"Josefina fetched water for the household every morning. She enjoyed going to the stream even on wintry days like this one because each day was different. Today fresh new snow squeaked under her feet."
Josefina is trying to fill her jug with water, but the creek is frozen solid!
She walks along the banks to find somewhere that the ice is thin enough to break.
She's in a hurry this morning. After she brings in the water, she has a very special errand to run....
January in northern New Mexico can get chilly, so Josefina is bundled up in her winter wear. This was part of her retired collection. Her sarape, skirt, sash, and boots are American Girl brand, but I made everything else!
Around her neck is a little pouch called a guadameco. It carries a very special letter that Josefina has been trusted to deliver safely to the recipient. The text of the letter is in the next image--it contains spoilers for Changes for Josefina, so don't look too closely if you haven't read the book yet.
It's written in English, although realistically it would have been written in Spanish. If you have read the book, take a look at the letter, because the text is actually not given in the narrative, only summarized. It has a date of January 17th, 1826, which is 200 years ago this month!
I made the lace-trimmed winter petticoat and gray stockings. She normally wears the petticoat even in warm weather because it gives her skirts a nice sturdy shape.
I also made her long-sleeved camisa. She is shown wearing it in a few illustrations, but it was never made for her collection. I used the nightgown pattern from her Pleasant Company dress patterns, and just omitted the lace and ribbon.
I made her hat, but I might remake it so it fits better on her head. I used black velvet glued onto cardboard and secured with velvet ribbon. The little water jug came from a thrift store.
I took these pictures at a location about an hour's drive away from where Josefina's stories took place.
