#changes for addy

[americangirlstar]

Opening illustrations for each Addy book, by Dahl Taylor.

[desertdollranch]

Addy and her family are on their way to Trinity A.M.E. church to celebrate New Year's Eve and welcome the year 1866. Addy has been chosen to stand before the congregation and read the Emancipation Proclamation, the declaration by president Abraham Lincoln that all enslaved Americans were now free.

At first, Addy isn't sure she wants to attend at all. She is deeply wounded at the deaths of Auntie Lula and Uncle Solomon, and she feels as if her dream of reuniting her family in freedom can never come true. But with some loving encouragement from her mother, Addy realizes how important it is to show everyone how the love of her ancestors lives on in her. Momma reminds her that sometimes, loss is the cost of freedom. And look what that cost has bought her. Addy is thriving in her new life; she is reading, writing, and soon to be teaching.

I wish I could send a message back in time and tell young girls like Addy, especially those who were born into slavery, that someday their history would be recognized as an integral part of American history. I want them to know that even if they feel small and unimportant and forgotten, their descendants will stand up in front of the crowds and remind us of the love that still lives on in them.

I made Addy's patriotic dress last year, but just this weekend I finished her winter coat. I used Addy's Pleasant Company dress patterns. The beautiful forest green wool came from a blazer I found at a thrift store. Addy came to me with these cute knitted mittens, and her lovely black hat came from CR's Crafts. She's also wearing her knit wool leg warmers, which I made for her from an old scarf.

Don't look too close at the fringe detail since I kind of cut one side of the scarf too short. I'll try to fix it when I can find some more fringe. And I hate sewing buttonholes so I will probably end up attaching snap closures instead.

My Addy also came with a handmade version of her coat.

As cute as it is, I tend to prefer things that match the illustrations better, so I'm glad I finally took a shot at making my own.

[historicalfictionsims]

Auntie Lula passed away two days before Christmas. It was a quiet holiday for the Walkers, as they were too overcome by grief to celebrate. On New Year’s Eve, Poppa and Sam left after supper to help set up the church for the Emancipation Celebration. Addy was supposed to go with them, but Momma found her sitting in the dark upstairs. Addy confessed that she didn’t want to recite the Emancipation Proclamation because she had dreamed of living in freedom with her whole family, and now that was never going to come true. Momma sat down next to her and gently cradled the cowrie shell around Addy’s neck. That shell, which had belonged to Poppa’s grandmother, was a reminder that Addy was connected to those who came before her, and that connection would remain long after they were gone. Addy thought about this, and agreed to go to the church after all.

As the service ended, the children gathered in the front pew. Reverend Drake called Addy up last. She was nervous but as she looked at her family in the audience, Addy’s confidence grew. This document had changed the lives of so many people, including those she loved most. As she finished, the clock struck midnight and church bells rang out all across Philadelphia. The congregation cheered. Addy went to rejoin her family and felt a small hand slip into her own. She looked down at her sister and asked where they were going. Esther smiled and said “home."

(You can read a transcript of the Emancipation Proclamation here).

[curlyhairedbibliophile]

ThrowBook Thursday | Addy series from American Girl

This was probably the first series of books outside of maybe Goosebumps or Babysitters Club that I repeatedly checked out from the library and reread multiple times when I was younger. Much like Cassie Logan from the Logan series (that I still have to find and finish reading immediately!), Addy Walker was one of the few characters I saw myself in on library shelves and I loved spending time with her and her family. It crossed my mind a few days ago and I found this story collection on Amazon so I may have to get it just for nostalgic purposes, but also for my library of childhood favorites.

[broadwayhoran]

I reverse-engineered Addy’s patriotic dress (is that what its official title is??) from a few photos of the internet.

My little sister’s favorite American Girl doll is Addy, and unfortunately AG doesn’t carry much of her collection anymore, so I’ve been secretly recreating her clothes from various book illustrations. They did sell this dress at some point, but it’s apparently incredibly hard to track down anyway.

All materials are from Walmart’s craft department, and cost me less than $10 (with tons of extra lace and fabric left over). I didn’t have any particular pattern that I followed; I drafted the bodice myself but used the skirt and sleeve pieces from Kirsten’s School Dress as a guide for the rest.

I’m planning on making Addy’s birthday outfit and christmas dress as well. These are all going to be birthday and Christmas presents for my little sister, as the two dates occur within the same week.

I’ll try to get some photos of the dresses on Addy once I surprise my sister with these, but for now it’s sneaky pics on a doll dress form.

[americangirlstar]

Changes for Addy illustrations by Dahl Taylor

[desertdollranch]

Addy opened the scroll and looked out at the congregation. She swallowed hard. She had never spoken in front of so many people before. Then she saw her family looking up at her, their faces full of love and pride. There was Sam, who had lost his arm in the war to end slavery. And Esther, whose babyhood had been lost to them all. She saw Poppa, and remembered the night back in their cabin on the plantation when he had first whispered the word freedom. She saw Momma, whose hope and strength had never failed. Addy started to speak, and the words came easily. Her voice was loud and clear as she read the proclamation, with its words that had changed the lives of everyone she loved.

Addy's Patriotic Party dress is another piece I have reproduced to add to her collection. The fabric was easy to find, and the dress itself was easy to make. I also made the ribbon sash and glued on the little portrait of Abraham Lincoln.

While I was making this, I thought about the moment in Changes for Addy when she first wears this, and how significant it is that she is specifically chosen to read the Emancipation Proclamation.

Addy learned to read and write very quickly, and she uses that skill to help her family when they were trying to find each other and reunite in Philadelphia. But Addy is obviously close with her church congregation, and many of the people in the church were like her and also escaped slavery, and undoubtedly a lot of them hadn't yet learned to read. I think it's likely Addy also wrote and read letters for other people trying to unite their families. And she was certainly very involved in the freedmen's society and at least once donated her own money to it.

When she stands in front of the congregation, reading to them the Emancipation Proclamation, she sees her family watching her, but imagine how proud everyone else is as well, considering all she has done for them. Addy in that moment is embodying the dreams every enslaved parent had for their own children. She's reading in public, something that is illegal in many states of the Confederacy. And not only is she reading in public, but she's reading the document that proclaimed her freedom.

[historicalfictionsims]

The Walkers explored Philadelphia, searching various hospitals, churches and aid societies for their family. With each day that passed Addy felt her hope grow dimmer. She had visited the City Hospital so often that the nurses all knew her by name.

One evening Addy had stayed longer at the hospital than she'd intended, chatting with an elderly patient. It was time for supper but she decided to check the First Baptist Church on the way home. It was already getting dark, so Addy squinted as shadowy figures walked through the front doors. There was an older woman helping a small child down the icy steps. At first Addy thought her eyes were playing tricks on her but as they got closer, the child looked just like Esther. Finally Addy’s suspicions were confirmed. The older woman was definitely Auntie Lula. She called out their names and enveloped them in a hug. Auntie Lula was equally surprised to see Addy.

Back at the boarding house they were greeted at the door by Momma, Poppa and Sam. They all settled in the parlor and Sam asked the question on everyone’s mind: where was Uncle Solomon? Auntie Lula sighed and began her story. After the Walkers had left the plantation, so many others had run away that soon it was just the elderly folks left, with no one there to plant the tobacco. It became obvious that the North was going to win the war and then Master Stevens left. Auntie Lula and Uncle Solomon were determined to reunite Esther with the rest of the family, so they set off for Philadelphia, going from one freedmen’s camp to the next. Uncle Solomon was unwell and kept growing weaker, but refused to stay in any one camp long enough to rest. They had made it to Pennsylvania and didn’t have much further to go when he passed away. Auntie Lula and Esther continued on to Philadelphia, and that was where Addy found them.

The following day was the last day of school before the Christmas holiday, and Addy stopped at Sarah’s before picking up her deliveries. When she told her friend the good news, they embraced with so much force that they collapsed onto a pile of laundry on the floor. Then Addy pulled Sarah’s Christmas present out of her school satchel. It was a new slate to replace the one that had broken. Sarah took it awkwardly at first because she didn’t think it would do her any good, but Addy insisted she have it. Hopefully one day Sarah would go back to school, but even if she couldn’t, Addy would help her to keep learning.

That evening, Momma and Mrs. Golden prepared a feast for supper.  Addy took a tray up to Auntie Lula, but she only picked at her food. Instead she wanted to talk to Addy. Auntie Lula encouraged her to not feel too sad over Uncle Solomon’s death. He had been celebrating his freedom ever since he first learned about the Emancipation Proclamation back in 1863. Sometimes we don't make it where we want to go in life, and we let others carry on for us. Addy knew that she wasn't just talking about Uncle Solomon, but that Auntie Lula wouldn't have long in freedom either.