Issue 16 - Civil War / Victorian Collaboration "Savannah" and Coconut Chip

My inspiration today comes from a love of pets and the role they play in our lives.  When going to art museums, portraits of historical women and children struck a special chord in my heart when they had painted "man's best friend" with them as part of their family.  It was more relatable to me than the stern almost expression-less paintings of solo people in historical times and revealed a more gentle nature.  I was always intrigued by which pet they chose to be their companion and even more so to sit at length with them to be included in their painting.

A large part of my inspiration came from women in the 18th-19th century with "froofy" looking dogs sitting on their lap and how often the dog was in the same color scheme as the dress they were wearing.  Above, her light blue and off white dress (could be grey) compliments her furry companion's coloring.

Portraits of families with their canine companions were also fun for me to look at, and especially ones with children and a dog that was nearly her height.  Above: Portrait of a girl and dog by Susan Catherine Waters circa 1855-1860.

I chose Coconut Chip by American Girl for the featured pet mostly because she reminds me of the very "froofy" dog in my inspiration picture and has a very refined fur.  In 19th-20th century dogs were symbols of refinement and social standing. Women in stately homes, gardens, or on horseback with dogs were common in period photography and paintings.  Coconut Chip's coloring of being a pure white dog also fit in with my fabric choice of the civil war dress above in blue and white floral which fit in nicely with the idea that the dog matched the clothes in many portraits.

The dress is made from a blue and white floral print cotton, which I imagined would be nice to walk the grounds in and have the ruffles catch the breeze on a spring day.  She carries a sheer white shawl with fringe lightly draped around her arms.  Underneath her dress is the Bbeauty Hoop Skirt to give the dress shape.  This dress was made from the Promenade pattern inspired by the 1850's fashion by Dollhouse Designs found here. There were no modifications needed to use our hoop with this dress pattern, so if you do own one or have purchased dresses for your collection using this pattern, it will accommodate our hoop.

In a dress to match concept, I made a pearl necklace for Savannah and a Pearl collar for Coconut Chip almost like best friend jewelry.  Each one has a heart set in gold with a main blue flower on a white background and leaf details. It's a nod that many affluent women spoiled their pets with fancy collars and pendants to match their wealth and refinery, but here it is also a symbol of the love these two have as best friends.

By now, you are probably wondering about the doll pictured as she is obviously not an American Girl doll.  As I said in the previous newsletter, I am often intrigued by dolls in the same size categories as the dolls I often create for and sew for.  This doll is a custom doll made from a series by Pat Sicrest called Punkin which refers to the face mold specifically.  I always look out for dolls with an artist name attached from different time periods.  They often disappear into a sea of other dolls that are not at the forefront of our minds and aren't "everywhere" in terms of shopping.  But what is interesting about dolls that are cultivated by an artist is that they spend the same devotion and time and energy into creating really good products to attach their name to.  They often have a much higher quality and detail to the molds than some put out by corporations and franchises.  It's something to look for when customizing dolls because just as we look at American Girl dolls in a completely new light when they have custom eyes, hair, and face paint, the same is true for other artist made doll sculpts.  

Savannah's Punkin mold gives her a very wistful expression with large doe eyes and delicate lashes, a child like nose and chin, and very full lips.  She has topaz eyes and a medium skin tone with light brown tiny curl ringlet hair which is styled into an updo and pinned in place (her hair can be let down and is shoulder length when you do).  Her delicate ears are pierced with silver dangle heart earrings.  Savannah's face has been hand-painted to accent her mold's features and give her a very child-like appearance. Her face-up is very natural in tone with no bright colors so that she maintains the look of not wearing any make-up. She has natural wispy brows, blush on her cheeks, and very light freckles over her nose and under her eyes. It was difficult to capture the freckles on camera with the light but they are there in person.

Savannah's body fits AG size clothes and has measurements similar to early Pleasant Company dolls with the fatter waists.  Most 18" doll clothes will fit her, but she does have a semi-wide calf which does make some boots not fit unless they lace up.  Her body is cloth with an internal frame structure that allows her to stand unassisted.  As such anyone who has this doll in their collection is able to dress and interchange their clothing from their AG collections as Savannah is very accomodating.

Savannah is being sold as a special gift set which will include the following:

• Savannah herself wearing the civil war dress in blue and white floral, hoop skirt, socks, best friend pearl necklace, white fringe shawl, and white boots

• Coconut Chip wearing her best friend pearl necklace 

• A special gift box to store Coconut Chip, and accessories when not in use with a velvet lid and blue satin bow and box with blue and white florals (shown below)

Savannah's outfit was made from a limited fabric so there are no extra copies of this outfit for purchase.

TO PURCHASE SAVANNAH AND HER GIFT SET AS SHOWN:

Savannah and her full collection set can be purchased on Ebay for auction here