Brownie Tatbead and more

If you haven't seen Jane Eborall's Tatbead family, then you must. They are delight, she constantly comes up with something new and these are a wow.
Jane designed Brownie Tatbead especially for me, and she is so cool that I just had to stop everything I was doing and make her. She is very fiddly bit of tatting but then I love fiddly things and she was well worth the effort.


It's the detail on her that makes her so cool. I wish all of my Brownie Guides turned up dressed so smartly in their full uniform every week!! there are always missing/lost neckerchiefs,woggles and sashes.

I have been a Brownie Guide leader for 26 years and still love the kids.They really keep me young and there is nothing better to boost my ego than 24 adoring!!! little girls who notice when I have had my hair done, got new spectacles, jewellery etc.



This is me being presented with my silver 25 year service badge, that's the highest accolade. They mustn't expect us to last much longer that that!!

Not that it's always complimentary of course. I recently told them that I was too old to join in a raucous game. Later when we were in our Brownie ring, a little lassie holding may hand asked if I was a grandma. "No" I replied, "Phew!!!" she said in relief. Must be very uncool to have a grandma as your Brownie leader!!!

The uniform that Brownie Tatbead is wearing is relatively new and much more child friendly... sweatshirt top and tracksuit bottoms, scarf and sash to hold all the badges so they don't have to be washed regularly as on the old uniforms. How the kids used to hate those scratchy woollie hats!

When I first became a leader we had just got a new uniform which looked so smart.
I made this doll as part of a test for a Dollmakers craft badge. The brief was for a standing character doll with a moulded face. the face is felt stretched over stuffed balls of felt and she stands with the help of copper rivets in her shoes.



She was so much fun to make to get all the details right. From the side views you can see that she has earned a few badges. Two stripes above the wrist mean that she is a sixer in charge of her six.





People always ask why she is dressed in blue if she is a Brownie. The origin of the name comes from a story about the little fairy people, the brownies who helped out with chores round the house when no one was looking, just like our little lassies should be doing today.
When the little sisters of the first Girl Guides wanted to join in they were given the name 'Rosebuds'!! not very apt for these mischievous little imps.