I walked into the living room and there she was, surrounded by all the lost dolls, old and new. They sat there enthralled as she performed nursery rhymes.

So what to do with her? The goose was a dead giveaway…

Thus begins the description for O.L.D. (Once-Loved Doll) No. 127, Mother Goose and Guy, her gander. You can see their adoption page HERE. She’s a 15″ Effanbee Anne Shirley. I love them for costumed dolls.

Several months ago my own wee dear sister Julie sent me a Pin she found interesting. It was a Halloween costume of a little girl dressed as an elf sitting on a mushroom. The girl’s legs were the mushroom’s stem, meanwhile, fake legs were posed crossed-legged on the mushroom.

This sent my imagination flying. I had done a similar costume myself for my son, Adam. One year for Halloween he was “Woody Riding Bullseye.” What fun to make a costume for a doll along those lines! I kept my eye out for ideas, and suddenly, there it was: an old tin toy of Mother Goose astride her gander.

But when it came right down to it, that goose was going to have to be HUGE in order for the entire body of a doll to fit within. For practical purposes, and not wanting this doll, now that I’d finally gotten to her, to take eons to create, I decided that the doll herself would be riding a goose. Making that goose sturdy enough to actually support her and not fall was challenge enough.

Thank goodness for WIRE HANGERS!!

I chose the thickest wire hanger I could find from the tangle of them hanging in a basket from the knob of my sewing room door and bent it into an upside down “U” shape with the top of the U following the curve of the goose’s back, and an “L” at each end for the center “toe” of Guy’s foot. With the remaining bits of hanger I made two “V”s for his feet and a smaller “L” behind for stability. I then found all the available bags of cotton balls in Rolfe. Some from my own sewing room, the last remaining bag at our grocery store, and Julie’s bag besides. This goose is STURDY.

But in my last post, I promised an illusion! This was when I was still planning for the dolls legs to be the goose’s legs. A-HAH!! More wire! Not hangers this time, but a fine wire light enough to stay afloat while still being sturdy enough to support the fabric and lining for Mother Goose’s cape. And, voila!

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I’d like to thank fellow Rolfian Jule H. for the nice box of fabric. I used some for this skirt. I love fresh blood! Ahem.

You can find the pattern for the goose HERE. There aren’t any directions, so you just have to wing it. Har. These are the jokes, folks!

I modified it a little. I wanted our goose, who is named Guy, to be able to open and close his beak so I added extra pieces and inserted some folded chipboard. I also inserted a square dowel into his neck so he would never droop. His eyes are black glass beads, and his bow is 100% silk from an upholstery sample square. Guy measures just over 12″ tall.

So there you have them! The FIRST for Halloween 2019.

Izzy the Bee Charmer was adopted by Barbara E. of Diamondhead, Mississippi. Izzy reunited with two of her O.L.D. sisters and from what I hear is very happy indeed. Thank you, Barbara!

And with that I leave you on this thundery, rainy day. Nothing like a good thunderstorm! And nothing like YOU, for you are my favorite!