Thursday, May 15, 2014

Alice's Spring Quilt--Raggedy Ann in a Box


I wasn’t even thinking about this current theme when I went into a toy store looking for a baby shower gift.  Suddenly I spied the Jack in the Boxes. Ah ha!  A toy that depends on a spring for it to work! I was delighted to see that instead of a clown popping out, one was a princess and the other was a teddy bear.  (I’ve never cared for clowns!)

I decided to depict Raggedy Ann springing from the box.  My mother made me Ann and Andy dolls one Christmas.  They were some of my favorite childhood gifts. I loved the books on which the dolls are based and read them all.  (I know, I know—my love of books comes up again!) Then some 30 years later, I made our youngest daughter Susan giant Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls.

My own dolls are tattered and torn, missing shoe-button eyes and lower legs!  But Susan’s are still in good shape, and “live” on the day bed in the “grandchildren’s room.”  So with my own pitiful torn-up dolls and these other two, I had plenty of models and came up with a sketch I liked.

I decided to use commercial printed fabrics, rather than the batiks I so often use.  The background is a harlequin-patterned green I used in making one of my great-nephews a quilt.  Ann’s clothes are bits and pieces from my stash that I first prepared with Wonder-Under.  I traced the various elements of my sketch onto the fabrics, using a light-box. After all were cut out, I fused each section onto the green fabric.

I followed the design of the fabric in machine quilting, and I secured the edges of the appliques with a tiny zig-zag stitch.  I thought the yarn hair would be hard, but many handy sites on the Internet helped me out with that.

The dolls from the 1940s and the ones from the 1970s are portrayed in photos on the back of the quilt.






13 comments:

  1. Oh Alice! Just love this one, Raggedy Ann and Jack in the Boxes are two of my favorite things and you have combined them in one quilt! I was wondering if someone would take the spring approach, and you did! I especially love how you did the crank part! Great colors and a cute border complete this lovely quilt!!!!

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  2. I just love jack-in-the-boxes! One of my favorite childhood toys.

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  3. Hi Alice ... What a great interpretation ! You achieved an almost 3-dimensional effect with your choice of fabrics - I feel like I could reach through the computer screen and turn the handle on your lovely Raggedy Ann in the Box quilt. Great job :-D

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  4. Very cute!!!! I agree - it is amazingly 3-D!! I love how thoughtful you are about your pieces. You very often have several very meaningful personal connections with them.

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  5. Alice I love this! I really like the fact that it is Raggedy Annie coming out of the box rather than a scary clown. You did a great job of three dimensional perspective and I love your charming embellishments on the back of the quilt

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  6. This is delightful Alice and such a happy quilt! I didn't even think about spring as the way things work. I love that you put your old Raggedy Ann and Andy and the ones you made for Susan on the back of the quilt. A precious memory quilt!

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  7. I also read those Raggedy Ann and Andy books. And yes, someone, maybe Mother, made the dolls for me with little hearts pinned to each doll. Your Raggedy Ann in a box is adorable!
    NM
    NM

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  8. Alice, I too didn't think of Spring that way! A clever twist of our word! I love how your quilt turned out. I also have fond memories of Raggedy Ann and Andy.

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  9. What a delightful piece. I love seeing the older raggedy Ann's also. I have one that I loved but it was eaten away by something.

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  10. This is precious! Raggedy Ann dolls are the Best and you made the perfect quilt. How clever to put her in a Jack-in-the box for our spring theme.

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  11. Your quilt brought back a lot of memories and it is beautiful. I did not play with dolls, I was a tomboy. My sister still has not forgiven me for cutting the pony tail off of her Barbie.

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  12. Really enjoy that you chose to depict spring in a most unusual and fun way. I didn't think you could even buy a jack-in-the box toy anymore! Very clever to have substituted the clown for a favorite and meaningful childhood Raggedy Ann doll. the background harlequin fabric is perfect, and as others have mentioned, I also feel that I could reach right in and turn the handle!

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  13. I've always loved Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls, and your
    quilt dolls are darling. Where are Susan's dolls? Your house or hers? Love the green binding, too.
    NM

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