...ok...finally the Hitty post...it's a very long post...and 20+ years in the making...
...I'm not sure where I first got the idea of carving a Hitty doll...I took a Community College woodcarving class way back in the nineties...I was the only female person in the class...and I carved a lion's head on the top of a walking stick for my class project...so then fast forward another 10 years or so...Our Airman was still a very little guy...and his Papaw (the Man's Dad) was carving old boots and apples...and I came across an entire online community of
Hitty Girls...and thought it might be fun to carve one...
...I didn't think I had any photos of me carving Hitty Elizabeth...but I went downstairs and powered up an old PC we had and lo and behold...there were some photos of Hitty being carved...
...this is literally how she started out...the Man's Dad was still carving and he got this wood for me from his woodpile...I think he said it was Hickory...and it's really hard to carve...
...and I would just trace a pattern onto a block of wood and start carving...I think now if I did this again...I'd probably use some Dremel tools for the preliminary work...haha...
...I dyed that cloth thinking that I would use that for her dress...as I didn't think I could replicate the olive leaf pattern...but more on that later...
...here she is completely carved and pegged...
...her arms and legs move in tandem...being attached to the same post...like the original Hitty...they can't move independently...
...her features...stockings and boots are just painted on...
...a back view...
...sitting...
...back sitting...
...a side view...
...back standing...
...her sweet face...
...in a box...for a while...
...and then I finally stitched her some underclothes...
...the petticoat must have come later...
...all of these photos are from an old Jam Cam...my first digital camera...so they're not the best quality...
...and here are a few current photos of her nekkid...
...I used a pattern that had
the original Hitty's dimensions all listed...
...and some drawings like this one...
...she can stand on her own...
...and since she has only ever had these underclothes and she's been in storage for years...I thought I'd give them a nice wash...
...hung out to dry...they are so cute...
...nice and crisp and fresh and clean...
...her pantaloons...also from
a pattern I got online all those years ago...with crocheted lace on the hem...
...her camisole...embroidered with her name...
...and her petticoat...also with crocheted lace...
...so now...finally...it's time for some proper clothes...so...I drafted a pattern...
...I wanted to replicate this dress...the iconic Hitty dress...but I was pretty sure I couldn't find that exact pattern today...
...so...I got these colorfast fabric printer sheets...I could probably have just ironed some muslin onto some freezer paper and printed it...but I wanted to make sure it would be colorfast...although in hindsight...I'm not sure it would matter as this dress is unlikely to be washed many times...if at all...
...anywhoo...I just went into MSPaint...and created the shape...filled in the background with a nice rust colour...and then copied the shape multiple times until it would fill up an entire page...easie-peasie...
...and I absolutely could not find that rust coloured cloth pictured above (from 15+ years ago)...and I think I may have included it in one of my Lutheran World Relief quilts...so I made a strong tea and dyed the lining muslin with that...not exactly the same colour...but it will do for the inside bits...
...stitched the bodice to the lining...
...you can see the sort of splotchy dyeing on the lining here...
...cut out the sleeves...
...gathered the top...
...and set them into the bodice...
...sewing through all three layers...
...and then gathered bottom...
...made two little cuffs...
...and sewed those on...
...finished bodice...inside out...crocheted a thin picot edging all around...
...bodice back...inside out...you can see the two button loops there too...
...finished bodice...right side out...
...I sewed a couple of buttons on the back...and a crocheted loop closure...
...and gave Hitty a little fitting...front...
...and back...
...the skirt is just a long rectangle...
...I did a tiny rolled hem before I put it on the bodice...I just thought it would be easier flat like this...
...and then I sewed the back seam...gathered the top...and fitted it to the bodice...
...and ta-daaa...the dress was finished...
...a back view...
...I'm really happy with how it turned out...there are flaws...of course...but it looks super cute on Hitty...and I'm glad she finally has some clothes...
...so now she can smile sweetly at me from the top of the dresser...
...what's in your workbasket this week?...
~Have a lovely day!
