Betsy McCall

When I was a child, I loved dolls and paper dolls.  My mother, who was a very accomplished seamstress, made beautiful clothes for my dolls and I made 'beautiful' things for my paper dolls.  

My mother had a subscription to McCalls magazine and I would wait every month for it to arrive so I could cut out the Betsy McCall paper dolls.  I loved to see what she was wearing and put a lot of pressure on my mother to make me similar outfits.  Often she did.

A few years ago, I remembered Betsy McCall and purchased some 1950's McCalls magazines online. I can't remember whether I purchased this pattern too, because I remember trying to make the doll at some point.  It all went wrong with the hair and I never finished it.  Perhaps I'll try again.

I always assumed Betsy McCall lived in New York and led a much more glamorous life than I did.  She seemed to do more things, go more places and have more fun and I really wanted to be her.

You can see her pretty New Year dresses and she even has a doll with the same clothes.  Oh, the imaginings of a young girl...

Here, she and her cousin and her dog, Nosy are going to the circus. I had a wonderfully indulged childhood and one of my best memories is of going to a fun fair with my family and one of my cousins.

Not sure about this one.  What kind of a joke would Betsy McCall play?  But I love the outfits!

Here, Betsy is looking more modern, and by the time she looked like this, I was no longer playing with paper dolls.  That didn't stop me loving them though.

Finally, she goes to the Flower Show.  That wouldn't have impressed me.  My mother had a lovely garden and I think I took it for granted.  We did go to the State Fair every September, though, and that was very exciting.

I can see I should have used Picasa to crop my photos.  However, if I did that I would never get this blog posted.  Hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane.  Do you have memories of Betsy McCall