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| "Queen for a Day" © 1998 by Maria Pahls |
primitive pals #034
© Copyright 1997 Maria Pahls
the fence post
(editor's letter)
dear friends:
as halloween descends upon us there are many last minute easy things you can create to enhance your home decor. try building a halloween tree to hang small spooky ornaments from. just use a simple wooden base and drill a fair sized hole to accommodate a branch about 2-3 ft tall. select other smaller branches to fit into drilled holes on the sides of the main branch. be sure to use live wood so that breakage doesn't occur and to secure every thing with wood glue. have a festive season,
primitively yours
maria pahls
miscellaneous letters sent in by readers
Nancy g found a shop she wanted to share with us:
" Haven't posted anything before, because my "ordinary" work really isn't primitive, but have to share that my first wholesale sale is to a primitive shop!! Thanks to friend and fellow primitive pal Shari who introduced me to it, I'm selling them some small snowmen and santas with hopes of adding more things later. Really incredible. For any of you who live in eastern PA or western NJ, it's a nice shop--called Primitive Seasons, on Main St. in Dublin, PA (near Doylestown). Check it out.Thanks also for all the interesting ways to tea/coffee/gravy stain fabrics --never knew there were so many variations!"
shari l wrote this note:
"Maria; I really must agree with the statement that primitive is more difficult to do. I find for me it takes great concentration to have my things turn out well. Sonja from Hickety Pickety has a wonderful technique of applying paper mache on over the muslin, and I just love her patterns. I did some little kittens using her pattern and technique, and was sorry to see them go. I also did Boo Kitty, which I hang on my door as a door decoration. It really looks great on a door! and so different. He drags a little witch---can't tell you how many people have asked me to make just the little witch!I want to make just boo kittys head, but smaller, and use as a halloween tree decoration. Witchy-poos head would work for that also. " Shari
primitive ponderings
questions asked by readers, then replied upon in later issues.
a thought to ponder from judie:
" I was writing to another pp and because I told her I am now working on, my spring designs we were discussing upcoming trends. I had mentioned that fairies seem popular and with a new national movie coming out on fairies that maybe they would be good for spring. She commented that she had never seen a primitive fairie. Well, that got me to thinking. Why not?? I love a challenge. So, have any of you ever seen a primitive fairie? Do you think that a fairie could be considered primitive if made right? Just curious. There are primitive angels and fairies don't seem too big of a leap away. What do you think??"
editors note: primitive pals has decided to do a fairy swap- look for it in a popular doll magazine in spring of 1999! more details will be posted as available.
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tips & techniques
highlights of tips sent in by readers
caryn has some tips on sewing room organization (#30)
" I make my own patterns and had a terrible time organizing them so I could quickly reach the ones I needed. I pin all my pattern pieces together and then stick them to one of two huge bulletin boards and pin up small swatches of fabric or anything else that might get lost.
Another idea that has simplified my life is a huge lightweight plastic tool box. It has little compartments on the top for safety pins etc., and other areas for needle and thread, wire, hammer. I keep everything in this box and when I do shows I just grab my box and I know all the little things I may need are all together.
I have also had wonderful results making primitives using tan flannel for the bodies. I use pigma brand pens to make a simple face and then smear and smudge fresh coffee grounds into their skin. It looks OLD, but not too contrived. I use sandpaper and rub like crazy on flannel prints for dresses and shirts after I get them on the doll to wear away the fabric in certain spots. The result is great. "
a quick tip on arranging stuff from a fellow member..
"I know what I like but don't know how to arrange it all together. Anyway, some of the things that have worked for me are a hanging shelf/quilt rack. I can hang an old quilt and then put stuff on the shelf part. Dolls, old books, wood stuff, etc) If you have floor space, pick up some old suitcases at a garage sale or thrift shop. Stack them on top of each other. Leave the top one open and set stuff inside it. Old picnic baskets are great for this too."
judie describes a technique for making old looking doll clothes:
"I wanted to try and duplicate the look of some old doll clothes I bought at auction this summer. Muslin was too firmly woven and cheese cloth too loose. The cloth is a fine lawn or muslin, but looser looking than any I could find.
While roaming the fabric store, I found a very finely woven cheesecloth which I washed several times in very hot water to soften . I then dyed it brown/gold with rit ( as tea dye was not yellow enough). After sewing the dress to look similar to the old one, I sand papered worn spots in several areas. I picked open the fabric around one shoulder seam and at the waist. The original was worn like this,not right on the seam, but right next to it. It looks raveled and pulled-like little hands have pulled it off and on too many times. I added a couple of stains with Kitchen Bouquet,also put the buttons on with thread too long so they sort of dangle. It looks very authentic if I do say so myself."
F E F E F E F E
burlap sack
mail order resources section
Primitive Seasons
123 N. Main
Dublin, PA
phone: (215) 249-9668the shop nancy visited, primitive seasons, is owned by 5 women, all primitive folk artists from the local area. they make all sorts of things including but not limited to primitive signs, dolls, quilts, and primitive wood items for decorating home and garden. they have even published their own cook book with decorating tips.
collectible halloween
book reviews
&
books of interest
(pamela e. apkarian-russell)
a schiffer book for collectors
1987 - isbn 0-7643-0281-7
web sites of members & other sites of interest
santa web ring
http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=santaring&list
article on halloween collectibles
http://antiques.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa030797.htm
halloween collectibles
http://members.aol.com/halween/
O P O P O P "take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heaven so fine that the world will be in love with night"
prose
poetry and verses to use for samplers etc.
romeo & juliet - william shakespeare
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