The Love of Crafting, Quilting, Expressions

A few years ago, my husband suffered some major health problems. He was sick for several years, and I was the caregiver. It was then that I began crafting. This allowed me to be there, 24/7. Sometimes, I worked into the night just to keep busy. The quiet hum of my sewing machine didn't bother him because the oxygen tank made its noise drowning my sewing out.

I made the dolls after I saw a book by Elinor P. Bailey on doll making. I had tons of old cloth scraps, old jewelry, and began my dolls. This was both therapeutic and allowed me to be with my husband.

What fun this was! Each doll was unique that I made. I had no plan when I started a doll, and over doing a few, I decided to add some fine wire so that I could be able to bend her arms and legs in any position. Soon, I had so many dolls, and neighbors loved them and suggested I sell them at a craft show.

In the last photo, you can see that I hadn't painted on her face yet. I had to think about how I wanted her to smile. I can't begin to say how much this crafting did for me.

Well, I did just that, but since I couldn't be gone from the house, one of my neighbors who did craft shows, agreed to put my dolls in her booth! I was very excited and was grateful to my neighbor for helping out. Later, she told me my "funky" dolls were such a hit she wanted to do this again.

My small sewing room was full of my dolls, and I never ran out of ideas to make the next one. My husband loved seeing each creation, and I was blessed because I was caring for him and being creative.