Take a Notion

I have been sewing for nearly as long as long as I can remember. Before that, I watched my mother sew.  Over time I have gathered a collection of sewing notions. Some are leftovers, or were purchased for a project that never happened. Some were salvaged from throwaway garments. And, once in a while I buy a bundle of treasure at a thrift shop or an estate sale. The button I used for a hat on this girl has been in my button box for at least 45 years. I may have played with it when it was in my mom's button box.

The idea of using sewing notions and ephemera in my work has come to mind recently as I try to figure out how I can express my personal and family culture in my dolls.  Using these treasures fights with the desire to keep and save them. But the time has come to let them go where they can be enjoyed.  I see lots of possibilities in the shadow box figure idea pictured here. Her body is made from paper mache covered with polymer clay. The head and arms are polymer clay. She is embellished with buttons and part of a zipper.

The story of the Mary Jane Garment Company would fit here, but deserves more time than I have now. I'll begin to look through the collection and scan some photos for a blog post in March.