:: January 2003 
Review
The Mary Frances Sewing Book: Adventures Among the Thimble People
This book is a reprinted version of The Mary Frances Sewing Book/Adventures of the Thimble People originally published by The John C. Winston Company in 1913. It is a blend of fantasy and clever instruction as a little girl, Mary Frances, learns to sew for her doll, Mary Marie, while spending time alone in her grandmother's sewing room. Well, she is not quite alone. Her grandmother's sewing implements come to life and teach her lesson after lesson (46 topics in all) including specialty stitches and garment construction.
CyberFibres found that the chapters could be read aloud to a nine year- old girl simply as a story. There are line drawings on every page, and most of the "thimble people" speak in rhyming verse. If you are inclined to try out the patterns provided, you can order a Mary Marie doll designed for that purpose (see doll in photo). The dolls will be available in March, 2003 from The Victorian Trading Company at http://www.victoriantradingco.com (Tel.: 1-800-800-6647