Dolls In Canada
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About this ebook
Dolls in Canada is two books in one. The first section is a personal and engaging look at dolls which make up our heritage; pioneer dolls, native people’s dolls, dolls from various cultural groups in Canada, dolls from legends and stories, dolls in different styles and materials, and dolls by Canadian artists.
Part two contains easy-to-follow instructions on how to make over fifteen different types of dolls, from rag dolls to jumping jacks, from hanky panky dolls to clothespeg dolls.
Marion E. Hislop
Marion Hislop has had a life-long interest in dollmaking and collecting. This interest became public in 1977 when she put together her "Good Neighbour Doll Show" in order to entertain children in schools and public libraries. This show was made up of dolls both from the various regions of Canada and from the many cultural backgrounds which make up the Canadian mosaic. Mrs. Hislop was born and educated in the city of Toronto. She now lives in Edmonton.
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Dolls In Canada - Marion E. Hislop
doll
The Doll Lady
I want to introduce myself. My name is Marion Hislop, and because of my interest in collecting and making dolls, my family and friends call me the Doll Lady.
I have been collecting dolls for many years now. Each doll is unique, and each doll tells a story. In fact, I believe that dolls are the storytellers of people and their heritage — and this book records some of these stories.
Later in the book, I will be showing you dolls from the many regions and cultures that make up Canada, and then I will show you how to make some dolls. But first, I want to tell you a story about myself and my love of dolls.
The story which I am going to share with you begins on a lovely bright December day in Black Creek Pioneer Village — a reconstructed nineteenth-century village on the outskirts of Toronto. I was visiting on this day because I was going to make a special doll for the village, and I needed to have very old materials with which to make it. I wanted this doll to look as though it were really over 100 years old, and that it had belonged to a little child who had lived in pioneer days.
I invite you to come along with me as I make my rounds. Of course, we must promise not to be in the way of the workers.
Our first stop is at the shop of the village weaver. As we open the door to his shop we see that Weaver is working at his loom. He is weaving colourful rags into floor mats. I explain to Weaver why I am there, and he shows me a barrel which stands behind the door to his shop. In the barrel we find pieces of old cloth and rags. While Weaver and I are sorting through the rags he tells me that he uses these pieces to weave the long strips to make the mats.
Our search is most successful, for we found the skirts from two old dresses, and these will make lovely dresses for the little rag doll. As Weaver helps me to gather up the rags and to return them to his old rag barrel, I see a little piece of plaid silk, and I ask him for this as well. I thank Weaver for his kindness, and also for the donations towards the little heritage doll.
Our next adventure will take us across the dirt road and along the wooden sidewalk to the home of Mr. and Mrs. MacKenzie. Mr. MacKenzie is the village clockmaker, while his wife does sewing and dressmaking for the people in Black Creek Village. As we enter the front door, we can see the old clockmaker working on a beautiful old clock. He does not seem to mind that we have stopped to watch him at his work. He tells us how he tries to make these old clocks work again. Mr. MacKenzie also tells us how he goes from house to house in the village to wind the clocks, as he does not like them to be wound by different people. He explains how clocks should not be over-wound, and he reminds us that in the days of Black Creek Village, there wasn’t any electricity to run the clocks.
Mary Ann
But now we must continue with our doll-materials-collection bee. Mr. MacKenzie tells us to go across the hall and on through the parlour to the warm kitchen, where we will find Mrs. MacKenzie at work at her little sewing machine. This sewing machine is operated by a treadle which Mrs. MacKenzie works with her foot.
Once again I explain why I am visiting the houses in the village today, and Mrs. MacKenzie invites me to sit down while she makes us a cup of tea. It does not take long to make the tea as the big old kettle has been singing away on the back of the big old wood-burning stove all morning.
While Mrs. MacKenzie and I are enjoying our tea, we sort over bits and pieces of trim and ribbons which are in a sewing basket. I pick out the things which I think will be useful for my doll. As Mrs. MacKenzie is returning her sewing basket to her shelf, she asks me if I would like to have some tiny white buttons. There is an old glass jar filled with all kinds of buttons, and I carefully choose some tiny white pearl buttons which I will sew onto the doll’s underclothes. Soon I am again trying to express my thanks for these donations, and for the cup of hot tea.
Next we move on to the village inn. This inn is called Half Way House.
Many inns like this were called Half Way House
because they were half way between one town or village and the next. In pioneer times, the roads between towns were very rough, sometimes no more than paths through the bush and around the creeks and ponds. On stage coach journeys, both passengers and horses needed frequent stops, and so these half way houses grew up. Here the passengers could have a meal, and the driver could change his team of horses. Some of these rest stops were only rough log shacks, while others were impressive two-storey buildings like this one in Black Creek Village.
In Half Way House, I see my friend Mrs. Baker who is busy setting the table for the noon dinner. She smiles at me, and willingly takes time from her work to help in my search for old materials. In a cupboard drawer Mrs. Baker finds a bit of old Irish lace and a linen cloth, neatly patched, as well as a long strand of linen cord. This linen cord was made from flax grown on the nearby farm. When the flax ripened, it was cut and dried in the sun. Then it was spun and wound into a large skein ready for use. I knew right away that I could use this cord to sew on the rag doll’s head, and I was also sure that the head would never come off, for the linen cord was very, very strong. Mrs. Baker tells me that dinner will soon be served and suggests that we stay and enjoy some of the food which we could smell being cooked in the kitchen. While we are enjoying our meal, perhaps I could take a few minutes to tell you why I wanted to make this special little rag doll for Black Creek Village.
Before I began my collection bee that day, I had been doing quite a lot of researching so that I would know just what I would need in order to make this rag doll in just the same way she would have been made in the days before 1867. This doll was to look as though she had belonged to a child living in Black Creek Village at this time in our pioneer heritage.
Did you know that we have very few samples of the pioneer period in our museums? The reason for this is that the little dresses and suits were often passed on from one member of the family to the next