Canard Couture
This stuffed duck has been in my life for as long as I can remember, making her around 30 years old. My dad is probably the one who brought her home. She was more than likely the Sanrio Duckadoo character (what do you mean, you don't remember? Have a look):
I loved this duck to death, so my dad made a new one, put the remains into the new one, and blessed the new one the way that is done for Buddhist statues. The duck had another full-body overhaul before I was four, but has stayed the same ever since. I had her wearing a fancy doll dress with a large plastic pearl in the middle of a ribbon rose a the waist. This is how she earned the name "Pearl."
Her original dress became quite tattered, so I made her a new one when I was in high school, starting from the design sketch and creating patterns from scratch. Obviously the dress was completely custom-made, since there is only one Pearl in the world. A sewing machine is more trouble than it's worth at this size, so everything is hand-sewn.
I must admit I'm not entirely objective when it comes to my girl, so here is another picure. There is a large pearl bead in the middle of the blue ribbon rose at her waist.
Let's pull down her bonnet to get a better view of her face.
I obviously had more free time back in high school than I realized at the time. When I left Pearl behind at the park when I was little, not only my parents, but even my mom's close friend, who often watched me when my mom was busy, made "wanted" posters and tried to order replacements of the same product. Eventually Pearl came home to me, and accompanied me on trips to America, Greece, Egypt, and Turkey. To the best of my knowledge Pearl is now enjoying a quiet life at my parents' house.
