Santon Creche Figures

Now that the tea has been cleared away, Mimi and Bijou have set up the creche with Provencal santons, the "little saints" made of porcelain.  It is a tradition in many French homes, and, of course, we have a tradition of nativity scenes here in America, too.  Our scene features a new "stable" this year.  In the tradition of many Bleuette crafts published in La Semaine de Suzette, it is made from cardboard.

Mimi is a 27 cm. SFBJ 60 8/0 Bleuette, while Bijou is a taller Unis France 301-1 & 1/2.

Tea to Welcome Bijou

Mimi, an SFBJ 60 8/0 Bleuette, welcomes Bijou with a surprise tea-for-two.  

A great friendship is in the making!

Bijou in G-L 1934 Marin d' Ete

This is a reproduction of the sailor suit in the summer 1934 G-L catalog, but it was also a pattern published in La Semaine de Suzette in 1935, issue 15, as Marin Classique. Either is just right for our 1930s Bleuettes.

Bleuette in Composition

Bleuette heads were made in three materials:  bisque, pasteboard, and composition.  Here is a Bleuette whose head is made of composition. Say bonjour to Bijou.

She is marked "71 UNIS FRANCE 149, 301, P.C. , 1&1/2"  Historian Samy Odin says she was made in 1936, and was shown in the 1937 International Exposition.  Her head is incassable, that is, unbreakable, and she has 1 on her feet.  She has blue glass sleep eyes.  Historian Colette Merlen also shows this head marking, dating it to the mid-1930s. 

She came with what looks to be an original human hair bob wig and the cardboard pate used by the SFBJ.  Her slippers are oilcloth, and look to be the same age as she is.  She also came with a G-L L'Enfant Sage school smock in red gingham, which was offered in the 1933 G-L Summer catalog of Bleuette's ready-made wardrobe, and continued to be for sale until 1940.

A Japanese Bleuette-Size Doll

In honor of the enthronement of a new emperor and empress of Japan, here is "Momo" by Madelyn Baughman--she is Bleuette size and makes a lovely international friend.

Bleuette Cousin Restored

After being stored for years wrapped in tissue paper in a hatbox, this SFBJ cousin to Bleuette finally received some much needed attention.  Although her incassable head was in perfect condition, her composition body and hands had no paint at all and her composition feet and wood limbs had very little. She needed re-stringing and re-clothing, too.

Her mold is the simply-named "SFBJ Paris," a mold used by the SFBJ mainly in the first 20 years of their company history.  The "SFBJ Paris" mold was used for lovely bisque-headed dolls, incassables, and for a variety of mignonettes in an array of sizes.  Later, in the 1950s, the mark was used again, but not the old molds.

Her head is pasteboard--layers of cardboard or heavy paper steam-pressed in a cast iron mold with glue binding the layers.  Very nice threaded glass sleep eyes join lithographed paper teeth and original mohair wig to create a pleasant expression.  Her feathered eyebrows are painted over molded-in texture, and she has painted lower eyelashes with hair upper lashes. Her feet have the SFBJ 1 mark. She is 13 inches tall (33cm).

This little 20th century French girl now wears a dress made from a pattern published in 1924 in Lisette magazine, Paris.  Years' worth of Lisette patterns were for a 33 cm doll, a perfect fit.

A 1923 Lisette cover

Wardrobe of  Lisette Patterns

Autumn Hats

Crocheted cloche for
G-L 1924-25 Scotland

Crocheted pillbox for
G-L 1954 Gai Matin

Tissue-paper braid Boater
G-L 1934 Domino

Straw cloche for an antique Verlingue mignonette

Teddy Bear Picnic

G-L 1957 Kermesse dresses for Bleuette 251 and her sister, a reproduction Rosette

Mix and Match

These mix-and-match fabrics, and three mix-and-match patterns became a new spring dog-walking ensemble for vintage UF 251-2 Bleuette. 

Time to go for a walk, Lad.

G-L Biarritz jacket

G-L School Smock

Classic Beret

What Will These Become?

Sometimes, when sewing for Bleuette, I choose a few related (in my mind, anyway) fabric pieces and let them lie on my cutting table for a while to look at while I wait for inspiration to strike.

These are nothing terribly special, a piece of blue felt, a fat quarter, and a little dotted scrap that appeared out of nowhere one day.

Stay tuned.

A Difficult Construction

The rather Victorian-looking La Semaine de Suzette 1907, issue 20-21, Summer Dress has a devilish construction.  One difficulty is that the arm-hole opening for the balloon sleeve is hardly big enough to put two fingers inside it.  It was a challenge to create a workable pattern for Bleuette dressmakers to sew this dress and keep their sanity at the same time.  It's hard to imagine any French youngster being able to bring this dress off by themselves.

I made the original first to see how it worked.  It didn't turn out perfectly, I admit, but I discovered the pitfalls, and had an idea how to simplify the construction.

To solve the problem, without sacrificing too much of the original design, I made a shaped bodice based on the original but with a conventional armhole.

It's a contemporary version that any seamstress could sew.  

Better to simplify the pattern to encourage others to try it, than have all but a few pass this dress by.

Pattern Making

A glimpse at the process of pattern making for Bleuette, with model, and tools of the trade.

Mardis Gras 2019

Mardis Gras is coming soon--a red latter date in Bleuette's Calendar.  This year it is March 5th.
Mardis Gras is the celebration before the start of Lent.

A deguisement like this traditional Alsatian costume makes good festival attire for Bleuette.  It is made from the pattern published in La Semaine de Suzette, 1917, issues 7 & 8.

Becassine's traditional costume, LSDS 1959, #63, is what Rosette chooses to wear for Mardis Gras.

Or how about Pierrette?  LSDS 1954, #10.