Anne of Green Gables

As a child I read Anne of Green Gables and I loved it!  It is the story of an irrepressible, "carrot-topped" orphan who manages to steal the hearts of the plain and lonely brother and sister with whom she comes to live in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island.

In the 80's I was fortunate enough to travel to Prince Edward Island and see "Green Gables" the house of Lucy Maud Montgomery in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.  I also saw the musical based on her first book of Anne (seven novels followed due to the public's insatiable appetite for the little red-haired free-spirited Anne).

Lucy Maud Montgomery was born on November 30, 1874.  When she was only two years old, Maud lost her mother to tuberculosis, and her father placed her in the care of her maternal grandparents.  Maud's first love was poetry especially Lord Byron.  In fact Montgomery wrote 22 novels, 800 short stories and 500 poems but she is best know for her book "Anne of Green Gables". Maud wrote the story of Anne Shirley as a serial for the paper for whom she worked but it soon grew into a full-fledged novel, which she called Anne of Green Gables.

Maud sent the manuscript to five publishers, all of whom promptly rejected it.  Naturally, she felt discouraged and so put the novel away in an old hatbox and forgot all about it.  A few months later, she came across it and decided to give it one last chance.  This time she sent it to a publishing firm in Boston, L.C. Page and Company.  Although she was an unknown writer, the firm decided to take a chance and purchased the manuscript for $500.  The book was published in 1908.

The night Maud received the good news, she wrote in her journal: "The book may or may not succeed.  I write it for love, not money, but very often such books are the most successful, just as everything in the world that is born of true love has life in it".  How correct she was! This one book went beyond Maud's wildest expectations.  Unfortunately, the publisher retained most of the profits from Anne of Green Gables.  This is one the the reasons that she wrote her many sequels.

Maud died on April 24, 1942. her husband and sons accompanied her body to the little cemetery at Cavendish and laid her to rest on her beloved Prince Edward Island.  A year later, her husband joined her. Their tombstones face the hill, toward Green Gables and they lie together peacefully surrounded by showers of apple blossoms in the spring and by the salty sea air for the entire year!

My sweet, sweet sister also loves Anne of Green Gables and since this is the year that she turns 50 she asked me to create a tea cozy based on Anne of Green Gables.  I had such fun creating this piece and it brought back found memories of Anne and her exploits in Avonlea.

One side of the house with crocheted flowers and embroidery

The back of the house showing the line of laundry and more embroidered flowers.

Front of the house

The house is made of felt and duponi silk (to simulate wood boards) backed with heavy tinted to add support.  I had fun crocheting all the flowers and adding hand embroidered details on the windows and around the house.  I even decided to have a line of washing hanging to dry.  I then made Anne and gave her a sewing basket and a pink bicycle.   The size will fit any large teapot.  However since tea cosies are usually padded, I decided to make a wool felted tea cozy that would fit inside the house and keep the teapot warm as well.

The other side of the house where I will add Anne and Gilbert and Anne's bike.

One side of the hand-felted tea cozy with green fields and sheep in the evening.

The other side of the hand-felted tea cozy simulating the day time fields and sheep.

All cloth Anne (about 5" tall) with her bike and sewing basket.

Finally I made her companion Gilbert (the boy that becomes her boyfriend).  I added a pocket for Anne's pinafore and gave her books, one in her pocket and more in the sewing basket.  I think she is done!

The house is 12" high (not counting the chimney) and 10.75" long and  9" across.