When I was a little girl, my Great-Aunt Lee (Lela Mae Giebrich) gave me a set of 15 or so costume dolls from her travels to foreign countries. My Mom called them my "Look-At Dolls," not for playing with like a baby doll. They were the only thing I left at home for safe-keeping when I moved away to college. Several years later when my Dad sold the house, he asked me if there was anything left there that I wanted, and I forgot all about my costume dolls and told him no. They were sold. It was my fault, and no one else's. I have forgiven myself, but never stopped regretting that.
In 2016 I decided that I would make my own new costume dolls, some from countries I have visited, and some to copy my memories of Aunt Lee's doll collection. Hers were MUCH fancier than mine. They were cloth dolls with embroidered faces and dresses, about 15 inches tall. The detailing was very elaborate. Doing this is so fun, because of all the detail, but also as a solution to my mistake so many years ago. Making these will help, and surprisingly, it feels a little like getting them back. Aunt Lee would love knowing that I am enjoying making these. I love the traditional old cultural native dresses. But this is also a tribute to my Great-Aunt Lee.
The trips are in the Trips tab on this blog.
Here is that first girl from Norway. I have never been to Norway, but I loved making the costume.
This is one of the many traditional costumes from Mexico. I have been to Mexico several times, in high school, on my honeymoon with Chuck, and later with Louie and the girls.
I went to Peru with Eileen and Bob. This alpaca wool was made in Peru.
I went on a guided tour of Greece with Margaret and her husband Chuck. I remembered my Aunt Lee's Greek doll with the stitched-on coins.
Eileen and I traveled to southern Spain to see all the Arabic influences. This costume would be from the Seville area. I loved doing the silk ribbon embroidery.
Eileen and her children and grandchildren included me on a trip to France and Malta. Here are the costume dolls for the Provence area of France, where we were primarily,
...and the one for Malta. Her asymmetrical "Ghonella" head dress is supposed to capture the cooling winds in the heat of summer, and was wrapped closer in winter. Both this and her apron are made with handmade Maltese pin lace. Their skirts were made of hand-woven checked or plaid fabrics. (This is just a contemporary cotton plaid.)
I thought I better do one from my own country, and we are so big, and such a melting pot, there would be no single national costume. So I made one in the style of the Plains Indians: Dakota, Lakota, and other groups of Sioux. I worked on the Lower Sioux Indian Reservation the two summers following 10th and 11th grade, so this influenced my choice, among the hundreds of choices I had.
I have been to Canada several times, so I chose the Inuit costume as the traditional dress to depict. Her hood is made from a strip of a deer hide I had.
In 2024, I had the opportunity to go to Tanzania. We visited a Maasai village, and also saw Maasai women in town, wearing their traditional garb, and carrying things on their heads or in baskets. The basket, necklace, and some of the fabrics were purchased in Tanzania on my trip.
Although I have never been to Denmark, my grandparents emigrated from Denmark, Grandma at age 5 with her parents, and Grandpa alone at age 17. So I decided I wanted to make a doll with a traditional Danish costume. Her apron was a handkerchief embroidered by my Grandma Alma Christensen, and she gave it to me. (I wouldn't have cut into it except that there was a stain on one corner.)
