Welcome to My Red Cape. Long ago in another time my husband Jack and I lived in a little old red house. It was the stuff of dreams to us for the few years that we were there. I live there still a number of hours every day in imagination, with old dolls and paintings and fabrics and feather trees. I draw inspiration and happiness from the memories of that space in time and share some of it here with friends who remember how to step with Alice through the looking glass and take delight in whimsies and antiquities. ~Edyth O’Neill

Friday, October 19, 2007



There are still a few burned toys in storage that I plan to try to bring back to presentable toys. One was a medium large Steiff elephant, with the beautiful heavy metal wheels. My boy dolls used to ride him! I had Jack bring him home from our storage area yesterday. The toy has been treated in an ozone chamber two years ago to help with fire smell. All of the retreived dolls were treated with this big commercial ozone machine.
My thought is to hand stitch a covering on him, another skin over the blackened one. He is intact, just scorched dark, even black in some places. His stuffing is excelsior, (wood wool) and is strong. But if I take off his fur he will fall apart. I have considered using velveteen to cover him and make new velveteen ears and tail. Would a very low pile mohair be better, OR?? Jack suggested that I simply paint him, and make a fresh wool blanket. This would preserve his shape best of all and that is what is so charming about him. The original gray color shows on his side where the blanket is moved aside. This elephant used to always like to be under our Christmas tree with other old toys. Christmas is coming! Edyth

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