The Pixie Story These Pixie Dolls have been made in my family for at least 3 generations – long before the modern-day Elf-on-the-Shelf and even before the original Pixie Elves of the 1960’s. My Great Aunt Elizabeth taught me how to make them when I was 5 years old and I have been making them ever since. I have lost the story she wrote down for me – but traditions never get lost. My Great Great Grandfather brought home a wood gnome from Germany after WWI with a story of how the gnome would watch over the garden. His wife thought it would be nice to have one in the house to watch over the children but wanted it to be softer. She used fabric scraps and fashioned the first Pixie in the family. My Great Aunt Elizabeth and my Grandfather Howard were the two youngest of nine children. They made up stories about the Pixie, playing hide and seek as they moved it about to see if anyone noticed. Sounds a little like the Elf-on-the-Shelf, right. Of course, more were made when my aunt started sewing at age four. Aunt Elizabeth was an exceptional seamstress and always made time to sew the Pixies for the children of friends and family. She taught a few nieces to make them, but no one seemed to take it to heart. That is until she taught me, her great niece. I was fascinated by the whimsical nature of the doll and that I could make it myself. For many years I made these by hand, as Aunt Elizabeth showed me. But when I received my first sewing machine at age 11, there was no stopping me. My Dad called it the Doll Factory and I even prepared a presentation for 4-H that was showcased at the NY State Fair. When I visited my grandparents each summer, I would use her treadle Singer (grandpa had made it electric) to make a few Pixies for the town library to give to the children who came. I sold them at craft fairs for many years and then put it all away. It seems that whenever someone sees them in my home, they ask for one and so I decided to share the Pixie Doll again. They are great for any room or occasion, take them on vacation or to the lake house and the Pixie is especially soft and safe for the nursery.