From one extreme to the other!

I decided to make a prim Raggedy today. I've never made one before and have absolutely no clue how to but, hey, that's never stopped ME before! So I found a free pattern on the internet, with basically no instructions. But I can sew a doll body - no sweat!

Used this fabric that is a decent thread count - no idea what it is - something that Christine Shively uses (I had bought it for her class). Made the doll body pieces. Pattern said to put it together and stain it. Stain it? What the heck is that? A few Google searches later I know it means age it. Okay. How? Can't find anything through Google except for Gail Wilson's website and it says to use Rit dye. I don't want to use Rit. Keep searching. Join another Yahoo group. Go through their files. AHA - coffee and vanilla will age it. Go to store to buy instant coffee. Might as well pop into the craft shop and get some yarn for hair too. Hey, this fabric is nice - bet it will age well in the coffee too. Back home. Make tea. Make coffee. Drink tea. Dip doll pieces in coffee for five minutes. Hmmm, this looks interesting. I wonder if the doll shouldn't be STUFFED to do this? Try to get coffee out of doll. Notice that the coffee also stains your hands. Put doll pieces in oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes. Check and it's still soaked. So is the towel under it. Guess I didn't get enough coffee out. Give it another 10 minutes, and another 10 minutes. House starts to smell like coffee and vanilla. Husband wanders in. Making cookies? Nope, baking dolls. Nothing surprises him anymore - he leaves. Finally the doll is dry (more or less). It's aged. It looks like something my dog dug up in the yard. Okay - now to put it together. Why, they didn't say that after you age the fabric with coffee it turns into CANVAS and you CAN'T get a needle through it. They also didn't say that maybe, just maybe, you should put a pin across the top of the legs so the *stuffing doesn't shift* during the aging process. That way when you put the doll together she might be able to sit up WITHOUT a prop behind her! Okay, she'll just have to lean against something, it's not the end of the world. Now to find buttons and felt. Tried red felt and she looked like Rudolph. Get out the good wool felt and that works. This looks strange. I don't like prim Raggedys but I'm determined to make one. So let's keep going and see .. cut some black thread and lay it on the face for eyelashes and a mouth, just to see what it will look like. Have no clue how I'm going to embroider on something I can't get a needle through but that's for another day. Lay some yarn across the head. Hey, it's not so bad after all. Maybe when I get her dressed she'll be okay.

Stayed tuned for the next episode ... LOL.

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