The original Hitty is
an old wooden doll that once belonged to Rachel Field, who wrote a book about her in 1929
called Hitty: Her First Hundred Years. In the book, Hitty has many
adventures including getting left behind in church, sailing in a whale boat, becoming an
idol on a Pacific island. Because of this tradition, a reproduction Hitty needs to have
adventures too.
This is Hitty looking at the picture in the book that her dress was copied
from. I bought the fabric that her dress is made from many years ago, when the Sears
catalog still offered sewing supplies. In those days, Vincent Price, the actor, selected
art for Sears. This line of fabric was copied from actual old material, and down the side
of it, it says "A Sears Vincent Price National Treasure". I had kept it in my
cedar chest for 30 years, waiting for the right doll to come along. When I saw the picture
of Hitty in the book looking at the sampler, I knew she was the right doll.
My friend, Jelane, and I have been friends since we
were 15 years old, which is a long time. Though she and her husband live in San Francisco,
we have kept closely in touch all of these years. When I first decided to make Hitty,
Jelane asked "What's wrong with your own dolls." I was so excited about Hitty,
that I sent her a copy of one of the pictures from the book, and eventually pictures
of my Hitty. Jelane got the book at the library, and maybe she was able to understand why
I liked Hitty so much. She likes to quilt and do counted cross stitch, so when I told her
there was something she could make in the Hitty book, and that was the sampler by little
Thankful. Eventually a sampler for my Hitty arrived. Jelane copied it from the picture in
the book, and here is Hitty with it.
I
decided to let Hitty live in my 2" to the foot dollhouse, which was made from
patterns in The Dollhouse Book by Estelle Ansley Worrell. The house has
four rooms, two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. This picture is of Hitty's own
room. Hitty's bed is one that was made for 8" dolls probably in the 1950's. She also
has a wardrobe, a rocking chair made from an aluminum can, end tables and trunks. I have
made furniture for this house from laminated cardboard, and many of the things in it have
sentimental attachments. The whatnot over the wardrobe was brought back to me from Disney
World by my son, Dale. My daughter, Becky, gave me the little clock, which really works. I
made the blue sampler for my daughter, Sara's dollhouse in 1985. Hitty's dollhouse is a
Christmas ornament, and the oil lamp is an Avon perfume bottle. Hitty is holding a little
wooden doll given to her by our friend, Melanie.
My Hitty has had a lot of adventures in her
five years of life. Her first adventure was a trip to
Tucson, Arizona for my youngest daughter's wedding. This
picture is of her looking over the wall at the San Xavier del Bac
Mission. All of her other outings have been closer to home,
the longest trips being to Chicago and to the International Crane
Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin. I enjoy taking Hitty places,
because she makes me look at things with fresh eyes as if she is seeing
everything for the first time.
Not to long ago, I found a book at a flea
market. It is called DOLLS, An anthology, and of course the
word "dolls" always gets my attention. It's a
collection of poems about dolls put together by Julia A. Robinson in
1938. The very first poem is by Rachel Field, and I wonder
if she was thinking of Hitty:
The original Hitty is
an old wooden doll that once belonged to Rachel Field, who wrote a book about her in 1929
called Hitty: Her First Hundred Years. In the book, Hitty has many
adventures including getting left behind in church, sailing in a whale boat, becoming an
idol on a Pacific island. Because of this tradition, a reproduction Hitty needs to have
adventures too. 
This is Hitty looking at the picture in the book that her dress was copied
from. I bought the fabric that her dress is made from many years ago, when the Sears
catalog still offered sewing supplies. In those days, Vincent Price, the actor, selected
art for Sears. This line of fabric was copied from actual old material, and down the side
of it, it says "A Sears Vincent Price National Treasure". I had kept it in my
cedar chest for 30 years, waiting for the right doll to come along. When I saw the picture
of Hitty in the book looking at the sampler, I knew she was the right doll.
My friend, Jelane, and I have been friends since we
were 15 years old, which is a long time. Though she and her husband live in San Francisco,
we have kept closely in touch all of these years. When I first decided to make Hitty,
Jelane asked "What's wrong with your own dolls." I was so excited about Hitty,
that I sent her a copy of one of the pictures from the book, and eventually pictures
of my Hitty. Jelane got the book at the library, and maybe she was able to understand why
I liked Hitty so much. She likes to quilt and do counted cross stitch, so when I told her
there was something she could make in the Hitty book, and that was the sampler by little
Thankful. Eventually a sampler for my Hitty arrived. Jelane copied it from the picture in
the book, and here is Hitty with it.
I
decided to let Hitty live in my 2" to the foot dollhouse, which was made from
patterns in The Dollhouse Book by Estelle Ansley Worrell. The house has
four rooms, two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. This picture is of Hitty's own
room. Hitty's bed is one that was made for 8" dolls probably in the 1950's. She also
has a wardrobe, a rocking chair made from an aluminum can, end tables and trunks. I have
made furniture for this house from laminated cardboard, and many of the things in it have
sentimental attachments. The whatnot over the wardrobe was brought back to me from Disney
World by my son, Dale. My daughter, Becky, gave me the little clock, which really works. I
made the blue sampler for my daughter, Sara's dollhouse in 1985. Hitty's dollhouse is a
Christmas ornament, and the oil lamp is an Avon perfume bottle. Hitty is holding a little
wooden doll given to her by our friend, Melanie.
