Who really needs a brand new bicycle?

A small packet popped through my letterbox yesterday and in it I found a book I'd recently purchased entitled 'Milly Molly Mandy & Co'. Happily this now completes my Milly Molly Mandy collection.

If you've seen my recent posts you'll already know I'm a big fan of these charming stories that were written and illustrated by Joyce Lankester Brisley many decades ago. Although modern paperbacks are widely available all my books are hardbacks and date from the 1940s and 1950s. As you can see they aren't in pristine condition but as I love the feel and smell of vintage books that makes them even more appealing.

Just in case you are interested in collecting the MMM books yourself here are the titles with dates when they were first published. They have all been reprinted on a regular basis and are available from several online second-hand book sellers.

1). Milly Molly Mandy Stories (1928), 2). More of Milly Molly Mandy (1929). 3). Further Doings of Milly Molly Mandy (1932), 4). Milly Molly Mandy Again (1948), 5). Milly Molly Mandy & Co (1955), and finally 6). Milly Molly Mandy and Billy Blunt which was published much later in 1967. This last book is more difficult to find and therefore prices are way beyond my reach.

Whenever I feel the need to escape reality and spend a short while in a gentler less demanding world I know I can turn to any of the stories in these books. Yesterday I chose 'Milly Molly Mandy learns to ride'. The story begins when MMM sees a wealthy school friend riding a brand new bicycle and of course she longs for one too, but she knows a new bike is out of the question.

As so often happens, her friend Billy Blunt comes to the rescue and shows Milly Molly Mandy (and little friend Susan) two large old rusty bicycles in his dad's garden shed. Not deterred by the state of them the three friends take out the bikes and set about rubbing them with bunches of grass to clean them. After several hours scraping, rubbing and oiling the bicycles are in a fit state to ride. Finally Billy's dad adjusts the saddles and the friends are ready to test their machines.



Of course there is much rattling and creaking as they ride across the rough grass and bruises and scrapes are many but they all have the 'bestest' time and by the end of the day they have learnt to ride.

This little tale brought back happy memories of the old bike I owned as a child. It was a hand-me-down from a family friend and much too big for me to begin with, but I persevered and eventually learnt to ride it (but not before several tumbles into a nettle patch).

My two brothers were several years younger than me and as family funds were more plentiful when they reached bike riding age they inevitably received brand new ones. But as I'd loved my old bike it has never occurred to me to complain.

Milly Molly Mandy and friends come from the 'make do and mend' age when items you owned were treasured and repaired when broken. I wonder what the author of these gentle tales would think about our own throw-away society where 'shiny new' and 'state of the art' items are keenly sought and young owners of unfashionable hand-me-downs have to be prepared for ridicule and in some cases bullying by their peers.

In Britain the cost of living has risen sharply in the last few months and we are all unhappy about having to pay more for almost everything. It has become a time to prioritise and consider whether certain purchases are absolutely essential, but adjusting is proving difficult for many. Yesterday I watched a typical TV interview with a large group of mothers who were angrily complaining that they'd been forced to take on extra part time work so that their families could continue living the life they'd grown accustomed to. The parents and their kids apparently couldn't imagine going without their usual holiday this year and of course the latest fashion wear and accessories for the coming summer were an absolute 'must' . . . . . . In complete contrast to these angry mums there followed a news bulletin showing yet more pictures of the utter devastation wreaked by the tsunami in Japan. Lone souls, silent and dignified, could be seen wandering aimlessly through mile upon mile of unrecognisable debris trying in vain to locate the places where their homes once stood . . . . . . How dare we complain?

Fishing for fairies

Here at Flutterby Patch we all love reading Mabel Lucie Attwell annuals and my little dolls especially like the pictures of the tiny fairy folk. One of their favourite stories is this one where a little girl catches a fairy in her fishing net. But when she lifts the net the rascally fairy flies away.

My two dolls Tilly and Kate long to catch a fairy but the weather outside today was cold and damp and so Tilly decided she would open the playroom window and she and Kate would take turns to hold the fishing net ready to catch any little fairy that popped in for a look around. They waited.....and waited........

..........then suddenly..........Plop! Something tiny landed on the window sill and Kate was quick to catch the 'something' in her net. Could it possibly be a fairy?

Kate held tightly to the net whilst Tilly closed the window.

Then Kate removed the net and picked up the little 'something'.....

........... and much to her delight it was indeed a tiny fairy.

 Measuring just 15cm (6in) he was the sweetest little fellow dressed from head to toe in scarlet and green.

He showed no sign of wanting to escape.

He even danced a little jig, much to the amusement of the two girls.

I think he might have come to stay for a while and the dolls will spoil him of course. If he should get lonely he'll find plenty of companions in our Lucie Attwell Annuals.

A BIG thank you to those of you who left thoughtful comments with my previous post (A skip down Memory Lane). It was good to see Milly Molly Mandy is such a great favourite worldwide. It seems the books never fail to stir happy childhood memories.

Several of you asked about the little dolly I featured. You quite rightly presumed she was inspired by Waldorf dolls. Her head, which is roughly the size of a conker (horse chestnut), is made using the Waldorf method. It was quite a fiddly process working on something so small but I've always loved making miniature items and so persevered. She measures 15cm (6in). Her arms and legs are covered pipe cleaners, her hair is mohair knitting yarn, her dress is Liberty lawn and her cardigan is knitted with 4 ply Shetland wool. The head and features of the little fairy found by Tilly and Kate is also Waldorf inspired.

Before I started blogging three years ago I knew very little about Waldorf dolls and their history and hadn't a clue how one was put together. Creating the head and features is a fascinating procedure and the resulting dollies are just the sweetest little characters. I've seen many of these dolls featured in blogland but the blog that has always been in my favourites list is Little Jenny Wren. Jenny never fails to amaze me with the little people she creates. She never seems to run out of ideas and as a result every doll is different. Jenny's lucky little dollies regularly travel to new homes around the world. Do pop over and take a look.

Meanwhile, if you'd like to know more about making Waldorf dolls you'll find plenty of information online and there are several good books (with patterns) available. Another blogging friend of mine has just completed her first doll and what a pretty little girl she is. You'll find her at Mary Jane's Tearoom.

Time to visit Tilly and Kate and check their new found friend with his mischievous grin isn't wreaking havoc in the playroom.

A skip down Memory Lane

I went for a happy skip down Memory Lane this week. It all started when I read a few Milly Molly Mandy stories and it ended with the making of this little dolly. . . . . . But more of her later, first the books.

I'm sure these delightful stories will be familiar to most of you. They were written and illustrated by Joyce Lankester Brisley. The first tale was published in the 1920s and more appeared on a regular basis until the 1960s.

Milly Molly Mandy lives in an English village in a nice white cottage with a thatched roof. You can see it in the top left hand corner of the map (click on map to enlarge). Across the lane lives her little friend Susan. Wouldn't you love to have a home here and be part of this happy village community?

Milly Molly Mandy lives with what today would be referred to as an 'extended family'. There's father, mother, grandpa, grandma, uncle and aunty and happy family meals are always taken at the kitchen table. When this story was written there was no TV so there were no 'unmissable programmes' to lure anyone away from the table.

Little girls who wanted to look 'grown up' would try on mummy's old clothes and grandma's hat. Cosmetics for children were unheard of in those days and applying real lipstick was not encouraged. So youngsters would rely on sweets like Smarties. The red sweets when licked and smeared on the lips would obligingly deposit a rich scarlet stain (needless to say the tongue was also stained scarlet but that didn't matter).

Toys were few and so treated with care. But who needed toys when the 'bestest fun' could be had from building tents from old table cloths and counterpanes draped over chairs and broom handles.

Or how about a game of 'horses' played by galloping astride a sturdy stick.

Perhaps the picture I find most poignant is this one showing the two little girls heading off alone into the open countryside in search of blackberries. With so many of today's children confined to their gardens for reasons of security I can't help wondering when and why childhood became so very different. 

My own childhood spanned the 50's and 60s. We were free to roam in the surrounding countryside and the simple games we played were very similar to those described in the stories. My early years were spent at a village school that had just 50 pupils which was considered large compared to other village schools in the area.

After my nostalgic journey through these lovely books I decided to make a tiny doll that would resemble the little friends I once had at my village school. I trawled my memory for the way we looked in those days and this is the little character that evolved. She's 15cm (6in) tall and wire framed which enables me to pose her (something I like to do with dollies).

Girl's hair was often short and tied with a ribbon at one side. Long hair was never worn loose but always plaited (braided). Cheeks were rosie from much outdoor activity including the walk to and from school in all weathers (mums with cars were rare).

Cardigans and jumpers were usually hand knitted in 3 ply or 4 ply wool. DK yarn was only just putting in an appearance as were synthetics. Dresses were short and had full skirts and were often handmade by mum or granny. A petticoat was usually worn under the dress.

White ankle socks were worn in summer and grey or beige knee length ones in winter. Fashionable and trendy shoes were not an issue as little girls (and boys) wore the same style of summer sandal with a ‘T’ bar. These were brown leather although occasionally girls wore red in the Mary Jane style.

I hope you've enjoyed skipping down Memory Lane with me. Perhaps some of you have similar memories to my own . . . . . happy days indeed.

Have an enjoyable weekend, wherever you are.

Bunnyland

Finished at last! I've made a real marathon effort this week to complete the rabbits, write the patterns and list them in my Etsy shop. They are 15cm (6in) tall and, as you can see, extremely plump little characters. When I'm designing I like to have a theme to work with and for this one I chose winter which includes Christmas of course.

I've always loved dressed rabbits and stories about little rabbit families. This was one of my early books and the cold blustery weather portrayed on the front cover is just what we are experiencing today.

Here are three more of my vintage bunny books which you might have seen in one of my recent posts.

And who remembers watching Rag, Tag and Bobtail? Gentle tales of woodland folk, not a bit like the stories in TV programmes made for today's children.

This is one of my oldest books dating from Victorian times. These storybook rabbits look almost human don't you think?

I mustn't forget the rabbit tales everyone knows featuring Peter in his little blue coat and Benjamin in his enormous tam-o-shanter (I love that hat!).

Little Grey Rabbit is the last of my vintage bunny books and here is the cute little lady industriously writing her party invitations. Doesn't she look neat and well organised? I'm afraid my life isn't at all like that.

At the moment I could be portrayed by this little Santa with a perplexed expression realising that Christmas is only a few short weeks away and the sack needs filling. Perhaps I should take lessons from the well organised Little Grey Rabbit and start writing my Christmas cards now. Then again, perhaps not!!



I hope you have a bright, sunny weekend wherever you are.

Smiles on a rainy day

Another wet day here in England's Lake District and just to prove it I've taken a couple of photos for you showing my rain soaked roses looking pretty sorry for themselves. But wait ........... this isn't going to be a post about rainy day blues because wet weather means I have the perfect excuse to stay snug and warm whilst pottering about indoors. When I've finished pottering I can sit quietly with a warming cuppa and enjoy a good book or magazine......... bliss!

I have no new magazines to browse through today so my Lucie Attwell annuals were my chosen reading material (no surprise there!) Mabel Lucie Attwell annuals were printed from 1922 to 1974 which means there are 53 to collect. For the first 27 years the books were printed in monochrome but in 1949 full colour was introduced which must have delighted children (and mothers) everywhere. 

Over the past couple of years I've built up a small collection of 11 books, mainly from the 1950s. After this date many of the illustrations were produced by MLA's daughter Peggy and, although beautifully drawn, they don't have quite the same appeal as the earlier ones.

I never fail to be completely charmed and amused by the illustrations and little stories each annual contains.

Let me introduce you to this busy little mouse who always makes me smile. She's quite tiny and you have to look closely into a picture to actually find her. She never plays any part in the story but as she appears in several annuals I think MLA must have been fond of her.

My childlike imagination tells me that every time some action took place Mistress Mouse just happened to be passing. (I think we all know someone like that!).

In the picture below the barrow deposited its load across the ground just as the mouse and an elderly gentleman strolled by.

And look........ here she arrived just as the picnic began. How lucky is that?

And here she is again, this time shaking her umbrella at some jovial youngsters having fun! 

What a great idea it is to encourage young children to looking really closely at pictures in order to spot small or disguised objects. Top of my 'can you spot?' list would have to be Richard Scarry's Goldbug book entitled 'Cars and Trucks and Things that Go'. (Available from Amazon).

In order to write this post I sent my (adult) son a text message asking him to email me some pictures of Goldbug. He willingly put aside the scientific research paper he is busily writing in order to oblige and the pictures were returned within 15 minutes!

'Cars and Trucks and Things that Go' is my son's favourite book of all time. He was approaching two years old when we gave it to him and you can see by its condition that it has been well used. Each double page spread is crowded with vehicles of every shape and size. Amongst the drivers and passengers there is just one little yellow character 'Goldbug' and the object of the exercise is to find him. As a tiny tot my son spent many happy hours on his dad's knee searching for Goldbug.

Above is my son's much loved book. Note the scientific research document below that has been set aside whilst photographs were taken. My son knows how to prioritise!

Can you spot Goldbug?

Can you see him on the bus?

And here he is being carried away by a breakdown truck (this was always cause for both concern and amusement).

My daughter was also passionate about Richard Scarry books and I thought I'd finish this post with one of her books which contains 500 things to colour and make. A definite favourite for wet days like today.

We all love Richard Scarry books in this family, perhaps you do too.

Have a happy weekend wherever you are.

Eli

Little dog Fido

Today Kate and Tilly met an old toy dog who has lived with our family for many years. He's a friendly little fellow but I could see the two girls looked anxious and wondered why.

The reason it seems was because they'd been reading about a mischievous dog named Fido in one of my Lucie Attwell annuals.

Poor Kate and Tilly, no wonder they looked anxious. The two little dolls held tightly to their own hair and hurried away to play elsewhere.

and the poor little dog was left wondering what he'd done wrong.

Do you have a little dog like Fido living with you ?