The Fall Country Festival

The Simmons Wright Store in Kewanee, Mississippi had a Fall Country Festival. The Wind just about blew every one away. It was a dismal affair. I felt bad as many of the promised vendors backed out on the store owners at the last minute, but probably just as well, as there was no turn out to see any of the handmade items that were there. The people that did come were so sweet and brought their hand made things. We were next to the Baked goods table. She of course sold lots of her items.  The store is on the national register of historic places and is in bad shape. Part of the festival was hopefully to  get donations to restore the cotton gin that is in back of the old store. I went and enjoyed talking to the other people. I put a few of the dolls I had made in the store. There were several ladies who suggested I should go to a particular craft fair, but we don't travel much. I was able to do this because it was only 20 miles from home. The Meridian Star newspaper came around and talked to us all, which I didn't mind the talking, but when it comes to taking pictures of me, I try to get out of, making the pictures of the dolls is always good though. I hope to be able to go to some doll shows later on, as there I will see what appeals to me. My husband made a video of the inside of the store and outside during the festival and we will try to put it on here. The family that owns the store and gin, inherited it and needless to say, to keep it up and restore the buildings would be a monumental undertaking, but the place has so much character. It is very run down and I know they don't have the people or the strength to keep the place clean and the artist willing to send their crafts to be sold, as usually only the occasional traveler will buy something, in my case a doll, but the locals, not so much. They have a little lunch business and seem to concentrate on that. I wish them well and hope the store and gin can be restored because it is unique and there aren't many gins left, especially a working one, like the one in Jackson, Mississippi at the Agricultural museum.

Bo

Have you ever bought something, which is considered to be, and kinda really is, scarce or hard to come by these days, that you really wanted, but were afraid to use it,   well..... I have and here is one example, a good size piece of antique madder brown calico fabric which I gathered up my courage and started making a dress for Bo, a new Izannah Walker doll I made. This doll was going to be a boy, but, along the way, sweet girlish features showed up and so I have Bo . Bo is the name of a little girl in a movie, ( Signs )

that was so sweet and cute, I had to name a doll after her, well.... back to the pricey, delicate, so pretty antique material that to me is worth the money. The fabric inself, just by itself, might not be considered to be pretty, but once you make it into a dress, you see its beauty. What you don't see ( or maybe you do ) HaHa is the two weeks I spent  machine sewing, hand sewing, contemplating, staring, trying to get my brain to think up a good way to make the dress special by use of decorative touches, putting on said touches, then removing said touches, putting on lace, then realizing I did not have enough of the same lace to put on the sleeves and on the collar and brooding about what to do about that. Surly other people don't suffer as much as me, simply because they have a brain that can know what they want, and the sure mind to just sew the dress without mistakes, or second guessing the whole thing. This doll is big, about 20 or so inches tall with a pressed cloth head and oil painted features. If you notice ( I'm pretty sure every one will notice ) Bo is blessed with great big feet. Don't exactly know how that happened, but she is dainty in every other way. My last two gifts to Bo are the shoes she has on, which I slaved over and put a handy band and snap closure on for convenience and the pocket waist she has. The pocket waist is my first one ever, and although I studied Sherri Farley's tutorial on making the pocket waist, it took me several readings and several double looks to figure the thing out ( mostly heming the opening in the pocket.) My thanks to Sherri not only for the pocket instructions, but for many others she has given to us all. I hope you will enjoy the pictures.