Nostalgic Find

When I was out on New Year's Eve looking for free stuff I ran across an old friend.

Carrie Keeper, missing her bonnet, but still a
place to store a girls hair bows. 

About 25-30 years ago I was a stay at home Mom with two growing girls and looking for an outlet for my creative juices, and extra money. I had always sewn and enjoyed making clothes for my girls and myself. I ran across a pattern for a "Carrie Keeper" ($3, check or MO!) in a craft magazine, ordered it and made some for Christmas gifts and then made some for a friend that ran a doll shop in town. I was hooked on crafts. I probably made 300+ during the frenzy of less than a year. That got me hooked. I stayed at home, created AND made some money.

Carrie Keeper originally had a round bonnet that covered the back of her head and a bone ring for hanging. The pigtails were for clipping hair bows. Hair bows were all the rage, still are. Her face is hand painted, lightly stuffed, and stretched over a cut salt box frame. Reduce and reuse even back then.

Next, my doll shop friend convinced me to make Cabbage Patch Doll Clothes. That's a whole other story.

She looks pretty good for a gal her age. Aged well and I don't know if some little girl used her for hair bows or just on her wall. I remember painting those faces and how to assemble them. (I probably could make them in my sleep, even now.) I see the fabric I used for her hat every day. I used the scraps from all of the fabric (available in pink, peach, lavender, blue!!) I used for the hats to make a quilt that I have on my bed right now.

Somehow I think she has found her new forever home.