The Mary Frances Sewing Book - Adventures Among the Thimble People

This is the kind of book that just enthralls me.  I am always so amazed to see the books that children of a bygone era read and used.  This is a simply wonderful book.  It's delightful to read, but also gives very detailed instructions for learning to hand sew.  The little sampler strips the author has you sew to practice the stitches are not unlike the strips my home economics teacher made us do way back in the seventh grade.  I'm not sure what age this was geared to, but I am assuming around age 10.  It was published for the first time in 1913, back in an age where little girls were little girls for a while and it was acceptable to play with their dolls much later than girls nowadays sometimes do.

I have to admit I got quite caught up in the process described in the story and immediately wanted to start sewing for a doll.  Now I have quite a few projects already going, including several doll projects, but had to figure out if I had a doll needing clothes that would fit the time period and the patterns.  A quick scan of my doll cabinet and some measuring with my tape measure brought me to this little Schoenhut.  She's been sitting in my doll cabinet for 20 years wearing just her union suit.  She is just the right size and from the right era to wear the clothes in the Mary Frances sewing book.  So now I have ANOTHER project!  :)  I'd like to make her the entire wardrobe in the book, following the directions they give.  I think it will be lots of fun.

~Jane - Who has also decided she needs a sewing bird like the one mentioned in the book.  :)