Ruth
Private
- Joined
- May 17, 2017
A few weeks ago while looking for inspiration for a patriotic doll I stumbled across a term I'd never heard before: Vivandiere. What wonderous new thing was this? I've since learned so much from all of you and have a new appreciation for these brave women.
A little backstory, I make my living restoring old dolls, namely composition dolls from the 1930's, and then creating new clothes and personas for them before putting them up for adoption on ebay starting at $9.99. This is not for the faint of heart! I never know what a girl will go for.
I hope you experts aren't disappointed in her; she's not historically accurate. I'm sure there's some French as well as Civil War Vivandiere in there. As a lay(wo)man living in the middle of nowhere, I have to use the materials I have on hand. As an artist, I have to use what appeals to me. So I've taken different things that inspired me from different photographic images, and knowing what I have in my stash, here is what I came up with. Vivian:
I have learned so much from this site! For example, what a "kepi" is:
I dress my dolls from head to toe, including the boots, using as many natural and vintage materials as I can.
I even made the 36 star flag! At first I miscounted and had to squeeze some stars in. Math is not my strong suit.
I also "MacGyver" a lot. For example, Vivian's cask is made from popsicle sticks, napkin rings, a wooden spool a metal shaft from a paint brush, and another metal thingy I found in the road.
Hope you enjoy! You can see Vivian's adoption page HERE. She ends this Sunday. Wish me luck!
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