Sunday, March 31, 2019

Hittys Room Box



Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, was written
by Rachel Fields, illustrated by Dorothy P. Lathrop
and published in 1929.  It won the Newbery Medal
for excellence in children's literature in 1930. 
Rachel was the first woman to receive the honor.
 It follows the adventures and numerous owners
of a little wooden doll Hitty, short for Mehitabel,
carved from Mountain Ash in the 1820's.

Here are photos of Hitty Farley's finished room box.
Hitty Farley was carved by Robert Raikes.
I made the dress that Hitty is wearing. 
Her other dresses are original dresses
by Robert Raikes, American Kit Company.
Hitty Farley doesn't travel like in the book, but she has 
friends that send her things from around the world.
  The figure below is called a Pflaumentoffel.  Originally
an edible figure made of prunes and sold in German
bakeries for children.  Here he is a small wooden figure
surrounded by tiny hand made trees from the 
Dresden Christmas Market in Germany.
In the book, Hitty is owned for a time 
by a portrait artist named Mr. Farley.
Cappy (short for Captain) and her bed were originally
a Wagner Kunstlerschutz Christmas ornament.
Hand made books and wood carved swan
 Japanese netsukes for bookends.
The hubs made Hitty's Shaker sewing box.
My friend Gerhard Ulbrich, who lives in Germany,
made the thread holder from a wooden drawer pull .
His wife Sigi wrapped the tiny wooden spools with thread
and crocheted the start of a sweater for Hitty to finish.
Very creative and so tiny.
Hitty's menagerie of china dogs.
Hitty Farley's best friend is
Hitty Barbel (Barbara in English), 
she lives in Wedel, Germany.
The original Hitty.
Hitty's quill feather pen is actually an 
accessory of the Playmobil Pirate from
the Pirate Ship series.
A tiny wooden village with children Christmas
carolers from the Erzenbirge region of Germany.
The delicate tiny trees are hand made.
Hitty's sea chest.
Hitty stores her shell collection in her
Dora Kuhn keepsake chest.
The hubs made her teeny Shaker boxes. 
Hitty paper dolls from a Gail Wilson kit.
Tiny Erzenbirge dollhouse.
 The postman can ring the bell when Hitty
gets a letter or package.
A big thanks to he hubs for all his creative wood
working skills and enthusiasm for Hitty's room.
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hitty Farley's Roombox-Furniture & Clothing 



Hitty, Her First Hundred Years has been 
translated into several languages and she is
still popular around the world.  The hubs
made a second set of Hitty furniture.  We sent
it to Germany for Hitty Barbel to put in her 
Birch forest home.
Visit the link just below to read Barbel's story: