You can probably get the answer on the antiques forum or the quilting forum. I have several old singers upstairs, but they're put away and I think you will get an answer on those forums.

Yes, I do know what mine are made of... I guess I needed to be more specific that I'm not asking about what/where the figures I have... I'm wondering what the origin of the original might have been, and if anyone has ever seen another. Lindac-- Good to know someone else thinks it's a carnival prize. I actually already had that tray, and it's a coincidence they all fit perfectly. If I came across another in red, I'd buy it. Sunnyca- No cushion... maybe just the shadow you're seeing? No markings anywhere on original. I will try being less politically correct in my search and see if that makes a difference... thanks!! Someone emailed me information on Esther Hunt and Joe Celona-- looks like they made somewhat similar busts, so maybe that is a clue to the time period. Thanks for the responses!!

Janieful: "The advanced toilet makes sense to me - at least much more than a separate bidet would. I have never used either, but bidets take up so much space. The one in all model is much more practical." The advanced toilet seats are not, strictly speaking, direct replacements for bidets, though one generic term for advanced toilet seats is "bidet seat." The first and foremost function of an advanced toilet seat is water washing a bit further to the rear than a bidet cleanses. Cleansing the anus with water is far superior to wiping (and spreading) with dry paper. Most current models of advanced toilet seat have a second washing function called "feminine cleaning," or a variant thereof, which has many similarities to the function of a bidet. As you may guess, that function directs the water somewhat further forward than the primary function does. However, in "real" bidets, the water comes from the front, whereas in advanced toilet seats, the water approaches from the rear, so there is a difference. The various brands of advanced toilet seats approach these functions in different manners. Inax, which invented the advanced toilet seat category, determined that the optimal angle of incidence of the spray on the anus should be 70 degrees from horizontal or, in other words, just 20 degrees from vertical. The Inax advanced toilet seats therefore have spray wands for posterior cleansing that extend out fairly far, so that the spray can be more nearly vertical. Toto, the biggest player in the market, was obsessed by the spectre of "backwash," the (small proportion of the) water that rebounds off the user's posterior, and accordingly Toto Washlets are designed to spray water at the anus at 43 degrees from horizontal, which reduces (but does not not eliminate) the amount of backwash that hits the spray wand. But spray directed at Toto's 43 degree angle does not wash as effectively as the 70 degree spray of the Inax models does. Inax addresses the backwash matter with an aggressive self-cleaning cycle for the spray wands, executed both before and after each use. As to the feminine function, Toto can get by with a single wand for both posterior and feminine cleansing, with two spray nozzles in the single wand, because the 43 degree spray angle for the posterior wash already is so shallow. Inax has to use a separate dedicated spray wand for feminine cleansing, because the wand that Inax uses for posterior cleansing would not be positioned well for the feminine cleansing function. But, whether or not you use the toilet seat for bidet-like functions, water-assisted posterior cleansing is a huge step up from dry wiping after a bowel movement. There probably is no way to upgrade your bathroom more effectively than to replace a passive toilet seat with an advanced toilet seat.

DalTile has a huge selection of unglazed porcelain mosaic tiles in the classic hexagon and 1" squares, and basketweave. I've used them before in baths and loved it. Here is a link that might be useful: DalTile Mosaic tiles This post was edited by lazygardens on Thu, Jan 10, 13 at 8:47