Did you think you'd done or seen everything that could possibly be done with the empty cardboard cores from toilet paper? Perhaps not. Maude Dean of New Orleans, La., sent in some small egg-headed, paper-dressed Japanese dolls made over the famous cardboard rolls (
figure A).
Maude said they were actually inspired by a trip that she and her husband took to Japan. In addition to eggshells and cardboard cores, she stated that she uses Origami paper, wallpaper, catalogs, fabric, bottle caps and imagination, along with glue and scissors. The eggshells are those left from breakfast eggs. Maude states that she makes sure to crack them near one end so she has about three-fourths of the shell left to work with. She's also branched out and started making clowns. In either case, she wrote that she and the grandchildren have a grand time working on these together. The kids love 'em.
From Dorcus Newkirk of Evansville, In., came a dear little wire angel (figure B) that Dorcus had shuttle tatted! Using 28-gauge wire, Dorcus was making one when she met Julianna Hudgins of Artistic Wire (a guest on our show last season) at her local Ben Franklin store . . . Julianna not only suggested that she contact me but also asked her to do some items for her company! Who knows what could come of that?
We seem to get mail from all ages which pleases me greatly as did the letter from 14-year-old Jenna Phillips of Hartland, Mich. Jenna sent in a photograph of a quilt she had made using squares (they looked to be about 10- to 12-inches square) cut from old T-shirts (figure C). All of the shirts had the usual indentification on them . . . names of shops, restaurants, teams, places, schools, etc., . . . so that grouped together they made up a memory quilt. After cutting and stitching the squares together then joining them with batting and a back side, the quilt was "quilted" by pulling yarn ties through the layers at the joining corners of the squares.
Jenna also mentioned that she believed "it would be a decent idea to have teenage guests on the show to add appeal to young viewers." Interesting thought . . . and not a bad one at that.
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