The Finished Ragdoll

I did manage to get the doll finished in time for The Girl’s birthday.  Barely.  I was up until 11:30 p.m. the night before, but who’s counting?

It was not the easiest project I have ever done, and I found myself muttering, “I’m never making another one of these.”  But I said that when I made my first Waldorf doll, too.  I think the first time for anything is a little bumpy.  And for me, there’s always room for improvement.

I spent every free moment I could working on her.  I could have gotten her done in just a few hours if I’d had an established pattern on my hands.  For some reason I thought I could just whip it up and it would come together perfectly.  That was not the case.  Every part I did, I ended up changing.  I embroidered two faces.  The eyes on this one are still a bit too big, but her lips are my favorite part.  Then I didn’t like the shoes.  Then I didn’t like the legs.  Then the arms were too wide.  Finally, as the hours started ticking by on the day before her birthday, I realized I would just have to push forward as it was, and come to terms with the fact that she was not going to be perfect by any means.

She did not come out the way I had envisioned, but she came out pretty good for a first try.  I can see how much fun it would be to make one of these dolls and make lots of clothes and accesories for her.  When The Girl is ready for that, hopefully I will have perfected my dollmaking technique.  But what makes this doll so special, even with all her imperfections, is that I made her with love for my daughter on her first birthday.  There isn’t another doll in the whole world like her.