn't love an occasional bonfire; it's a good excuse to clear up garden rubbish, burn all evidence of Goodwill craftbook shopping, roast potatoes,  stay out late to gaze at the stars, and dream into the flames and the flying sparks.

    If you can't manage a large bonfire, maybe gather one or two small children and organise a backyard campfire or an indoor fireplace party to celebrate the end of autumn? And don't forget to bring your Dancing Rain Dolls...they enjoy watching the fire, snuggled next to the kids they love.

     

    YESTERDAY'S SOUP
    « INDEPENDENCE DAY | Main | Doll Wig Tutorial - Lesson 3 »
    Friday
    19Jun2009

    All Dolled Up

    DateFriday, June 19, 2009 at 3:40PM

    June is here in all its glory! We have had 30 days without rain here in the Northwest...an all-time record. With all this sunshine it is hard to sit inside at a sewing machine. Now  is the perfect time to go outdoors with some handwork, a hunk of good blue cheese, and some tasty crackers!

    You can crochet a doll wig while relaxing at a campsite. (Check out our videos here on our blog if you need some pointers first!)

    Or if you like to hand sew, grab a needle and thread, a pair of Gingher scissors and throw some fabric scraps in a basket and head outside to work on an outfit or two for the Dancing Rain Doll in your family.

    I took a peek at my bookshelf which is overflowing and managed to unearth a few doll clothes books here in my ... umhum..rather large collection.  I always find some tidbit of inspiration in craft books, even "The Dolls Dressmaker" which has a lot of antique vintage clothes.

    Here are a few titles I own:

    BABY DOLLS AND THEIR CLOTHES - Valeria Ferrari

    THE DOLLS DRESSMAKER - Venus A. Dodge

    TWO-HOUR DOLLS' CLOTHES - Anita Louise Crane (she must sew a lot faster than the rest of us!)

    SEW BABY DOLL CLOTHES - Joan Hinds

    SEW THE STORYBOOK WARDROBE FOR 18" DOLLS - Joan Hinds & Jean Becker

    SEW INTERNATIONAL WARDROBE FOR 18" DOLLS - Joan Hinds

    And here's one I don't own but just saw on Amazon and couldn't resist including after reading the title :)

    Not exactly Waldorf-esque but it may be worth checking out...

    DOLL FASHIONISTAS - Ellen Lumpkin Brown

     

    What if you would rather be holding a glass of wine instead of a needle and thread when you have that picnic outdoors? You can always go shopping online to buy doll clothes before heading outside to enjoy the summer sun!

    I always steer people to the online store Etsy, a great site where you can buy and sell handmade stuff.

    Here is just one of the many cute doll outfits on Etsy I found when doing a search for a "16" Waldorf doll dress". This pink set for $15 is made by the vendor Dragonfly.

                               

     

     

    Happy days in the  sun,

    Amy

     

    AuthorA&A | CommentPost a Comment |

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