From the desk of Charlotte Hitty...
Construction continues at the new Ash Grove Academy School Building. A coat of gray paint has been applied to the interior, and the stone work will commence soon. (We're really waiting for this awful snow and bitter cold to go away before more work!) In the meantime, the girls have been busy creating roomboxes to help with the overflow.
The rush of the Valentine's Exchange is over, and we have welcomed not one, but two new members to our home, so you can imagine how crowded it is getting here. It will be heaven to get some of the school children into the dorms!
We are also going to have a library, although that won't be anytime soon. But with all of the lovely photos that we have of our roombox adventures in this issue, we just can't resist the idea of a lovely, quiet place to sit and read!
Anne, one of our Hitty people and a Special Corespondent, has completed a new roombox for Janine. Janine is really happy with her apartment, especially as the house was very full, and she has those two big dogs! Lots more room for them--and her--to stretch out. She loves the 'fab' decor Anne selected for her.
And, if you get into a creative frenzy and suddenly realize you need something fast for dinner, check out Mrs. Plum's recipe for this issue! Her Vegetable Rolls are tasty, as you can imagine! I myself have been very guilty of overindulging in them.
Surely spring is around the corner--but until then, there are plenty of roombox ideas to keep you busy and interested!
Enjoy--Charlotte Hitty, Editor
In This Issue:
A Home For Hitty!
With Guest Artist Sylvia Ybarra
How to make a cozy home for Hitty out of household craft items and a cardboard box!
A Modern Hitty's Roombox
by Special Correspondent, Anne DeGroat
Jan's Roombox
by Sara Cole
Visit Our Supply List page for household craft supplies used in our projects.
From
the desk of Hitty Henrietta…
My Favorite section of Hitty, Her First Hundred Years may very
well be the description of Hitty's time spent with her Quaker family,
the Pryces. Hitty's adventures on the island are thrilling, and her outfitting
by Miss Pinch at the Renselaer's is grand, but her comfort and contentedness
while with the Pryces is very appealing.
Of course, Hitty admits to a "guilty thrill" when it is certain that Clarissa Pryce intends to take her along to see Adelina Patti, so she has her share of adventure with Clarissa. But as with all of Rachel Field's writing in Hitty, the description of her day-to-day life with the Pryces is just as rich and pleasing, if less eventful, than her description of her exploits. Perhaps the Pryces way of life is like a 'taste of home' when Hitty remembers her original home with the Prebles; before going aboard-ship, that is! In fact, this air of gentle homeliness lasts until the end of the segment, when Hitty continues her travels not by a dramatic plot twist, but when she is simply outgrown by Clarissa and goes into storage.
I think that what is so striking about Hitty's interlude with the Pryces is that, for the first and only time until Rachel's Bookcase Apartments* Hitty has a home of her own. When I read, as a child, about Hitty's "Delightful One-Room Home" created in an old wooden box by Ruth and Clarissa, this was the first time I had ever heard of a roombox.
The image of Hitty's Quaker Roombox stuck with me for many years, and for me is one of the most attractive Hitty scenes. In this issue we show you how to make your own traditional (or not so traditional!) Hitty Roombox out of the simplest materials. Your roombox can be whatever you and your Hitty, wish, but If you have a wooden box available, why not go for the Quaker look? Check out our 'Real Hitty' page for a pattern for Hitty's desk! I hope you'll enjoy your roombox project-- your Hitty will thank you for her comfortable new home.
Come again! Hitty Henrietta, Co-Editor