Favorite DIY project

My favorite DIY project that I make are cloth dolls. Even more specific than that are the Raggedy Ann dolls I make. I love cloth dolls because they remind me of an era long ago. My heart longs for the days when toys were simple and well made, not mass manufactured in a foreign country and end up breaking after a couple uses. Although, those days are long gone, making handmade items is a way for me to get back to those ‘good old days’. The days where little girls in pinafores and pigtails would have a favorite dolly they took everywhere, and they would sit at mother's knee learning the basics of sewing while making new clothes for their little cloth playmates.

I've always loved dolls ever since I was little. As an adult, you think I would have grown out of it, but having children just gives me an excuse to play with dolls and toys. The dolls I make take a few hours each. My favorite part is thinking up and sometimes sketching out the doll. In this process I give my dolly an outfit and personality to match. Sometimes they are timid and shy, other times they are a fiery red headed flower child. Sometimes still they are adorable brunettes ready to go trick or treating. The possibilities are endless. Cutting them, carefully sewing them, embroidering the faces and choosing outfits to make all take time. For a bit I sold them online, but with four young children to care for I wasn’t able to keep up with the demand. I made each doll different and tried to capture a different personality with each one. Sometimes I would even take inspiration from people I knew and fashion a doll after them. It is so much fun thinking up new dolls and new personalities and outfits. I made a little cloth cowgirl doll complete with boots, blonde hair and a cowboy hat inspired by a sweet little neighborhood girl who loved horses. Her mother was overjoyed when I showed it to her. I’d like to think that each of my cloth dolls that go to new homes go on adventures and share important connections with their owners. My most favorite is when I get a picture of one of my handmade dolls on adventures with their new best friends. Those times are when I know that all my efforts and time are amounting to something wonderful and maybe even lasting.

My love of Raggedy Ann started at a young age. They remind me of my Great Grandmother who was lovingly nicknamed ‘wella’. I spent a lot of time in her yard during the hot summer months in Texas. It may have not been a very big yard, but to me it was huge and a place to explore something new every day. I loved picking her buttercup flowers (Sorry Abuela) and pretending they were teacups for a tea party for me and my Raggedy Ann. My Great Grandmother loved to sew and one thing she made sure to make for each of her great grandchildren were Raggedy Ann dolls. I loved the doll she made me when I was little. I still have it tucked away safe in a box. I remember playing with my doll and running my hands through her red yarn hair and examining the stitched-on smile. My Great Grandmother has long since passed on and I hear stories every now and then about her being able to sew anything after just looking at it. I am sad that I didn't get to know her as an adult, but sewing dolls, especially Raggedy Ann dolls is a way that I still feel connected to her. I'd like to think she'd be happy to know that I remember her and love the time I spent with her.