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The most recent, recently re-legged O.L.D. is up for adoption! Her name is Guinevere, and you can see her adoption page HERE.

Guinevere could hardly contain her excitement. Christmas eve was finally here! She had asked her woodland friends to meet her by their favorite tree at midnight because she had a surprise for them. She made her way through the forest, clutching her basket of presents. There were carrots for Rabbit, acorns for Squirrel, a birdseed cake for Redbird, wild blueberries for Owl, and mealworms for Hedgehog. 

The moonlight peeked through the trees. Guinevere’s lantern provided the rest of the necessary light, although she knew this forest like the back of her hand, even in the dark. She was almost there! Just a few more yards…

She entered the clearing and gasped. There her woodland friends were, gathered around their tree.

“Surprise!” they all shouted. “Merry Christmas!” they cheered.

Sometimes, making small creatures is harder than making large ones. I was going to make entire tea setting for them, but realized that Christmas would be long gone by the time I finished. Ah well!

Guinevere thought that she would be the one playing Santa and giving gifts, but the animals had given her one too; they had decorated the tree with garland and ornaments and a shiny gold star on top. It was a night none of them would ever forget…

Don’t worry! No mealworms were harmed in the making of this story. It was RICE.

As mentioned in my last post, Guinevere arrived with a chopped up wig. I searched through my stash, and the human hair wig I found that suited her best was the right age, but was in pretty rough shape, made for a larger doll, and styled for braids or pigtails (the seam runs all the way down the back of the head). It was also very stiff, as if someone had set it with spray glue!

I washed it, reinforced that hand-wefting with fine sewing machine stitches, and rotated one half so it would flow down her back. I then set it in rag curls. Technically, paper towel curlers so I can control the size, but set in a rag-curl method.

Her cape is old olive green velvet with mink (I think) (POET!) trim, her skirt is Ralph Lauren fabric, and her slip was made from a child’s slip from around 1910 or so, judging by the style.

Her appearance with the new-to-her wig inspired her clothing. I channeled Guinevere from the 1967 movie musical Camelot, starring Vanessa Redgrave. The title of this post is a play on Guinevere’s song, “The Lusty Month of May.”

Guinevere is older than my usual composition dolls. She’s a bisque head doll from Germany with a composition body. I love that she has pierced ears. My research team (my friend Brenda of Rochester, New York who is very good at such things), couldn’t find her maker based on her markings, but she has the look of a Kestner doll. “A what?” you may ask. Well, we doll people know. She’s a pretty little thing. I hope she and her woodland friends find a good home. I have no doubt they will.

And with that, I leave you! Have a Very Merry Christmas, my love to you all! You’re my favorite.

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