This is lovely and sad, so very sweet. A life lived and partly remembered. Do pieces sometimes pop back into place when you write about those times? I've noticed that happening in my own writing. It's fun and somewhat exciting, regaining snippets that I thought were lost. I was never one for dolls, either. They didn't make sense to me. I had a little brother I could play with. I was never very good at make-believe.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Nan. I think writing is sometimes the best shot for things maybe coming back into view, but I envy your amazing recall of your past. It is something to really value. I’ve never been good at make-believe either!
I made dolls and stuffed monsters, and did sell them (did people really buy things I sewed? Me?). Strangely my kids were never really into them. Augie had a plush baby made by manhattan toy company that we called big baby. And then he had bear and raccoon (made by jellycat) for a few years. I gave away almost all of the waldorf dolls I collected from other makers, saving my two favorites. I want to go back to making eclectic rag doll type characters, now that what I make doesn't have to hold up to kid play.
I have always loved plush animals, but had a strong negative reaction to plastic doll flesh, so I never had regular dolls or barbies.
I bought a pair of levis off of ebay last week with holes (I think a manufacturing choice, poor pants are distressed) for the sole purpose of trying out some cool visible mending. I hope to see your altered ugly dolls!
I remember you telling me about the Waldorf dolls. I can totally see you making stuffed monsters. I’m sure if you decide to do new rag dolls, they will be a lot of fun. I can’t believe you had to go buy denim to get hole-y denim! But I hope your mending goes well. I sewed up a torn sweater last week (a cat tear), and my heart wanted to do the kind of awesome mending I admire, but I ended up just getting it basically sewn up and oversewn and about a durable as a brick in hopes it won’t unravel ;)
Aw, Jack. He's quite compelling, even with his mismatched eyes, and I'm wildly impressed at your ability to make anything at all. I can relate to the feeling of losing threads, of wishing I had the ability to hold onto more of life's details. I have a friend from college who seems able to remember so much more than me, and my own mother was similar. I envy that. Then again, they also remember the disappointments better than I do.
Unless it's the product of a faded memory, I have more of a thing for my kids' dolls than I did my own. I remember being fond of two different baby dolls, both very realistic. I left one in the car to go eat in a restaurant with my family and a woman stopped to ask, horrified, why we were leaving the baby in the car! But they were toys and story starters, not "friends" like our Rachel's Dodgie. Thank you for linking to that post, and for sharing the one from Rebecca, which I've only just read.
My heart hurts for you, Amy, with being the keeper of the memories for you and the kids. It is a hard role, and a lonely one. I want to believe you will find a way to share that with someone else some day, but I understand that it won't be the same even if you do. Surely that's why so many end up re-partnering with people from their past.
Maybe Jack just needs to be in your presence for a while, and you in his. Maybe that's enough for now.
Thanks, Elizabeth. I appreciate the comment and the understanding. Memory is tricky and not to be taken for granted, but it is one of those things that people often simply assume everyone does the same. (I’m talking about in the absence of a condition, of course.) That is funny about the baby being left in the car. I hope she felt bad about her assumptions and quick judgement, too. I think Jack has the ability to be sort of like a throw pillow we made or a quilt, something familiar and sweet and comfortable, something of my hands,, but definitely not a friend. I guess the other things really are the same kind of potential portals, but for some reason, Jack really got into my head this week — more to do with the birthdays maybe than anything else. No need to worry. As the youngest turns 21, it just seems, really, that everything is over in so many ways. Your children are older, I know. I saw your harrowing Super Bowl Sunday memory. Wow! I hope today was cozy and indoors and much more low-key.
A good reminder that I had meant to draw the kids' current "most loved" stuffies. We came across some older photos that encouraged me to draw the current set now before they change to something new again.
This is lovely and sad, so very sweet. A life lived and partly remembered. Do pieces sometimes pop back into place when you write about those times? I've noticed that happening in my own writing. It's fun and somewhat exciting, regaining snippets that I thought were lost. I was never one for dolls, either. They didn't make sense to me. I had a little brother I could play with. I was never very good at make-believe.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Nan. I think writing is sometimes the best shot for things maybe coming back into view, but I envy your amazing recall of your past. It is something to really value. I’ve never been good at make-believe either!
I made dolls and stuffed monsters, and did sell them (did people really buy things I sewed? Me?). Strangely my kids were never really into them. Augie had a plush baby made by manhattan toy company that we called big baby. And then he had bear and raccoon (made by jellycat) for a few years. I gave away almost all of the waldorf dolls I collected from other makers, saving my two favorites. I want to go back to making eclectic rag doll type characters, now that what I make doesn't have to hold up to kid play.
I have always loved plush animals, but had a strong negative reaction to plastic doll flesh, so I never had regular dolls or barbies.
I bought a pair of levis off of ebay last week with holes (I think a manufacturing choice, poor pants are distressed) for the sole purpose of trying out some cool visible mending. I hope to see your altered ugly dolls!
I remember you telling me about the Waldorf dolls. I can totally see you making stuffed monsters. I’m sure if you decide to do new rag dolls, they will be a lot of fun. I can’t believe you had to go buy denim to get hole-y denim! But I hope your mending goes well. I sewed up a torn sweater last week (a cat tear), and my heart wanted to do the kind of awesome mending I admire, but I ended up just getting it basically sewn up and oversewn and about a durable as a brick in hopes it won’t unravel ;)
Aw, Jack. He's quite compelling, even with his mismatched eyes, and I'm wildly impressed at your ability to make anything at all. I can relate to the feeling of losing threads, of wishing I had the ability to hold onto more of life's details. I have a friend from college who seems able to remember so much more than me, and my own mother was similar. I envy that. Then again, they also remember the disappointments better than I do.
Unless it's the product of a faded memory, I have more of a thing for my kids' dolls than I did my own. I remember being fond of two different baby dolls, both very realistic. I left one in the car to go eat in a restaurant with my family and a woman stopped to ask, horrified, why we were leaving the baby in the car! But they were toys and story starters, not "friends" like our Rachel's Dodgie. Thank you for linking to that post, and for sharing the one from Rebecca, which I've only just read.
My heart hurts for you, Amy, with being the keeper of the memories for you and the kids. It is a hard role, and a lonely one. I want to believe you will find a way to share that with someone else some day, but I understand that it won't be the same even if you do. Surely that's why so many end up re-partnering with people from their past.
Maybe Jack just needs to be in your presence for a while, and you in his. Maybe that's enough for now.
Thanks, Elizabeth. I appreciate the comment and the understanding. Memory is tricky and not to be taken for granted, but it is one of those things that people often simply assume everyone does the same. (I’m talking about in the absence of a condition, of course.) That is funny about the baby being left in the car. I hope she felt bad about her assumptions and quick judgement, too. I think Jack has the ability to be sort of like a throw pillow we made or a quilt, something familiar and sweet and comfortable, something of my hands,, but definitely not a friend. I guess the other things really are the same kind of potential portals, but for some reason, Jack really got into my head this week — more to do with the birthdays maybe than anything else. No need to worry. As the youngest turns 21, it just seems, really, that everything is over in so many ways. Your children are older, I know. I saw your harrowing Super Bowl Sunday memory. Wow! I hope today was cozy and indoors and much more low-key.
A good reminder that I had meant to draw the kids' current "most loved" stuffies. We came across some older photos that encouraged me to draw the current set now before they change to something new again.