Making my first rag doll brought back beautiful memories of my childhood.

When I was a child I always wanted to have a doll like that, unfortunately we were very humble and my mother could not give us these luxuries that although they seem simple they have their cost, besides there were so many of us in the house that it was impossible to give just one.

I remember when I was about 7 or 8 years old, some very kind gentlemen came to the community where we lived and gave toys to all the children and they continued to do so every year until Mr. Rodrigo, who was the promoter, became ill. I remember it was around the month of December and when they arrived they would put up a huge circus tent and we would all go to see the show of imitation artists that made us enjoy every moment.

I will always remember that part of my childhood with great affection, as I will also remember my Ibis doll (that's what it said on the package) which is the doll I played with the most and had the most fun.

When I was a child I always wanted to have a doll like that, unfortunately we were very humble and my mother could not give us these luxuries that although they seem simple they have their cost, besides there were so many of us in the house that it was impossible to give just one. I remember when I was about 7 or 8 years old, some very kind gentlemen came to the community where we lived and gave toys to all the children and they continued to do so every year until Mr. Rodrigo, who was the promoter, became ill.

I remember it was around the month of December and when they arrived they would put up a huge circus tent and we would all go to see the show of imitation artists that made us enjoy every moment. I will always remember that part of my childhood with great affection, as I will also remember my Ibis doll (that's what it said on the package) which is the doll I played with the most and had the most fun. I would have liked to have a doll with hair, I would have liked to be able to comb her hair and make her beautiful bows. But, although the doll that Mr. Rodrigo gave me was completely made of plastic and neither her eyes, nor her arms nor her legs moved, I didn't care, for me she was the most beautiful doll in the world.

Today I come to introduce you to my first Kitty rag doll; as its name indicates, they are made of fabric, essentially of those scraps that we seamstresses have left in our workshop, also the stuffing can be made of those same scraps. In Venezuela these rag dolls are very commercial, especially they are sold in the tourist sites of the country. When I knew about these dolls I always wanted to have one for myself; actually there are a lot of beautiful models that brighten up the lives not only of grown-ups but also of the little ones in the house.

Among my favorites is this model that I come to present, I like this size that measures 45 centimeters long by 25 centimeters wide from one arm to the other, I like with its colorful clinejas and big bows, also that her dress is made of pretty flowers like out of the field.

I tried to make the patterns as best as possible to show you the size but I think it's a bit difficult to visualize, still I wanted to leave the image so you can at least see how the body shape is. As we can see, it is a complete body, the face, arms and feet are separate. A very important point when making an article like this is the combination of fabrics, both in the body and in the dress.

When we have this well defined then we cut all the patterns. The face If you are not an expert in drawing eyes on fabric you can look for ideas on how to do it on the internet, there you can get thousands of ideas that will reinforce your knowledge. The materials used to paint are:

-special paints for fabric

- brushes of different sizes.

For the skirt we cut two trapezoid-shaped pieces with the following measurements, 21 cm long, 25 cm at the top and 45 cm at the bottom.

The decoration is another important point, since this is the one that will give the doll the most highlight; for that you can place flowers, ribbons, a big bow at the waist to highlight it. You can also choose a striking color for the shoes.

The dress

First we join the upper part, joining the front with the back sewing straight on the shoulders, then we gather the sleeve with needle and thread taking all the measure of the sleeve to the measure of the armhole. It is good to sew first with needle and thread and then if we see that it looks good we sew the seam with the sewing machine.

We join these pieces or both sides and pull the waist until it fits the size of the top of the dress, passing straight and zigzag stitches. We can not forget to make the edge or hem on the sleeves, neck, back and the end of the skirt. Now we are going to make the shorts, cutting two pieces measuring approximately 18 cm at the waist, 16 cm long, 9 cm leg and 6.5 cm between legs. To the pattern we will add one cm of seam allowance all around.

For the cap we will cut a circumference of 20 cm or more, decorate to our liking, you can put lace, flowers. With a needle and a single thread we make a circle about 2 cm from the edge, wrinkle to the desired size, then sew with a few hidden stitches, finally we put the hair glued with a little silicone passing through the forehead of the doll. It is good that the hairline is quite long and thick, in my case I cut a lot of fuchsia colored wool about one meter long.

Recently a crafts teacher who saw my work offered to help me learn how to make my own dolls so I can offer them to the market with more confidence. As I told you this is my first doll and I don't have many patterns or anything, that's why it's good to go to the experts and learn as much as I can. Children's childhood is a stage that they deserve to be happy and that we give them all our attention and affection as much as we can. Today I am very excited to show you one more part of my handicrafts and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.