Ermentrude, the bookworm. A natural fiber art doll ready to play.
Oh Miss Ermentrude, who do you think you are fooling now? Are you really reading Emerson? I don't believe it for one minute. I know, I know that you have had to wait very long to be finished, but here we are now, what do you have to say about this prank?.
Oh..I see. It is not a prank. Do you really like to read this little book? What's it called? English Traits by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Aha. Did you think it was a fairy tale book, because of the pretty leaf gilding? I see. The book fooled you and then you got deep in it. Oh yes, many words. Pretty words. That happens when you read books, good books. You find many new "wordy" presents. You can keep it if you like it, I don't mind.
Well yes, if you look out the window you will see the little girls already outside. They had their breakfast, they got their snow clothes and out they went. We haven't heard a pip in the last three hours. Well…you were asleep of course. No, I have no objections to taking you outside, with proper wintry clothing that is.
I see you are already wearing your beautiful grey merino overalls. Yes, I believe we are rocking the overalls lately. What can we say? 'tis the season, right?. And yes, I love that you chose leather for the straps, much more long-wearing. Yes, your pretty cotton top will keep you war, but not enough I'm afraid. And yes, wooly socks are a must.
Well, how about this lovely knitted shawl I made for you? It has angora, the fuzzy stuff you like. Yes, and it's yellow! hello. We will wrap it around your chest, to keep you from getting the 'pneumonics'. And then we will grab your pink angora hat and matching mittens because sometimes a girl does need some matchy stuff in her life, even if just for special occasions. No, don't worry, I won't swaddle you too much, just boots. This 'mukluk' inspired boots will do the trick, don't you agree? And they even have pompoms. Perish the thought, a doll with no pompoms!.
Well, now that we are dressed, wait a minute…I should probably dress myself too, right? Good heavens, no wonder this cold won't leave me. Anyways, now that we are dressed what do you fancy doing? Snow angels? Castles? Snow ball fighting? Say what? Go look for the ducks! But…they are really annoying, they don't like it when we come near them and they get all upset and yell at us. Besides, I am not even sure they ventured out today, there is so much snow and as you can imagine, they have low clearance. But, if you want to find the ducks, we shall go looking for them. Oh wait, there they are. Yes. They are having a meeting. I think I heard them say they will go on strike until more treats are put in their coop. They are criminals those ducks.
Ok, so now that the ducks have been found, what shall we play? You want to make sure you still have all your freckles? Is that right? What is it with you, you think they will suddenly disappear? well…let me count…yep. All there. All accounted. No, no new ones. I know, what a shame. Maybe you will get a few more as you grow older, I have gotten some on my hands. I get a freckle when I make someone happy. Well no, I don't have that many but I guess by the time I'm 90 I will have loads and loads of happy freckles. Yes, maybe you will too.
As you can tell Ermentrude loves to talk. Talk and talk…about all sorts of things really. Some days she just talks about the things she has seen, at other times she "invents" worlds, things that she wishes had happened but that are not true. I don't hold it against her or chastise her for telling me stories, I listen, waive my head and smile. This encourages her little storytelling heart and makes her feel appreciated. Hope you have it in your heart to always listen with an open heart to the stories this little rascal has to say.
Ermentrude is a natural doll, measuring about 19" tall, made with my Figlette pattern. A pattern that is very slim, has long and lanky legs and knobby knees. She has mocha skin, painted freckles, embroidered eyes, and needle-felted sculpted face. Ermentrude's hair is made of a mohair weft, that has been treated to stay straight but can be combed and styled with ease.
Ermentrude's clothing has been made especially for her. She has a cotton top with long sleeves, merino overalls with leather straps, socks, italian merino wool boots with pompoms, underpants, a handknitted shawl and an angora hat that matches her mittens. I have used new and repurposed fabrics for the constructions of her clothing. Everything opens fully for easy dressing. I recommend Ermentrude as a toy for a child 7+, that can be gentle with her but also take her on lots of adventures. Ermentrude loves storytelling, so there's that.
She would like to find a new mom that can take care of her, but she is a little rascal so she wants to ask a question first: "How many freckles do I have on my face"? If you feel up to the challenge, please enter your name in the form below. We will select a person at random to purchase her. Shipping is quoted with insurance and tracking number. Taxes apply to Canadian residents. Her price is $1100 USD and shipping is $45 to the US and Canada, $65 International. Please only enter if you are personally interested in bringing her home, one entry per household. Ermentrude will receive offers until Friday January 22nd at 7 PM at which point an invoice will be sent, payment is due upon receipt. If you feel brave enough to listen to her stories, then by all means enter your details in the form below.
THE FORM HAS BEEN DELETED. ERMENTRUDE HAS FOUND A HOME WHERE THEY PROMISED TO COUNT HER FRECKLES. THANK YOU KINDLY TO EVERYBODY THAT OFFERED TO TAKE MISS CHATTERBOX OFF MY HANDS!.
We will see you all tomorrow. I am beckoned to read her a bedtime story. Giggles.
