I spotted her across the room. Stained, naked and disheveled, she had been thrown on an old wooden chair in the tiny antique shop. I knew immediately what her history might have been..... purchased in France by an American soldier to take home following World War I, she had ended up being stuffed in a trunk in an attic somewhere, enduring the hottest of summers and the coldest of winters. And, finally, here she was, lying in an improbable heap, disgraced and dirty.
I scooped her up, paid for her, and returned home with my unlikely treasure! After cleaning her up, I turned to the task I loved the most: choosing from my stash of vintage and found fabrics, jewelry and beads to lovingly fashion the next chapter of her life....! I spent happy hours sewing, cutting, imagining what she could be. I lengthened her legs. With paper mache, I gave her some little shoes, adorned with seed beads. Old buttons secured her jacket and an early twentieth century pin became a sort of hairpiece. Rayon chiffon & vintage drapery fabric, both recent additions to my fabric closet, were perfect choices for her wardrobe.....!
Here she is..... sitting graciously upon an old Victorian desk, surveying all sorts of delightful accoutrements, and loving every moment of it!
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