Where can sewing take you?
To places you never dreamed possible.
My friend brought the nutcracker home and then proceeded to give me a call to see if I could possibly turn the male nutcracker into a caricature of Ms. Ginsburg. If not, she would return the piece and call it a day.
The first thing I needed to do was get rid of the powder style wig, and find a doll wig that would work. I then proceeded to pull off the robe and vest. Once I had him down to the wood, I could then figure out what to do. Originally, the little tie that is below the mouth is what you would pull to open the mouth.
I took a piece of lace and made a tie of sorts. It was glued to the mouth so that it could then be pulled and the mouth would open. It's a little difficult to fit a wooden doll, especially when the arms won't move ;) So, I made a straight panel that was attached under the lace tie for the front of the robe. I then made a rectangle with slits on either side for the arms. It was all lined before being attached to the doll. The robe is fairly full (gathered at the neckline), as there is a lever in the back that moves when the mouth is opened. So there needed to be some volume to the robe in order for the lever to work properly.
I then added a lace collar. Not exactly what Ms. Ginsburg would wear, but it is a doll. I also noticed that in most of her pictures, Ms. Ginsburg wears dark rimmed glasses. I managed to take the glasses off of the doll and spray paint them black.
The hair was pulled back into a ponytail. One thing that I noticed from all of Ms. Ginsburg's pictures was that she is always quite tailored in her appearance. So rather than tie a ribbon bow, I wrapped the ponytail with black ribbon and glued the ends down on the underneath side. The final touch, little pearl earrings.
Ms. Ginsburg came to Chicago to present an award in the name of her late husband. I wish I had gotten a better picture of her. She was wearing a pair of beautifully tailored navy blue pants, and a gorgeous jacket trimmed in navy.
My friend is pictured on the left below. An incredibly gracious and generous woman. She had told me that she wanted me to present the nutcracker to Ms. Ginsburg. Such an honor!
When the box was opened, Ms. Ginsburg was so happy. She immediately knew that it represented her. She said, "I love it!" And, it was apparent that she really meant what she said. She asked how to make the mouth open, and you see me showing her how to pull on the lace tie. Pictured in back of Ms. Ginsburg is her son.
It was such a magical evening, and one that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Truly and honor.
A few years ago, I looked around my dining room table on Christmas Eve and realized that everyone who was there was because of a sewing related experience. One was a dear friend who came to me as a client to make her wedding gown. Another felt that she would like to learn to sew, and took a tailoring class that I taught. The others were friends that I made through the Haute Couture Club of Chicago.
I've told this story before, but it was because I made a suit for a nun that I ultimately became the president of the American Opera Society of Chicago. Seems unlikely, but it is true. And, I was the first in the 95 year history of the organization to serve a 6 year term.
Sewing began as a passion instilled in me by my grandmother. It became a necessity when I was a teenager. Had I not sewed, I would have had very little to wear. That teenager who saved her babysitting wages, sold greeting cards door to door, and mowed grass in the summer in order to have enough money to make the clothes that she needed for school would never have been able to imagine that her skills would one day lead to meeting a Supreme Court Justice, and even better, to meet someone as iconic as Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
My friend gave me a lovely memento to remember the evening,
The necklace was made by Hollie Taylor. Her necklaces feature suffragettes, abolitionists, and trailblazers to educate about the collective power and accomplishments of women. You can find her website HERE, and you can also find her on Instagram HERE.
Have a wonderful day! Fire up those sewing machines, you never know where they may take you :)
Rhonda
