My First Heidi

 

This little girl is Heidi, from the Swiss Alps. She is a character from a book by Johanna Spyri written in German in 1880. There are two books usually published in one volume and the tell the story of Heidi who is orphaned very young and goes to live with Aunt Dete before settling in the mountains with her Grandpa and the two goats Barli and Swanli. Life changes dramatically when Aunt Dete takes Heidi to be a companion to Clara in the Frankfurt. Pining for the mountains and her old life Heidi looses her joyful spirit and is so diminished the family return her to the mountains where Clara comes to visit.
My Heidi is dressed in her best outfit for a visit from Clara. A full dirndl skirt with an embroidered felt and laced waistcoat with a pretty floral blouse. Wearing her trusty bobble hat and her stout felt boots she is still ready for a walk in the meadows. Carrying a tiny brooch in a hoop of the meadow which comes off and can be worn separately.
In the story Heidi is described as having black hair and black eyes with a rosy complexion and always a smile. My Heidi has brown eyes because that is how I see her and curly wool tops in black for her hair. She was a joy to make and one of my favourite stories as a little girl.Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre und Heidi kann brauchen, was es gelernt hat xx