Archives for July 2018

This glamorous young lady was made by myself in 1947/48 when I was about 14/15 years old.  She is 20″ tall/long.  She is sitting down in this photo and is able to sit unsupported.

Yes she was a challenge to make as there was a lack of the necessary materials after the end of the war.  The red velvet was from an outgrown dress belonging to my younger sister.  The hair is real and also originated from my sister.  The doll has transparent underwear with red garters.  Her petticoat is in three layers and the hemstitching is so fine I am not able to see how it is stitched at my current age.  Her shoes are red leather decorated with pearl beads.

I created the pattern for her dress and, considering I knew nothing about pattern drafting at the time, I think that it turned out well.  The velvet ribbon edging matches the red velvet of the dress.  It is stitched with pearl beads and gold thread. The gold used to be quite vivid but has faded despite the doll being in storage. There are also pearl beads all up the center back which will open so that the dress can be removed.

I do not remember how I created her head and face but think that I may have used an existing doll’s head and covered it with starched or glued fabric.  It was then painted and varnished.  The whole head has been intact for many decades but has become damaged in very recent years.  It is now sensitive to being handled though the rest of her is strong and undamaged.

The body?  I cannot remember how the pattern was created but suspect that it was made by myself. I subsequently made another doll wearing a pale blue dress. That one was from a Dryads pattern using the face and hair they supplied.  I was not enthusiastic about the result and never made another doll. The body fabric of both dolls is closely woven cotton stuffed with kapok. The limbs are jointed and the head of the blue dressed doll rotates.

Your interest and comments are always appreciated.  I look forward to hearing from you.

We noted that the hillsides around San Diego were arid.  Trees and grass were only in the city as they are dependent on irrigation.  I am sure that the residential areas now spread up the hillsides and that they are no longer as arid as when we saw them.  In November, the weather was lovely.  It was perfect for strolling and I remember that the blouse I wore was suitable both inside and out.  Now, in July 2018, the weather in California is sizzling hot with wildfires burning out of control.  Hopefully, not near San Diego.

The harbor area.

The sun always shines in San Diego.  It is stitched in a sorta Shishka technique with couched yellow sun rays.  The stitches used to add detail to the fabric applique are mostly the basic ones of stem, chain, satin and couching.

The Star of India, built in 1863, is permanently moored in the harbor.  Her hull is electrical tape applied to felt with added red ribbon. The portholes are french knots and the sails are white felt.  I replaced the original white felt sails a few years ago as they had become discolored and detached for their moorings.

On the left side you will see the lighthouse which is north of the city.  Next to it is the Hotel Coronado.  It is a hotel enjoyed by celebrities and many films have been shot on this location.  The central dining hall is octagonal and all wood.  I think that we were able to afford a cup of coffee there.

San Diego boasts a large and sheltered harbor which is the base of the Pacific fleet of the American Navy.  San Diego and Norfolk, Virginia are both naval bases which means to me, that the sun never sets on the American Navy. The grey object in the harbor is either a whale or a submarine and includes the setting sun.

The water in the harbor is stitched in parallel lines of stem stitch in the style of Hokusai, the Japanese artist.  Sailboats enjoy these sheltered waters.  Their sails are made out of morsels of ribbon.  That ribbon was springy and really hard to attach.  The shores of the harbor have great sandy beaches and it is all warm enough for palm trees.  Yes, it is a city I would love to live in, or at least, visit again, especially during the Canadian winter months.

The fabric pieces all came from drapery samples.  In those long ago days, interior decorators would give you their out of date sample books.  I have made good use of those small pieces of fabric and continue to do so.

In 1984, I entered this piece into the competition at the Embroiderer’s Association of Canada’s annual Seminar.  It won the Enny Award – that is a piece of stitching in any technique, any color etc voted for by the members.  Even that is 34 years ago!  Where did all this years disappear to?

I hope that you have enjoyed this historical tour of San Diego.  Please share this with friends and family especially those who live in or have been to San Diego.  Corrections of the information included are also welcome.

This is not a record of an historical event that includes people but rather a “Snapshot in Time” of the beautiful city of San Diego.  In 1983, my husband and I visited this most interesting city.  While there, I found a black and white line drawing poster designed by Chotre and dated 1979.  I knew that it would make a wonderful textile collage.  We spent most of the next few days driving around identifying the buildings in the poster.

Considering that this is a “snapshot” taken 39 years ago, I know that there will have been many changes in the city though the well known buildings will be much the same – I hope.

This is a fabric collage and most, but not all of the stitching techniques are applique.  Here is a guided tour of the top half of this time dated presentation of this magnificent city.

Starting at the top right hand corner firstly, there are two items of whose meaning I am uncertain.  The blossoms could be tropical and the yellow circles could be hot air.  The building is Mission San Diego de Alcala which was founded by the Spanish in 1769.  It is the oldest mission building in California as the Spanish gradually moved north from Mexico.

The giraffe is represents the San Diego Zoo.  Eucalyptus trees were imported from Australia.  They were intended to supply wood for railway ties but the wood proved to be unsuitable.  Instead, the leaves fed the koala bears in the zoo. I do not know if giraffes eat eucalyptus leaves.

We think the tower is the lookout on the mast of a tuna fishing boat.  The brown roof is that of the Jewish Synagogue.  The Catholic University really does have a light blue dome as is illustrated here.

The five arches and red tiled roof represent the five museums in Balboa Park. The dark blue area, we think, represents the clear night skies where the stars are visible.  Is this the moon or a baseball for the San Padres Baseball team?

The central area includes the downtown skyscrapers. There will be many more of these buildings now. Remember that this was 39 years ago. A snapshot in time.  We enjoyed a wonderful few days there and I treasure the memories.

Please share this with your friends who live in California and know San Diego much better than I do.  I will happily include corrections of this information.

Bottom half of the picture will be posted tomorrow.